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Savraj Singh (from "Turbans Do Not Equal Terrorism")

Raising awareness about Sikhs in the northeast

March 28, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A short documentary by Colleen McKown provides a profile of Savraj Singh, who provides presentations around his community to increase awareness about Sikh Americans (via @sikhswim): Savraj Singh gives awareness presentations about Sikhism throughout New York and New Jersey to help combat the estimated 700 hate crimes that have been committed against Sikhs since 9/11. Because of their turbans and beards and because many Americans are unfamiliar with the faith, Sikhs are sometimes incorrectly associated with terrorism. You can view […]

Categories: Profiles, TV/Movies • Tags: Colleen McKown, New Jersey, New York, Savraj Singh

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The Southern Poverty Law Center counted 1,018 active hate groups in the United States in 2011. (source: Southern Poverty Law Center)

The Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Map

January 22, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a “nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society,” counted 1,018 hate groups in the United States in 2011: This list was compiled using hate group publications and websites, citizen and law enforcement reports, field sources and news reports. Hate group activities can include criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing. Websites appearing to be merely the work of […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies, Resources • Tags: California, Elk Grove, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Hate Crime Statistics, hate groups, New Jersey, New York, Oak Creek, Sacramento, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Southern Poverty Law Center, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

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Portrait of Kuldip Kaur Bindra by artist Manu Saluja

Kuldip Kaur Bindra, after whom Sikh studies chair is named, passes away

January 4, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Rediff News published an obituary today in honor of recently-passed Kuldip Kaur Bindra, the matriarch of the Bindra family and after whom Hoftstra University’s Chair in Sikh Studies was named: “I remember when I was younger,” [grand-daughter] Sumeet added, “I would almost every night, go upstairs to her bedroom to play cards with both daddy and Biji, We used to play the game Bluff a lot and without fail Biji would always win. And she would smirk and she convinced […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Hofstra University, Kuldip Kaur Bindra, Manu Saluja, New York

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Senator Dick Durbin speaks at a press conference alongside representatives of a variety of groups at the Senate hearing on hate crimes and domestic terrorism last September (photo credit: Dosti.com)

Moving beyond “mistaken identity”

January 4, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After the subway hate crime in New York a week ago, Laurie Patton, in Religion Dispatches, suggests an approach beyond that of education to combat hate crimes: A second focus is necessary: we might view such confusions of identity as opportunities to make common cause with other victims of hate crimes in America. The fact that Erika Menendez included both Hindus and Muslims in her rage means that both groups continue to be vulnerable in the United States. The fact […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Erika Menendez, hate crimes, Laurie Patton, mistaken identity, New York, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, subway murder, Sunando Sen, Wisconsin

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Sunando Sen was shoved to his death on a number 7 train platform in Queens on Thursday December 27th, 2012. He was Cremated on Monday December 31st, 2012. (Photo credit: DNAinfo/Theodore Parisienne)

Hate speech versus hate crimes

January 2, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Salon, Wajahat Ali discusses the role of Islamophobic rhetoric in last week’s murder of Sunando Sen, a man of Hindu background who was pushed off a subway platform into the path of an oncoming train in New York last week: A senseless tragedy like this affords an opportunity, requires necessity and demands urgency for diverse American communities, especially Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus, to unite in solidarity against hate and intolerance. In America, there exists space for legitimate criticism, debate, […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Erika Menendez, hate crimes, Islamophobia, New York, subway murder, Sunando Sen, Wajahat Ali

Sikh Community Center volunteers serving hot meals in the Far Rockaways, via AP. (source: Gawker)

NY Sikhs respond during Hurricane Sandy

November 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The BBC provides a listen on the response by New York’s Sikh community in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: The group United Sikhs has been coordinating storm relief activities with various city agencies to identify areas of greatest need, and they have been cooking and distributing up to 1,500 meals a day. [Volunteer Jagjit] Singh says the Sikhs were among the first group to bring hot meals into hard hit Far Rockaway in Queens. The efforts by the local Sikh […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: BBC, Far Rockaway, Hurricane Sandy, New York, Queens, United Sikhs

Organizer of last week’s NY Sikh Film Festival speaks

November 7, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At the Sikh Art & Film Foundation, we believe Sikh values are American values, and we know that film is a powerful medium. Through choosing the best films and gathering together every fall, Sikh and non-Sikh, we honor our history and share our values and humanity in a way that the gap with other people. But we are not afraid to show films that reveal our foibles, for Sikhs are also ordinary people — and people sometimes fall short of […]

Categories: 1984, Events • Tags: Government of India, New York, Sikh International Film Festival, Tejinder Singh Bindra

Lord Indarjit Singh defends NY Sikh Film Festival organizers

October 31, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After declining the invitation to attend the (now postponed) opening gala of the Sikh International Film Festival in New York, Lord Indarjit Singh reportedly objects to the criticisms leveled towards the film festival organizers: Regarding attending functions in the presence of Indian government VIPs I have mixed views. I have been invited to many functions at the Indian High Commission since 1984 but have not attended a single one. In my new position as a member of the House of […]

Categories: 1984, Events • Tags: 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Lord Indarjit Singh, New York, Sikh International Film Festival

Sikh International Film Festival postpones opening gala due to “community concern”

October 28, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Over this weekend, the New York Sikh International Film Festival announced that they are postponing their opening Heritage Awards Gala, originally scheduled for November 2, 2012: Some concerns have surfaced, pertaining to our plans for the November 2, 2012 Gala. We are, therefore, postponing the Annual Heritage Gala. We will solicit the community’s concerns to address them productively. We invite you to attend the Sikh International Film Festival on November 3, 2012 at the Asia Society Museum – located at 725 Park […]

Categories: 1984, Events • Tags: Heritage Gala, Lord Indarjit Singh, New York, Sikh Arts and Film Festival, Sikh International Film Festival

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: New York

Raising awareness about Sikhs in the northeast

The Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Map

Kuldip Kaur Bindra, after whom Sikh studies chair is named, passes away

Moving beyond “mistaken identity”

Hate speech versus hate crimes

NY Sikhs respond during Hurricane Sandy

Organizer of last week’s NY Sikh Film Festival speaks

Lord Indarjit Singh defends NY Sikh Film Festival organizers

Sikh International Film Festival postpones opening gala due to “community concern”