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Running with a purpose

April 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Bandana Kaur and Simran Jeet Singh write on The Huffington Post about the Surat Fauj Running Club, a Sikh American group that has taken its inspiration from the famous 102-year-old (and recently retired) marathoner Fauja Singh: “Running has become such an important part of the American cultural landscape, and participating in events like these will help us combat stereotypes that lead people to see us as different. We want everyone around us to see for who we are, and we […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Bandana Kaur, Fauja Singh, Huffington Post, Simran Jeet Singh, Surat Fauj Running Club, Surat Initiative

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Inlaid artwork in marble at Harmandir Sahib ("the Golden Temple") in Amritsar, India. (source: GoldenTempleAmritsar.org)

Environmentalism as Sikh ethos

March 15, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As Sikhs around the world celebrate Sikh Environment Day, Bandana Kaur of EcoSikh discusses the spiritual connection linking the Sikh faith to the natural world: Throughout Guru Granth Sahib, birds and trees especially are used to describe the metaphoric relationship between a disciple and the Divine. Traditional birds like the peacock, flamingo, hawk, cuckoo, nightingale, crane, swan, owl, and the koyal, and trees like the banyan, pipal, and sandalwood of Punjab are used in the Gurus’ metaphors, along with many, many […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: Bandana Kaur, EcoSikh, environment, environmentalism, Huffington Post

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"The Golden Temple During the Day." (Adam Perez | Huffington Post)

A hitchhiker’s guide to Darbar Sahib

February 14, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

For Sikhs around the world, Darbar Sahib, the center of the Sikh faith in Amritsar, India, is held in sacred esteem. Also known as Harmandir Sahib or as the Golden Temple, Sikhs around the world endeavor to visit this place constructed in the early 17th century by Guru Arjan. Such is the devotion of Sikhs to this place that in the 19th century, the Sikh king, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, gilded the upper walls of the structure in gold. After its […]

Categories: Interfaith, Sikhism • Tags: Adam Pervez, Angela Dollar, Captain Stephen Phillips, Carolyn O'Donnell, Darbar Sahib, Golden Temple, GT1588, Harmandir Sahib, Huffington Post, John Busteed Ireland, Wanderlust and Lipstick

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Photo of Balpreet Kaur posted on Reddit. (source: Reddit)

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: The inspiring grace of Balpreet Kaur

January 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In September, one Sikh American woman from Ohio became an inspiration to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. Balpreet Kaur was standing in line at the airport when an individual surreptitiously took her photo and posted it on the website Reddit, with the caption: “I’m not sure what to conclude from this.” The object of the photo was an attempt at mockery. Among the first 100 responses to the posting on Reddit were harsh and derogatory comments about Balpreet Kaur’s facial hair, […]

Categories: Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: Balpreet Kaur, Huffington Post, Reddit, Top 5 Sikh American Stories, Women in Sikhism

A man reads from the Guru Granth Sahib (source: sikh-history.com)

What makes a sacred text

December 7, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In the Huffington Post, Joshua Stanton, of the Center for Global Judaism, explores what makes a text sacred: Humans sanctify themselves not in the passive resonance they feel with stories that transcend time, but in the active engagement and re-crafting of these stories through the questioning of premises, derivation of overarching truths, and a willingness to unweave and reweave these initial narratives in forms that more closely resemble that which we understand to be ultimate meaning. The Sikh faith is […]

Categories: Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: Guru Granth Sahib, Huffington Post, Joshua Stanton, sacred text

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

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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The Sikh civil rights struggle is about civil rights for all

June 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Just as we all have benefited from the victories of the African American Civil Rights Movement, future communities will benefit from the progress we make today. Any victory is a collective victory. Any progress is shared progress. — Simran Jeet Singh writes on the Huffington Post about the first policy briefing at the White House on Sikh civil rights issues. His reflection is poignant – in our own work to ensure Sikh civil rights in this country, we owe much […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: Huffington Post, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, NCAPA, Pew Forum, Simran Jeet Singh, The Rise of Asian Americans

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The two sides of the Sikh identity coin

May 8, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

For example, “looking different” has led me to “look differently.” My Sikh identity has been linked to major moments in my life, and these unique experiences have shaped the way in which I view the world. — Simran Jeet Singh reflects on how his outwardly Sikh appearance has influenced his perspective and interaction with the world around him. Read his full piece at the Huffington Post.

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Huffington Post, Sikhism, Simran Jeet Singh

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Huffington Post

Running with a purpose

Environmentalism as Sikh ethos

A hitchhiker’s guide to Darbar Sahib

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: The inspiring grace of Balpreet Kaur

What makes a sacred text

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

Explaining the things we wear on our heads

The Sikh civil rights struggle is about civil rights for all

The two sides of the Sikh identity coin