Reports/Studies |

National pride and happiness: being an American (noun) vs an American (verb)

January 6, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recently published study in the journal Psychological Science indicates that nationalistic pride is connected with higher levels of happiness, but that the type of pride matters (via The Atlantic, with a nod to twitter user @amritpan): Tim Reeskens, a sociologist from Catholic University in Belgium, and Matthew Wright, a political scientist at American University, categorized national pride into “ethnic nationalism,” which is tied to ancestry and religious beliefs, and “civic nationalism,” which prioritizes respect for a country’s institutions and […]

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: Civic nationalism, Ethnic nationalism, Matthew Wright, Nationalism, Patriotism, Tim Reeskens

The FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics database tells us that there are hate crimes

December 8, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Recently, the FBI released its Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 report, and provided an overview: Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released Hate Crime Statistics, 2010, based on information submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation. These data indicate that 6,628 criminal incidents involving 7,699 offenses were reported in 2010 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability. Of the religion-based incidents reported in its data, almost two-thirds of […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies, Resources • Tags: FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crime, Hate Crime Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey

Can’t find a job? Perhaps your name isn’t English enough

October 20, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs often suffer workplace discrimination as a result of maintaining their religious articles of faith – particularly the turban, uncut hair or the kirpan (sword). In many of these cases, qualified Sikhs are not hired or are asked to remove these items in order to qualify for a job even when these articles of faith do not interfere with job requirements. However, in employment, such discrimination isn’t always so obvious, and can occur long before an employer has even seen the candidate. A […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: Canada, Employment Discrimination, English language, Language proficiency, microaggression, Simon Fraser University, United States

Is there a lack of friendliness between evangelicals and other faiths?

June 28, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

It is estimated that about 25-30% of the American population are Evangelical Protestants. With this religious group being such a significant portion of America, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life‘s release of their study on the views and opinions of Evangelical Protestants from around the world is quite interesting. As a follower of the Sikh faith, one chart stood out for me: There was a striking difference in how Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Atheists were viewed by Evangelicals among those who had a preference. […]

Categories: Interfaith, Reports/Studies • Tags: Buddhism, Evangelical Protestants, Evangelicalism, Hinduism, Islam, Pew Forum of Religion and Public Life

Growing up Sikh: the lingering effects of bullying

June 21, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent article in the US News & World Report talks about the lifelong impact of bullying on children: “Being the target of a bully involves real suffering,” Dr. Earlene Strayhorn, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Loyola University, said in a university news release. “The constant stress of physical assaults, threats, coercion and intimidation can take a heavy toll on a child’s psyche over time. The abuse may end at some point but the psychological, developmental, social and emotional […]

Categories: News Bits, Reflections, Reports/Studies • Tags: Bay Area Civil Rights Report 2010, bullying, Global Sikh Civil & Human Rights Report, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, United Sikhs, United States, US News & World Report

American religious affiliation vs. household wealth

May 12, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The New York Times presented a study by the Pew Forum that compares household wealth with education level for various religious affiliations within the United States. Unfortunately, Sikhs are not included as a separate category. However, the results of the study are nonetheless interesting: The most affluent of the major religions — including secularism — is Reform Judaism. Sixty-seven percent of Reform Jewish households made more than $75,000 a year at the time the Pew Forum on Religion and Public […]

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: education level, Employment Discrimination, household income, joint family, Pew Forum, Pew Research Center, religious affiliation, Workplace Discrimination

Sikh tradition of Langar: spiritually great, very filling

April 4, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent study profiled on Time Magazine’s website correlates church goers with higher rates of obesity: So researchers at Northwestern University sought to find out how attending religious events is associated with weight gain over time. They analyzed data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, which followed more than 2,400 people aged 20 to 32 for 18 years. Over that time, the scientists reported at an American Heart Association conference, people who went to church or […]

Categories: News Bits, Reports/Studies, Sikhism • Tags: Gurdwara, Langar, Northwestern University, obesity, Sikhism, The Langar Hall

Is religion still “socially useful” in the west?

March 24, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In an interesting follow-up to last week’s post comparing worship attendance in the United States and Canada, TIME.com reports on another study that looks at the numbers of people claiming a religious affiliation in nine western countries: Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Arizona gathered census data in nine countries—Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland—where officials have traditionally included questions about religious affiliation in their population count. They found a […]

Categories: News Bits, Reports/Studies, Sikhism • Tags: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, religious affiliation, Switzerland, United States

Is the United States more religious than Canada?

March 18, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An interesting article in Canada’s National Post presents a comparison of religion above and below the 49th Parallel: Competition, innovation and entrepreneurialism, all qualities normally associated with business, may explain why the United States is more religious than Canada, and determine the future of organized religions in our country, says a leading sociologist. The article summarizes an upcoming book by Reginald Bibby called Beyond the Gods and Back, in which he presents some interesting statistics: The United States is considered one […]

Categories: Interfaith, Reports/Studies • Tags: Beyond the Gods and Back, Canada, National Post, Reginald Bibby, Religion, Secularism, Sikhism, United States

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Reports/Studies