Rupinder Mohan Singh |

Police action during the shooting attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August 2012. (source: Daily Record and Sunday Mail)

White Supremacy: The Unspoken Truth

December 27, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Co-blogged with Nina Chanpreet Kaur “All the talking is done and now it’s time to walk the walk / Revolution’s in the air 9mm in my hand / You can run but you can’t hide from this master plan.” (Song lyrics by Wade Michael Page’s band End Apathy) A few weeks ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) closed its investigation into the mass shooting that occurred at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August, in which six Sikhs were […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, United States Department of Justice, Wade Michael Page, White supremacy, Wisconsin

The mother of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri, imprisoned in an open tower with his two younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (source: Sikh Gurus and Sikh Gurdwaras)

Remembering the martyrdom of Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh

December 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Today, Sikhs commemorate the martyrdom of the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri, and his two younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (age 9) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (age 6). The three were kidnapped when the Sikhs were fell upon by Mughal forces in a surprise attack in 1705. With the aim of wounding the growing Sikh movement, the governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, attempted to coerce and then force the Guru’s children to convert to Islam or face death. […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: Fatehgarh Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh, martyrdom, Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Fateh Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, Wazir Khan

People gather outside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin for the raising of the Nishan Sahib flag a week after the mass murder that occurred there. A group of about 50 men and boys unwrapped the orange cloth covering the pole, washed the pole with water and milk and then re-wrapped it with a fresh cloth. (source: USA Today)

Victimhood in the context of chardi kala

December 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In the shadow of the mass murder of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Simran Jeet Singh discusses the growing narrative of Sikhs as victims in American society in the context of Sikh history and tradition: A few of the prominent themes have included buzzwords such as “unprecedented,” “victimization,” and “suffering” endured by Sikhs in America. Although these buzzwords rightfully point to the challenges faced by Sikh Americans, they fail to aptly capture the spirit and attitude with which Sikhs have […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: chardi kala, hate crimes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Simran Jeet Singh, Wisconsin

MA Sikh Sarbpreet Singh recognized in “2012 Bostonians of the Year” list

December 23, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In its 2012 list of “Bostonians of the Year”, the Boston Globe gave an honorable mention to Sarbpreet Singh, a local Sikh leader in from Milford, Massachusetts, particularly for his work after the shooting that occurred in the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin: …through his writings, his promotion of traditional Sikh music, and his interfaith nonprofit work on behalf of refugees, Singh has helped weave Sikhism into the fabric of religious life in Boston. “I continue to […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Boston, Boston Globe, Bostonians of the Year, Massachusetts, Sarbpreet Singh

The problem with “Asian American”

December 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent article in The Economist discusses the complexities of the “Asian American” classification as a demographic category (via @sepiamutiny): But is the term “Asian-American” anything more than a convenient shorthand? The ancestral lands of the people it covers are home to most of the world’s population. Unlike the vast bulk of Latinos, Asian-Americans speak different languages and worship different deities from one another. Almost two-thirds of Latinos are of Mexican ancestry. But the biggest Asian subgroup, Chinese-Americans, make up […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Asian American

Picture of the Day: Winning artwork from Ensaaf’s “Decade of Disappearances” contest

December 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Ensaaf, a human rights organization focusing on state crimes that were perpetrated in Punjab and India, has announced the winning entries into their “Decade of Disappearances” Art Contest. The evocative artwork above, by artist Priya Handa, was selected as the winning piece: This painting represents the disappearances and the injustice Sikhs have had to suffer. In this painting nothing is still or concrete. Everything is either moving or blurred, just like history and time. I use an infusion of my […]

Categories: 1984, Art, Civil Rights, Events • Tags: Decade of Disappearances, Ensaaf, Priya Handa

Sikh wedding ceremony (source: MrSikhNet)

VA Sikhs challenge marriage discrimination

December 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In a unique case of discrimination, Sikhs in Virginia are challenging a state law that fines non-clergy who perform wedding ceremonies: Four Sikh men are suing the state after they were charged $500 each to preside over weddings because the law only recognizes ordained ministers, like priests and rabbis, as having the power to wed people. However, Sikhs don’t have a clergy. Instead, anyone who can read and comprehend Sikh scriptures is qualified to perform marriages. That means a hefty […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: American Civil Liberties Union, Anand Karaj, Duncan Getchell, Fairfax County, Ken Cuccinelli, Sikh wedding, Virginia

Sikh American ranked on Forbes’ “Top 30 Under 30 Finance”

December 20, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A Sikh American has been ranked on Forbes Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 Finance list for 2012. Savneet Singh, 29, is an entrepreneur who c0-founded a gold trading firm called Gold Bullion International: Cornell grad got the gold bug in 2009 and launched GBI where individuals and institutions (Merrill Lynch is a client) can buy, sell, exchange and store physical gold. Advisory board members include General Wesley Clark and Sallie Krawcheck. According to Forbes Magazine: The Forbes 30 Under 30 […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Forbes Magazine, GBI, Gold Bullion International, Savneet Singh, Sikh American Chamber of Commerce

Blurred image of a nihang Sikh (source: mrsikhnet.com)

The ironic invisibility of Sikhs

December 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In a recent CBS News documentary entitled “Working for Religious Freedom“, Rajdeep Singh, the Director of Law and Policy at the Sikh Coalition, commented on how little Sikhs are known in the United States (at 19:45 in the video): Sikhs have been in the United States for more than 100 years, and ironically, despite being one of the most visible people in this country, in some respects, we’re invisible. I was reminded of this quote — and of our ironic […]

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: CBS News, Global Religious Landscape, Pew Forum, Pew Forum of Religion and Public Life, Pew Research Center, Rajdeep Singh, Sikh Coalition

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

White Supremacy: The Unspoken Truth

Remembering the martyrdom of Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh

Victimhood in the context of chardi kala

MA Sikh Sarbpreet Singh recognized in “2012 Bostonians of the Year” list

The problem with “Asian American”

Picture of the Day: Winning artwork from Ensaaf’s “Decade of Disappearances” contest

VA Sikhs challenge marriage discrimination

Sikh American ranked on Forbes’ “Top 30 Under 30 Finance”

The ironic invisibility of Sikhs