Rupinder Mohan Singh |

"Thousands walk in Renton’s Khalsa Day parade. Sikh men, and some women, wear turbans as one of five external articles of faith called the five Kakars. Women also wear long headscarves called dupattas at religious ceremonies to show respect." (source: Erika Schultz)

Nagar Kirtans to be held in CA and WA this weekend

May 3, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Tomorrow, two Nagar Kirtans (religious processions) will be taking place in Redding, California, and in Renton, Washington, to commemorate Vaisakhi, one of the most significant dates on the Sikh calendar. In Renton, exhibits featuring historic Sikh artifacts will also be available for viewing: The Sikh Military Heritage Exhibit The Sacred Words: An Exhibit of the Sikh Written Word The Sikh Community: Over a Hundred Years in the Pacific Northwest Officially on April 14, Vaisakhi celebrations have been taking place across […]

Categories: Events • Tags: "Washington, Anderson, Baisakhi, California, Nagar Kirtan, Redding, Renton, Vaisakhi

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"Granthi Amarjeet Singh, left, and Tina Kaur Rekhi of the Sikh faith offer a prayer Thursday morning at the annual Community Prayer Breakfast at Century Center in South Bend sponsored by the United Religious Community." (source: South Bend Tribune)

National Day of Prayer in South Bend, Oregon

May 3, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Yesterday, in South Bend, Oregon, 300 members of various faith communities came together for an interfaith commemoration of the National Day of Prayer in the United States. Despite. Participant Timothy Erdel, a professor of religion and philosophy, looks at the bigger picture of bringing diverse people together: “What’s most important to us, we may not share in common, but there are still important secondary concerns such as citizenship, peace, duty to neighbors.” Read more at the South Bend Tribune.

Categories: Interfaith • Tags: Amarjeet Singh, National Day of Prayer, Oregon, South Bend, Tina Kaur Rekhi, United Religious Community

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"Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Burma (Myanmar), Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria stand out as having the most restrictions on religion as of mid-2010 when government restrictions and social hostilities both are taken into account. Brazil, Japan, Italy, the United States and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have the least restrictions and hostilities." (source: Pew Forum)

Ranking religious freedom around the world

May 2, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In a recent TEDx event in Rome, Italy, Brian J. Grim (of the social research organization Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life) discusses his research into government restrictions and social hostilities related to religion among countries around the world. Providing an overview of the research behind the Pew Forum’s recent report Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion, Brian Grim shares two conclusions about the relationships between certain types of government restrictions and social hostilities in countries that rank high […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies • Tags: Brian J. Grim, Italy, Pew Forum, Pew Research Center, Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion, Rome, TED, TEDx

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President Barack Obama (source: White House)

President Obama recognizes history, challenges for AAPI communities

May 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In his proclamation to commemorate the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, President Obama not only celebrates Asian American/Pacific Islander communities, but also recognizes the continuing challenges these communities have faced in this country: For many in the AAPI community, that story is one also marked by lasting inequality and bitter wrongs. Immigrants seeking a better life were often excluded, subject to quotas, or denied citizenship because of their race. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, Hate Crimes, Politics • Tags: Asian American, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Barack Obama, hate crimes, Pacific Islander, Pacific Islander Heritage Month, White House

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A young girl holds a sign: "Chardi Kala - High Spirits". (source: Just Sikh)

Examining the limits of “chardi kala”

April 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On the blog Critical Mourning Project: Oak Creek & Beyond, Balbir Kaur Singh presents an examination the Sikh ethos of chardi kala — the maintenance of high spirits and optimism especially in difficult times — as a healing mechanism particularly after the mass murder of six Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August: To continually evolve without grieving and reflection is to depoliticize the process of mourning, and is shortsighted in its sense of self-protection. I offer then the alternative […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Balbir Kaur Singh, chardi kala, Critical Mourning Project, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

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Assembly Member Dan Logue (second from right) presents ACR-20 to Sikhs in Yuba City, California. (source: News East West)

CA Senate and Assembly call for post-secondary education about Sikh Americans

April 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In February, California State Assembly Member Dan Logue introduced a resolution entitled ACR-20: Postsecondary education: instruction in world religions: Sikhism which called for Sikhism to be included in world religion courses at California’s public post-secondary institutions. The resolution was cosponsored by Assembly Member Henry Perea. While non-binding, the resolution seeks to raise awareness about Sikh Americans. After it was passed by the State Assembly in March, Assembly Member Logue’s office announced yesterday that the State Senate has also passed the […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: ACR-20, California, California State Assembly, California State Senate, Dan Logue, Henry Perea

"Nazar Kooner addresses the gathering at the Sikh temple on South P Street with Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall and sister-city Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora of Amritsar to his left earlier this month in Bakersfield." (source: Bakersfield Californian)

Mayor of Amritsar is impressed with Bakersfield, California

April 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In August 2011, the city of Bakersfield, California, announced a “sister-city” association with Amritsar, Punjab, India, the center of the Sikh faith and home to Darbar Sahib (aka the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s central Gurdwara). Recently, the Mayor of Amritsar visited Bakersfield, an unassuming city 100 miles north of Los Angeles that contains a large Sikh population and is economically based on the agricultural industry: Amritsar, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora told the Hindustan Times, is a far cry from the squeaky […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Amritsar, Bakersfield, Bakshi Ram Arora, California, Darbar Sahib, Harmandir Sahib, Harvey Hall, India, Nazar Kooner, sister-city

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26th Annual New York Sikh Parade, April 27, 2013. (source: unp.me)

Vaisakhi 2013 festivities continue in states of NY, MI, and WA

April 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Well into the month of April, Sikhs across the country are continuing to celebrate Vaisakhi, one of the most significant dates on the Sikh calendar. This weekend saw Vaisakhi festivities take place on the east coast, mid-west and west coast. Last Saturday, thousands of Sikhs assembled in New York City for their 26th annual Sikh Day Parade: The Sikh community brought color and culture to Manhattan’s Madison Square Park on Saturday. Parade-goers marched under brilliant sunshine to celebrate Vaisakhi Day, […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: "Washington, Baisakhi, Bellingham, Khalsa Day, Lansing, Lynden, Madison Square, Manhattan, Michigan, New York, Sikh Day, Vaisakhi

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Sikh women wash their feet before entering Darbar Sahib. (source: http://hzimm.wordpress.com)

The feet of the devout

April 26, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Erasmus, the religion blog for The Economist, looks at the religious practices around shoes and feet among the Abrahamic faiths: …at the moment of his encounter with God, Moses was ordered to take off his shoes because he was treading on sacred ground…The fathers of the early Christian church were intrigued by the instruction to Moses. They thought shoes reflected decay and mortality, because they were made from the skin of dead animals, while God was calling Moses to a […]

Categories: Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: barefoot, Bhai Gurdas, feet, foot, Guru Arjun, Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak, Vaaran

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

Nagar Kirtans to be held in CA and WA this weekend

National Day of Prayer in South Bend, Oregon

Ranking religious freedom around the world

President Obama recognizes history, challenges for AAPI communities

Examining the limits of “chardi kala”

CA Senate and Assembly call for post-secondary education about Sikh Americans

Mayor of Amritsar is impressed with Bakersfield, California

Vaisakhi 2013 festivities continue in states of NY, MI, and WA

The feet of the devout