Rupinder Mohan Singh |

On being “one of them”

July 9, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Medium, in an address after the mass murder of nine black congregants at the hands of a white supremacist in Charleston, South Carolina, writer John Metta talks about the difficulty in having conversations about race: Despite what the Charleston Massacre makes things look like, people are dying not because individuals are racist, but because individuals are helping support a racist system by wanting to protect their own non-racist self beliefs. People are dying because we are supporting a racist system […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Charleston, hate crimes, John Metta, Ku Klux Klan, mass shooting, Medium, Oak Creek, Racism, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, South Carolina, White supremacy, Wisconsin

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Cover of Kevin Kruse's book"One Nation Under God." (Photo source: NPR)

The history of American Christianity and American human rights

July 8, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On The Immanent Frame, Gene Zubovich provides an interesting overview of the history of America’s recognition of human rights, specifically by way of the Cold War era (post- World War II until the early 1990s) American Christian reaction (and the tensions within) to communist movements in Russia and China: In 1948, the year that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, three debates were most salient in the American context about the boundaries between the religious and the secular. […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Literature • Tags: capitalism, Cold War, Communism, Gene Zubovich, human rights, Kevin Kruse

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The “Dusky Peril” and locating race in racial violence

February 25, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On The Vault (the history blog for Slate magazine), historian Peter Manseau recounts the history of the 1907 Bellingham riots in Washington state, in which Sikh laborers were attacked and driven out of the town’s lumber industry by mobs of white men: As reported across the country, in September 1907, a mob of disgruntled white workers rounded up hundreds of Sikhs, beat them in the street, and then forced them out of town. Many went north to British Columbia; others went […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: "Washington, Bellingham, Bellingham riots, Chapel Hill, hate crime, hate crimes, North Carolina, Peter Manseau, Slate, The Vault, Washington State

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FBI Director: “we are at a crossroads” with race relations

February 24, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In a recent speech at Georgetown University on February 12, FBI Director James B. Comey spoke about race relations as it pertains to law enforcement, citing recent events in which law enforcement has engaged communities of color. “Much of our history is not pretty,” Comey said. “At many points in American history, law enforcement enforced the status quo, a status quo that was often brutally unfair to disfavored groups.” FBI Director James Comey. (Source: Washington Post via @mboorstein) While Comey speaks […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, James B. Comey, Oak Creek, race relations, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

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Reading from the Guru Granth Sahib at the Sikh Gurdwara of Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, IN. Photo credit: Nicole Johnson Smith

Picture of the Day: Sikh educational event in Fort Wayne, IN

February 24, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh Gurudwara of Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana, hosted graduate students from the University of Saint Francis on February 10th. The evening included kirtan, a turban tying demonstration, a community meal and a lecture on current Sikh social-cultural issues. Thanks to Nicole Johnson Smith for the photo. Additional photos are below.

Categories: Picture of the Day • Tags: Fort Wayne, Indiana, Nicole Johnson Smith, Sikh Gurdwara of Fort Wayne, University of Saint Francis

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"President Obama delivers a traditional Indian greeting before he speaks on Jan. 27 in New Delhi, India. The president, who was guest of honor at India's Republic Day celebrations, wrapped up his visit by talking about the freedom to practice one's religion, the rights of women and the need to provide every child with equal opportunity." (Photo: European Pressphoto Agency. Source: USA Today.).

Obama cites Oak Creek massacre in New Delhi speech, site of 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom

February 12, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While he didn’t visit the Sikh faith’s holiest site during his trip to India two weeks ago, President Obama did create a bit of a stir as he openly advocated for religious freedom and peaceful coexistence of faiths in India, citing in his speech the mass murder of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in 2012: Obama said no society is immune from man’s darkest impulses, as he raised the 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin that killed six […]

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: Ami Bera, Barack Obama, hate crimes, India, Narendra Modi, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

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Select US Costco locations to carry children’s books about Sikhs

February 7, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Selected Costco locations in the United States will be carrying children’s titles My First Sikh Books and Lohri – The Bonfire Festival written by Parveen Kaur Dhillon. Check the My First Sikh Books Facebook page for more information.

Categories: Literature • Tags: Costco, My First Sikh Books, Parveen Kaur Dhillon

You can now watch “Red, White, and Beard” featuring Vishavjit Singh

January 23, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After the trailer was released a couple of days ago, the short film Red, White, and Beard, has now been officially released on the internet and can be viewed for free. It follows Sikh cartoonist Vishavjit Singh “dressed as turbaned Captain America, around New York City for three days, capturing people’s reactions to a skinny Sikh man dressed as a classic American super hero.” Grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the results of Vishavjit’s experiment in challenging stereotypes.

Categories: TV/Movies • Tags: Captain America, Red White and Beard, SikhLens Sikh Arts and Film Festival, Sikhtoons, Vishavjit Singh

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"The Golden Temple During the Day." (Adam Perez | Huffington Post)

President Obama to bypass Sikh holiest site once again

January 23, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On his state visit to India this week, President Barack Obama is not scheduled to make a visit to Harmandir Sahib (aka the Golden Temple), barring any unexpected developments. As he partakes in India’s Republic Day festivities in India’s capital, his itinerary seems to be focused on solidifying the business/political relationship between the US and India. As reported in the Washington Post: Officials said Obama and Modi are expected to conduct talks around the business climate, trade, climate change, Afghanistan and terrorism. […]

Categories: Events, Politics • Tags: Ami Bera, Amritsar, Barack Obama, Darbar Sahib, Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib, Joe Crowley

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

On being “one of them”

The history of American Christianity and American human rights

The “Dusky Peril” and locating race in racial violence

FBI Director: “we are at a crossroads” with race relations

Picture of the Day: Sikh educational event in Fort Wayne, IN

Obama cites Oak Creek massacre in New Delhi speech, site of 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom

Select US Costco locations to carry children’s books about Sikhs

You can now watch “Red, White, and Beard” featuring Vishavjit Singh

President Obama to bypass Sikh holiest site once again