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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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Sandeep Kaur of Fort Wayne, Indiana Sends a Message of Love and Unity in Nirbhau Nirvair Anthology

September 14, 2015 by American Turban Guest Contributor

After the news of another hate crime against a Sikh American last week, American Turban contributor Lori Way shares a timely poem from a young author from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Many thanks to Lori and author Sandeep Kaur for sharing this reflection.  Sandeep Kaur is currently a pharmacy student at Manchester University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but she was just 18 in the summer of 2013 when she wrote “A Land of Love.” The poem was selected for publication in […]

Categories: Art, Hate Crimes, Literature, Profiles, Reflections • Tags: "A Land of Love", Chicago, Fort Wayne, hate crime, hate crimes, Illinois, Inderjit Singh Mukker, Indiana, Lori Way, Poetry, Sandeep Kaur

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In tribute: Hari Simran Singh Khalsa

January 19, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I want to take a moment to pay brief tribute to Hari Simran Singh Khalsa, who passed away earlier this month in an apparent hiking accident. I had the opportunity to meet and spend a short time with Hari Simran as he participated in the Sikh Coalition’s Sikh Advocate Academy last June. It became very apparent to me early on that Hari Simran was unique. He lived his Sikhi in a way that was harmonious with his reality — his spirituality […]

Categories: Profiles, Reflections • Tags: Hari Simran Singh Khalsa, Sikh Coalition

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“an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

December 9, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Nelson Mandela’s struggle was already decades old by the time I — a young child — first learned of his story when watching the late night news with my father in the early 1980s. By then, the issue of apartheid and the subjugation of the blacks in South Africa was a well-known issue. I recall watching his interview with the BBC recorded in 1961, the black-and-white video of a mysterious man who spoke of a struggle for harmony and equal dignity. It […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Profiles • Tags: Apartheid, Nelson Mandela, South Africa

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Vishavjit Singh, of SikhToons.com, speaks to MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry about being the Sikh Captain America. (Source: MSNBC)

Captain America speaks to MSNBC

December 4, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After his appearance as the Sikh Captain America on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell last month, cartoonist Vishavjit Singh (of sikhtoons.com)  speaks to MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry about donning the superhero’s costume in New York. I had the pleasure of meeting Vishavjit Singh in person at the SikhLens Film Festival in Southern California a couple of weeks ago. He is a very insightful and well-spoken representative for our community. See Vishavjit Singh’s full interview on MSNBC here.

Categories: Civil Rights, Profiles, TV/Movies • Tags: Captain America, Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC, Sikhtoons, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, Vishavjit Singh

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"A woman on the deck of a boat headed to Ellis Island in New York." (Credit: Lucas Jackson/Reuters. Source: New York Times.)

A South Asian undocumented immigrant

November 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On The New York Times blog India Ink, Piyali Bhattacharya pens an article about an undocumented South Asian immigrant from Nepal named Nirmal, who left his family to find work in New York (via AnjumChoudhry Nayyar): “There is nothing for me back in Nepal,” he said. “There are no job opportunities there. Better to suffer here and let my child live in peace. Maybe because of me, she will have a better life.” These motivations are not so different from […]

Categories: Profiles, Reflections • Tags: Immigration, India Ink, New York Times, Paramjit Singh, Piyali Bhattacharya, undocumented immigrants

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Poster of Waris Ahluwalia, via @naunihalpublic.

Your weekend Waris, Part VI

November 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Over the last several days, many shoppers around North America were surprised to find Waris Ahluwalia (the “modern-day Marco Polo“) staring them in the face at the mall, in flyers, and in magazine ads this week. The Sikh American actor/designer/model is apparently being featured in clothing retailer Gap‘s current national marketing campaign: It’s a safe assumption that Gap has not entered the retail market for turbans, but it might be interesting to walk into your nearest Gap store, point to […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Gap, Waris Ahluwalia

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Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner (1785-1877), originally from Wisconsin, served as a colonel in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army from 1831-1849. He was one of three Americans to serve the Sikh empire. (Source: Wikipedia)

Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Americans

October 24, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While we often discuss the first Sikhs who arrived in the United States (as early as the end of the 18th century, and more commonly in the early 20th), a recent article by Kulbir Colin Singh Dhillon provides short biographies about the earliest recorded Americans who served Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Punjab in the first half of the 19th century: In March 2007 whilst doing research on the Sikh Kingdom I came across a newspaper article titled, “A Yankee in the […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, Colonel Canora, Josiah Harlan, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sikh empire

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"Freshman back Sofia Walia is one of two Sikh players on the Knights’ roster this season. She has nine points for Rutgers." (Photo: Tian Li | The Daily Targum)

Firsts in NCAA field hockey

October 23, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sofia Walia and Ashpal Kaur Bhogal — two Sikh women at Rutgers University in New Jersey — have become the first Sikh women to play NCAA Division I field hockey (it turns out that they are not the first — see update below): “It’s great because there are a lot of Sikh people on campus but they’re not involved in a lot of activities, especially sports,” [Sikh Student Association President Simran Farmah] said. “We never really had any Sikh athletes. […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Amrit Cheema, Ashpal Kaur Bhogal, Division I, field hockey, National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, New Jersey, Rutgers University, Scarlett Knights, Sharan Kalla, Sofia Walia

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