Rupinder Mohan Singh |

Missing NY resident Rajwinder Kaur found in TX

July 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Rajwinder Kaur, a resident of Queens, New York who was reported missing earlier this week, was located in Dallas, Texas: Rajwinder Kaur, 26, was located in Dallas after a friend went to police and informed them of her location, a law enforcement official said. The friend had purchased a bus ticket to Dallas for Kaur. It wasn’t clear why Kaur was in Texas. During the week, the news of her disappearance spread quickly through social media and across the South […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Dallas, New York, Queens, Rajwinder Kaur, Texas

Respecting diversity in workplace also good for employers

July 12, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

David Briggs, of the Association of Religion Data Archives, writes an article about the benefits to employers when respecting religious diversity in the workplace. Often, employers are reluctant to acknowledge their employees’ faith in the workplace, but Briggs suggests that this may have a negative affect on productivity and morale: Researchers say more studies need to be done, but past work showing positive relations between faith and better physical and mental health indicate those same benefits could extend from factory […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, Association of Religion Data Archives, California, David Briggs, Diversity, Employment, Mariko Yamada, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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Let’s call it what it is: “Sikhophobia”

July 11, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A number of different American communities have been impacted by Islamophobia, and practitioners of the Sikh religion make up one of the most adversely affected minority groups. The distinctive physical appearance of typical Sikh males in particular — brown skin, turban, beard — correlates with the stereotypical images of terrorists projected in western media. Scholars have recently described this perceived relationship as a racialization of religious identity. This process has led to a conflation of Sikhs and Muslims, and therefore, […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Brampton, California, Canada, Elk Grove, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Fresno, hate crimes, Huffington Post, Islamophobia, Michigan, Ontario, Sikhophobia, Simran Jeet Singh, Sterling, Sterling Heights, Virginia

NY police searching for missing Rajwinder Kaur

July 10, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The New York Police Department is looking for Rajwinder Kaur, 26, who is a resident of Queens and who has been missing since Sunday: HOLLIS (WABC) — Police and family members are asking for help locating a missing woman in Queens. Rajwinder Kaur, 26, has not been seen or heard from since leaving her home on 198 Street Sunday night, according to investigators. “She always comes home. She always lets us know where she is,” Gurpreet Kaur, her sister, said. […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Crime Stoppers, New York, Queens, Rajwinder Kaur

Is being American a religion on its own?

July 9, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“Civil religion” is a concept that refers to the religious nature of nationalistic/patriotic practices and beliefs: Bellah’s definition of American civil religion is that it is “an institutionalized collection of sacred beliefs about the American nation,” which he sees symbolically expressed in America’s founding documents and presidential inaugural addresses. It includes a belief in the existence of a transcendent being called “God,” an idea that the American nation is subject to God’s laws, and an assurance that God will guide […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Civil religion, Immanent Frame, Philip Gorski, United States

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Picture of the Day: Sikh Scouts Troop in Fremont, CA

July 9, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Fremont 4th of July Parade Committee is a volunteer non-profit organization that holds the 4th of July parade in Fremont, California each year. This year, one of the participating groups in the parade was Sikh Scouts Troop 600, who was featured on the Fremont 4th of July Parade’s Facebook page. Formed in 2009 in Santa Clara County, Sikh Scouts Troop 600 was the first Sikh-oriented troop in the Boy Scouts of America organization.

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day • Tags: Boy Scouts of America, California, Fourth of July, Fremont, Fremont 4th of July Parade, Independence Day, Sikh Scouts Troop 600

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Sikhs in Stockton, CA Independence Day Parade

July 7, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs in Stockton, California, participated in the city’s Independence Day Parade on Wednesday, and enjoyed a little bit of news coverage. Stockton is home to America’s first and oldest Gurdwara, and so it is heartening to see Sikhs participating as part of that community.

Categories: Events • Tags: California, Independence Day, Stockton

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Explaining the things we wear on our heads

July 6, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I was shocked. I wanted to give everyone in the elevator a high-five, but remembering I was in New York, I tried to play it cool. I put on my Denzel Washington face (the coolest person I could think of on the spot), and as I walked out of the elevator, I turned to the mother and whispered a soft “thank you.” — At the Huffington Post, Simran Jeet Singh discusses a recent experience in an elevator when a child […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Huffington Post, New York, Simran Jeet Singh

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When profiling begets more profiling

July 6, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Meeta Kaur writes an article about the scrutiny of Sikh turbans at our nation’s airports and the latest on the FlyRights app that allows submission of TSA-related complaints via a smartphone: [Sikh Coalition Director of Programs Amardeep Singh says] “When Sikhs are pulled aside for extra scrutiny in the most security sensitive area in the United States (airport security), that act by the federal government reinforces stereotypes that people already have of Sikhs. If the object that is most feared […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: FlyRights, Meeta Kaur, Transportation Security Administration, TSA, Turban

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Author Archives: Rupinder Mohan Singh

Missing NY resident Rajwinder Kaur found in TX

Respecting diversity in workplace also good for employers

Let’s call it what it is: “Sikhophobia”

NY police searching for missing Rajwinder Kaur

Is being American a religion on its own?

Picture of the Day: Sikh Scouts Troop in Fremont, CA

Sikhs in Stockton, CA Independence Day Parade

Explaining the things we wear on our heads

When profiling begets more profiling