Rupinder Mohan Singh |

Simran Preet Singh Lamba graduates from U.S. Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. He is the first Sikh enlisted soldier since the 1980s. (source: Sikh Coalition)

Sikhs have proven they can serve in the US military

May 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On The Daily Beast, Simran Jeet Singh examines common — and often, outdated — rationale used to deny practicing Sikh men from serving in the US military with turbans and beards intact: Concerns with placing protective masks on people with beards first emerged during World War I, but technology has developed enough over the past century to render this a moot issue. Sikhs who maintain their articles of faith are serving in the military but require specific exceptions from military […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Employment Discrimination, Simran Jeet Singh, Simran Lamba, United States, United States Armed Forces, US Army, US military

Kanwaljit Singh, from Port Orange, Florida, reportedly forgives those who shot him in a drive-by shooting two weeks ago. The suspects have still not been identified. (source: WFTV)

Fund established to support Kanwaljit Singh, victim of suspected hate crime

May 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After having been shot twice in Port Orange, Florida during a suspected hate-based attack in February, Kanwaljit Singh and his family have been facing financial difficulties during his recovery. A fund has now been established to offer financial support. Coordinated Sikh Coalition and SALDEF advisories alert us to the dire financial straits that Kanwaljit Singh’s family is now in: Since the purported hate crime attack, Mr. Singh and his family, including his wife and two children, have suffered from significant […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Florida, hate crime, Kanwaljit Singh, Port Orange, support fund

The turban as a beacon of love

May 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After learning of the attack on 82-year-old Piara Singh in Fresno, California, blogger Anita Singha shares her thoughts about the elder Sikhs in her life: Maybe their children have warned them to stay home. I hope not, I need to see their Sikh spirit, their courageous bravery rise to the occasion. Their morning constitutional in a busy city park, sitting on public transportation a silent protest against hatred and ignorance. Read more on Anita Singha’s blog Listening Hard.

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Anita Singha, California, Fresno, hate crime, Listening Hard, Piara Singh

Fresno Police: Piara Singh was targeted for who he was

May 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“Mr. Singh was targeted because of who he was, what he was wearing, his ethnicity, his religion.” — Fresno Police Department Chief Jerry Dyer speaks at last night’s community meeting in Fresno, California, addressing the vicious assault of 82-year-old Piara Singh on Sunday. Sikh24 reports that Piara Singh is likely to be discharged from hospital tonight. According to the Associated Press, Gilbert Garcia, the only suspect, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and elder abuse charges, and that hate […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: California, Fresno, Fresno Police Department, Gilbert Garcia, Jerry Dyer, Piara Singh

Flag of the Ghadar Party (source: Ghadar Movement blog)

Call for papers: Ghadar Centennial Conference in Abbotsford, BC, Canada

May 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On October 17, 2013, the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, is holding a conference to commemorate the centennial of the founding of the Ghadar Party in 1913 — a movement that was based in North America to challenge British colonial rule of India. Entitled “Interpreting Ghadar: Echoes of Voices Past“, the conference is inviting papers under the following topics: “Ghadar Literature and Revolution” “Colonialism and Social Justice” “Negotiating Transnational […]

Categories: Events • Tags: "Interpreting Ghadar: Echoes of Voices Past", Abbotsford, British Columbia, Call for Papers, Canada, Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, Ghadar Party, University of the Fraser Valley

Elderly Sikh man brutally assaulted in alleged hate attack – UPDATED

May 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last night, news broke that an elderly Sikh man in Fresno, California, was attacked and beaten severely on Sunday in an alleged hate-motivated assault. Piara Singh, 82 years old, was brutally beaten after leaving the Gurdwara Nanaksar in Fresno on Sunday morning: Piara Singh was beaten with a steel rod. He is currently admitted in the hospital undergoing treatment for severe head injuries, and his condition is said to be critical. His rib was also fractured and a lung collapsed during the […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Anup Singh, California, Florida, Fresno, Gurmej Atwal, hate crimes, Kanwaljit Singh, Oak Creek, Paramjit Kaur, Piara Singh, Port Orange, Prakash Singh and Suveg Singh Khattra, Punjab Singh, Ranjit Singh, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Sita Singh, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

"South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley enters the State House chamber in Columbia to give her State of the State address in January. Democrat Dick Harpootlian has told activists to “send Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.” (Mary Ann Chastain/AP)" (source: The Daily Beast)

SC Democratic Party: Nikki Haley should “go back to wherever the hell she came from.”

May 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Friday, at a state Democratic Party event in South Carolina, party chairman Dick Harpootlian used interesting words to describe Governor Nikki Haley’s origins: “In about 18 months from now, hopefully he’ll have sent Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.” Nikki Haley, who has been discussed often on this blog, comes from a Sikh American family and later converted to Methodist Christianity. During her campaign for the governor’s seat, she regularly touted her Christian credentials. Despite […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: Dick Harpootlian, Nikki Haley, Sikh Jesus, South Carolina, South Carolina Democratic Party

"A blindfolded martial arts master splits a coconut on the head of his colleague without touching his head, an action so fast he had the club raised again before the coconut fell." (source: Jessica Skropanic | Record Searchlight)

Picture of the Day: Vaisakhi celebrations in Redding, California

May 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As many Sikh communities across the United States have done in the past month, the Sikh community near Redding, California, held their annual Vaisakhi celebration in that city. The Vaisakhi Festival and Day of Non-Violence involved participation by the area’s diverse communities. See more photos and video at the Record Searchlight and read more at the Anderson Valley Post.

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day, Sikhism • Tags: Anderson, Baisakhi, California, Day of Non-Violence, Redding, Vaisakhi

Why are certain faiths often excluded from world religions courses?

May 3, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In response to the California state legislature’s call for the state’s college systems to include Sikhism in world religion courses, a religious studies professor considers why certain communities have often been excluded from syllabi: I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the experiences of “Indians” convicted me to reflect on this matter. The founders of my academic discipline are partially responsible for the painful histories these peoples came to experience. And in my syllabi, I’ve had a tendency to continue […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: ACR-20, Richard Newton, world religions courses

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh