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Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

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There could be more Sikhs in the future — maybe.

January 28, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In its report “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050” the Pew Research Center forecasts the change in population among the world religions. The size and growth of the world’s Sikhs population is not addressed in depth by the report, but we can make some extrapolations from the report’s analysis for a directional view.

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: Census, Pew Forum, Pew Research Center, population, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections

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The accidental benevolence of Donald Trump

January 26, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While in 2012, the Republican Party offered sympathy and support to the Sikh American community, by 2016, this sentiment has ostensibly been disregarded — and even reversed — by the dominating Republican candidate for President who openly disparages a Sikh article of faith. And, there has been little tangible response from the Republican Party or the other Republican candidates to this incident or other similar protests. One wonders how or why this shift occurred.

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, News Bits, Politics • Tags: Arashdeep Singh, Donald Trump, Iowa, Ishwar Singh, Muscatine, Nikki Haley, Oak Creek, Republican National Convention, Republican Party, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, xenophobia

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The case for “mistaken identity”

January 20, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In an article published in Lawfare, law professor Dawinder S. Sidhu offers an coincidental counterpoint to Monday’s post about the concept of “mistaken identity” and its use to explain hate crimes in which Sikh Americans are victims. Professor Sidhu finds that dismissing mistaken identity arguments is problematic and counter-productive to addressing hate crimes affecting the Sikh and Muslim communities in the post-9/11, post-Paris and post-San Bernardino environment.

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Dawinder S. Sidhu, hate crimes, Islamophobia, Lawfare, mistaken identity

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Modern Sikh history through British Movietone News footage

January 19, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

From 1895 through 1986, British Movietone News produced documentary newsreels, reporting on events around the world and providing some of the earliest news footage for our historical record. These newsreels are archived now by the Associated Press: British Movietone is arguably the world’s greatest newsreel archive, spanning the period 1895 – 1986. Shot on 35mm film, this global archive contains many of the world’s enduring images and is rich in coverage of news events, celebrities, sports, music, social history, science, lifestyle […]

Categories: News Bits, Resources • Tags: AP Archive, Associated Press, British Movietone News, history, Partition of India

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"A new problem for Uncle Sam." Political cartoon c. 1910 (source: Echoes of Freedom)

Let’s expunge “mistaken identity” from our vocabulary, first

January 18, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“Mistaken identity” has become the de facto explanation for hate crimes perpetrated against members of the Sikh American community, the logic being that Sikhs are being targeted because their articles of faith — particularly the turban, men’s beard, and brown skin — are confused by attackers for identifiers of Muslims, the latter of whom are being confused as terrorists. Both law enforcement and Sikh community leaders have defaulted to this explanation, pointing to post-9/11 backlash as the causal motivation for […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Donald Trump, hate crimes, John McCain, mistaken identity, Uncle Sam, White supremacy, xenophobia

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Deconstructing terrorism by understanding the construction of self

December 1, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Recent terror attacks around the world, and in particular, the United States, have called into question what we mean by “terrorist,” whereby the label appears quickly applied to non-white perpetrators of mass violence. However, conversations around counter-terrorism, regardless of the source or cause, has not seen the same level of volume. One interesting theory about counter-terrorism strategy has been posited by Dr. Ajit Kaur Mann (featured on this blog before) offering a non-violent approach with a level of depth and sophistication. This framework, based […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Literature, Profiles • Tags: counter-terrorism, Dr. Ajit Kaur Mann, Internarrative Identity

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The most common jobs held by immigrants

August 28, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While not specific to nationality of origin, the following graphic provides an interesting view into the immigrant experience in America (via @conradhackett):

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: Employment, Immigration, Minnesota Population Center

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The doctor will see your race now

August 28, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In a recent episode of healthcare of a family member, we observed a healthcare provider introducing herself to the patient, announcing herself in a loud, pronounced voice. “DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?” She said this very loudly this in a hospital room after our family member just had surgery and was in a vulnerable state. It was not something we appreciated, especially since our family member has lived in the west in upwards of 40 years and was well-versed in English. It […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: diversity training, Health care, healthcare, racial bias, Racism, unconscious bias

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USCIRF 2015 Annual Report addresses religious freedom of Sikhs in India

July 9, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In its 2015 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) continued to express concern about the state of religious freedom in India, particularly after the election of current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Placing India in its “Tier 2” category (which the USCIRF defines as “countries where the violations engaged in or tolerated by the government are serious and are characterized by at least one of the elements of the ‘systematic, ongoing, and […]

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: 1984 anti-Sikh riots, anti-Sikh genocide, anti-Sikh pogroms

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