Nikki Haley |

The accidental benevolence of Donald Trump

January 26, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While in 2012, the Republican Party offered sympathy and support to the Sikh American community, by 2016, this sentiment has ostensibly been disregarded — and even reversed — by the dominating Republican candidate for President who openly disparages a Sikh article of faith. And, there has been little tangible response from the Republican Party or the other Republican candidates to this incident or other similar protests. One wonders how or why this shift occurred.

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, News Bits, Politics • Tags: Arashdeep Singh, Donald Trump, Iowa, Ishwar Singh, Muscatine, Nikki Haley, Oak Creek, Republican National Convention, Republican Party, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, xenophobia

"South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley enters the State House chamber in Columbia to give her State of the State address in January. Democrat Dick Harpootlian has told activists to “send Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.” (Mary Ann Chastain/AP)" (source: The Daily Beast)

SC Democratic Party: Nikki Haley should “go back to wherever the hell she came from.”

May 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Friday, at a state Democratic Party event in South Carolina, party chairman Dick Harpootlian used interesting words to describe Governor Nikki Haley’s origins: “In about 18 months from now, hopefully he’ll have sent Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.” Nikki Haley, who has been discussed often on this blog, comes from a Sikh American family and later converted to Methodist Christianity. During her campaign for the governor’s seat, she regularly touted her Christian credentials. Despite […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: Dick Harpootlian, Nikki Haley, Sikh Jesus, South Carolina, South Carolina Democratic Party

Republican candidate for California's 9th Congressional District Ricky Gill posted this photo of his attendance at a birthday celebration for the US Navy on Saturday night. After this article on American Turban, the Gill campaign deleted the photo. (source: Ricky Gill campaign Facebook page)

When a Sikh runs: the curious case of Ricky Gill

October 15, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The case of Republican candidate for Congress Ricky Gill, running against incumbent Jerry McNerney to represent California’s 9th Congressional District, makes for an interesting study about a Sikh American seeking public office in this country. His campaign, and his reluctance to publicly acknowledge his Sikh background, has been a recurring topic on this blog. On Saturday night, I had the opportunity to observe Ricky Gill in person. I had attended the Centennial celebration of the Stockton Gurdwara — which is […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: Bobby Jindal, California, Jerry McNerney, Nikki Haley, Republican Party, Ricky Gill, Stockton, Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Celebration, Stockton Gurdwara Sahib

Why Indian Americans flock to the Democratic Party

August 30, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A piece in First Post discusses why Indian Americans have been more supportive of President Obama and the Democratic Party rather than the Republican Party. Of particular note, the behavior of several prominent Republican Indian Americans within the Party itself is partly to blame: But Indian Americans take note of how Nikki Haley runs as far away as she can from her identity, brushing it aside with one obligatory “I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants” line at the […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: Bobby Jindal, Democratic Party, First Post, Indian American, Nikki Haley, Republican Party, Ricky Gill

A recent tweet by Phil Bailey, a political director of South Carolina's Senate Democratic Caucus (source: buzzfeed.com)

Nikki Haley as “the Sikh Jesus”. Who should be more offended?

May 18, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The saga involving one-time Sikh Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, and the perceptions of her ethnic and religious history still continues: Who should be more offended at the mockery: Sikhs or Christians? Phil Bailey is a political director in the state of South Carolina’s Democratic Party, and made the comment above publicly on his Twitter account: The political director of South Carolina’s Senate Democratic Caucus labeled Nikki Haley the “Sikh Jesus” after she intervened to aid the Republican primary […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Jake Knotts, Nikki Haley, Phil Bailey, Sikh Jesus, South Carolina, Twitter

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Ricky Gill and Nikky Haley (photo: Ricky Gill press release November 9, 2011)

Ricky Gill, from the Nikki Haley school of politics

April 9, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Ricky Gill – as mentioned on this blog recently – is a Republican candidate seeking to represent California’s 9th District, who seems to be taking a page out of Nikki Haley’s school of campaiging (via @sepiamutiny): [Ricky] Gill is the son of two doctors of Punjabi descent, Param and Jasbir Gill, and grew up immersed in Sikh traditions. On the campaign trail, he does not dwell on his heritage, preferring instead to call himself “a nontraditional candidate” and emphasizing his […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: California, Nikki Haley, Ricky Gill

Ridiculous Question of the Day: Does Nikki Haley give Sikh cab drivers bigger tips?

April 5, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

One wonders if TIME reporter Belinda Luscombe would ask such a question to a Christian politician about Christian cab drivers as she did to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley: “In New York City, which you’re visiting for a couple of days, a lot of our taxi drivers are Sikhs,” Luscombe observed. “If you get one, are you going to give them a slightly bigger tip?” Haley nervously laughed, and shot down whether she would give special treatment to people of […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Belinda Luscombe, New York City, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, taxicab

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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, on converting to Christianity

April 3, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last night, my family gathered around the television to watch Nikki Haley be interviewed by Stephen Colbert (click for full interview) on The Colbert Report. The Governor of South Carolina has been doing a book tour to promote her memoir Can’t Is Not an Option, and has been appearing on many talk shows in New York. As she comes from an immigrant Sikh family, many American Sikhs have a curiosity around Haley (she has been written about on this blog […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Christianity, Colbert Report, New York Times, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report

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Undeniable proof that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is Indian

November 28, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. From the pages of FITSNews: Her family business – where she claimed to have “learned the value of a dollar” – was penalized three times over six years for failing to pay its corporate income taxes on time (and failing to turn over taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks). The company – owned by Ajit and Haley’s mother Raj Randhawa – has also been late paying property taxes. Meanwhile, Haley and her husband repeatedly failed to […]

Categories: Humor, News Bits, Politics • Tags: Nikki Haley, South Carolina

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Nikki Haley

The accidental benevolence of Donald Trump

SC Democratic Party: Nikki Haley should “go back to wherever the hell she came from.”

When a Sikh runs: the curious case of Ricky Gill

Why Indian Americans flock to the Democratic Party

Nikki Haley as “the Sikh Jesus”. Who should be more offended?

Ricky Gill, from the Nikki Haley school of politics

Ridiculous Question of the Day: Does Nikki Haley give Sikh cab drivers bigger tips?

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, on converting to Christianity

Undeniable proof that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is Indian