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Demonstrators protest against violence towards women. (Source: Washington Post)

The role of the religious in ending violence against women

August 9, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

By coincidence, an article in The Washington Post by Satpal Singh of the World Sikh Council offers a corollary to the recent post about contextualizing God using male-oriented pronouns. Satpal Singh discusses the issue of the status of women and the role that faith must play in promoting gender quality: As a first step, we must stop accusing God of misogyny and of creating women as inferior to men. We must stress in our religious services that God does not […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: Satpal Singh, Sikh women, Washington Post, Women, Women in Sikhism, Women's rights, World Sikh Council

"How Do You Tie A Patka?" brochure from Little Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition. (Source: Sikh Coalition)

How to tie a patka

August 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Little Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition have released a new brochure with instructions on how to tie a patka, a typical turban for young Sikh boys. This would have been helpful for my kindergarten teacher, who, when my patka once came off while playing in class, had no idea how to retie it on my head. My mother later gave a modified head covering to my teacher in case such an instance happened to me again, but I would imagine […]

Categories: Education, Sikhism • Tags: Keerat Kaur, Little Sikhs, patka, Saffron Press, Sikh Coalition, Turban

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"Expansive God." (Source: Art for God's Sake)

God, in the female

August 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Patheos, Deborah W. Dykes questions the use of masculine pronouns when referring to God, and the implications this has for young girls: Questioning the use of male pronouns to refer to God is unimaginable for some people. Male language about God so permeates our thinking and our conversation we don’t even hear or recognize it. Obviously, none of us sets out to harm our children, anyone’s children. But, harm them we do. Today, most of us do not intend […]

Categories: Interfaith, Sikhism • Tags: Deborah W. Dykes, Sikh women, Women in Sikhism

UCLA study links obesity with Sikh religiosity

July 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In 2011, an article in TIME magazine discussed a study that correlated a person’s risk of obesity with their attendance of religious services, finding that “…people who went to church or church activities at least once a week were more than twice as likely as people with no religious involvement to become obese.” While the results of the study was not specific to Sikhs or Sikh Americans, I considered the Sikh context — particularly as it relates to the Sikh […]

Categories: Reports/Studies, Sikhism • Tags: Gurdwara, Langar, obesity, University of California Los Angeles

"Jaljit Singh Khalsa, of Beaverton, sets the beat during the procession during annual Sikh celebration honoring Guru Arjan Dev Ji at it leaves the Dasmesh Darbar Sikh Temple, in South Salem, on Sunday, June 16, 2013." (Photo: Timothy J. Gonzalez | Statesman Journal)

Picture of the day: Nagara (traditional drum) in South Salem, OR

July 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Two weeks ago, the Sikh community near Salem, Oregon, commemorated the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjun (fifth Guru of the Sikhs) in 1606, with a Nagar Kirtan (religious procession) through South Salem: The Dasmesh Darbar Sikh Temple organizes the event yearly to commemorate the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. And while the Salem Sikh community is small — a few hundred families — the event is among the largest in the Pacific Northwest, attendees said. Sikhs from […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: drum, Guru Arjan, martyrdom of Guru Arjan, Nagar Kirtan, Nagara, Oregon, Salem, South Salem

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Johnston, Iowa, Dastar Bandi ceremony. (Source: Des Moines Register)

The tradition of dastar bandi in Iowa

July 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Des Moines Register in Iowa features a dastar bandi ceremony (tying of the first turban) at a Gurdwara in the town of Johnston: About 100 people sat cross-legged on the floor watching Sunday’s ceremony. Midday light poured in the picture windows, lighting up the all-white interior of the temple. Members sang to the tune of a harmonium, an instrument similar to an accordion played on the ground. The five boys prepared to live out their commitments. Dastar bandi ceremonies […]

Categories: Sikhism • Tags: dastaar bandhi, dastar bandi, Des Moines Register, Iowa, Johnston, Turban

Lesley Hazleton. (Source: The Accidental Theologist)

Is doubt essential to faith?

June 26, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At a recent TEDTalk event in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lesley Hazleton, a biographer of Muhammad and referencing his story, spoke about the relationship between faith and doubt: We have to recognize that real faith has no easy answers. It’s difficult and stubborn. It involves an ongoing struggle, a continual questioning of what we think we know, a wrestling with issues and ideas. It goes hand in hand with doubt, in a never-ending conversation with it, and sometimes in conscious defiance of […]

Categories: Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: doubt, faith, Lesley Hazleton, TED, TEDx

"A blindfolded martial arts master splits a coconut on the head of his colleague without touching his head, an action so fast he had the club raised again before the coconut fell." (source: Jessica Skropanic | Record Searchlight)

Picture of the Day: Vaisakhi celebrations in Redding, California

May 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As many Sikh communities across the United States have done in the past month, the Sikh community near Redding, California, held their annual Vaisakhi celebration in that city. The Vaisakhi Festival and Day of Non-Violence involved participation by the area’s diverse communities. See more photos and video at the Record Searchlight and read more at the Anderson Valley Post.

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day, Sikhism • Tags: Anderson, Baisakhi, California, Day of Non-Violence, Redding, Vaisakhi

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26th Annual New York Sikh Parade, April 27, 2013. (source: unp.me)

Vaisakhi 2013 festivities continue in states of NY, MI, and WA

April 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Well into the month of April, Sikhs across the country are continuing to celebrate Vaisakhi, one of the most significant dates on the Sikh calendar. This weekend saw Vaisakhi festivities take place on the east coast, mid-west and west coast. Last Saturday, thousands of Sikhs assembled in New York City for their 26th annual Sikh Day Parade: The Sikh community brought color and culture to Manhattan’s Madison Square Park on Saturday. Parade-goers marched under brilliant sunshine to celebrate Vaisakhi Day, […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: "Washington, Baisakhi, Bellingham, Khalsa Day, Lansing, Lynden, Madison Square, Manhattan, Michigan, New York, Sikh Day, Vaisakhi

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Sikhism

The role of the religious in ending violence against women

How to tie a patka

God, in the female

UCLA study links obesity with Sikh religiosity

Picture of the day: Nagara (traditional drum) in South Salem, OR

The tradition of dastar bandi in Iowa

Is doubt essential to faith?

Picture of the Day: Vaisakhi celebrations in Redding, California

Vaisakhi 2013 festivities continue in states of NY, MI, and WA