Sikh women |

"What does a Kaur look like?" (Source: A Kaur's Thoughts.)

What does a Sikh woman look like?

September 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On A Kaur’s Thoughts, blogger Lakhpreet Kaur considers the physical identity that defines or describes the Sikh woman, asking: what does a Kaur look like? …since the Kaur’s physical identity is in constant flux and not universally consistent, it is difficult to say Kaurs are visually different from non-Kaurs. The social category of “Kaur,” is not as solidified as “Singh,” because it is impossible to define what Kaur physically looks like. What is she not? How is a Kaur visually […]

Categories: Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: A Kaur's Thoughts, Lakhpreet Kaur, physical identity, Sikh women, Women in Sikhism

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

"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

"Sophia the First" tiara. (Source: Total Birthday)

Raising a warrior princess

July 11, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On the blog Mom.me, writer Navdeep Singh Dhillon reflects on raising his daughter and muses on gender enforcement, tea parties, and tutus: While she rarely forgets she’s a princess, she has developed an affinity for strong female characters in the shows she watches and books she finds on our weekly bookstore/library outings, which she chooses herself, as much as I’d like to think I’m in charge. Luckily, the characters she’s drawn to are much like herself: feisty, and independent. Read […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: gender enforcement, Kaur, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Sikh children, Sikh women, Sophia the First, Women in Sikhism

The experiences of Sikh women who wear turbans

June 14, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The blog A Kaur’s Thoughts presents results of a survey about women who wear turbans (dastar). While it is not as common for Sikh women to wear this article of faith as it is for men, it appears that its adoption among Sikh women is growing. One chart was particularly noteworthy. On the question about whether other women in their families wear a dastar, one type of response was the most common: Interestingly, over half of the respondents (there were […]

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: A Kaur's Thoughts, Sikh women, turbans, Women in Sikhism

Women of the World Panel Discussion at the Sacramento Sikh Temple in California on October 24, 2012. (source: Sacramento Sikh Temple)

West Sacramento, CA Gurdwara hosts Sikh women’s discussion panel

October 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Wednesday, the Sacramento Sikh Temple in West Sacramento, California hosted a women-only seminar for the Women of the World interest group of the American Association of University Women, Sacramento, to discuss various aspects of the Sikh woman’s experience: [According to] Harjit Grewal, attorney with the Shergill Law Firm, “As a community, we have learned that events like this are our best weapon in combating ignorance and encouraging collaboration.” “Education is like a great light that helps us see the […]

Categories: Events • Tags: American Association of University Women, Bobbie Singh-Allen, California, Goldy Shergill, Harjit Kaur Grewal, Leigh Stephens, Sacramento, Sikh Temple Sacramento, Sikh women, West Sacramento, Women in Sikhism, Women of the World

Women who wear turbans

August 31, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An article in the Seattle Times discusses women who wear religious head-coverings in the United States. A Sikh woman who wears a turban, Inderpal Kaur, narrates her experiences when she first began wearing it: “I was very nervous; not sure if my friends would accept me this way,” she says. “But my dad told me, ‘You stepped into this path and you have to put your trust in God. He won’t let you down. Don’t worry about it.’ “ While […]

Categories: Profiles, Sikhism • Tags: Inderpal Kaur, Seattle Times, Sikh women, Turban, Women in Sikhism

Sikh women: what does your love story look like?

August 29, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At its core, Sikh scripture – the Guru Granth Sahib – is a testimony to the love and longing of the Divine. Many shabads (hymns) contained within the Guru Granth Sahib use the metaphor of a bride’s devotion to her beloved to express the relationship of human being to the Divine. Consider this shabad written by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of the Sikhs: The Gurmukh is the happy and pure soul-bride forever. She keeps her Husband Lord enshrined […]

Categories: Literature • Tags: anthology, Guru Amar Das, love stories, Sikh women, Women in Sikhism

Recognizing the female Sikh identity

August 10, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Gunisha Kaur, on the Huffington Post, discusses the often-overlooked component of the Sikh identity – that expressed by women: The American public has started to learn about the significance of the turban and uncut hair to both Sikh women and men. Though Sikh women connect to the male identity on a very personal level through their husbands, fathers and sons, they are not exclusively defined by the image of the turban and the beard. Uncut hair is as much an […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Gunisha Kaur, Gurdwara, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Paramjit Kaur, Sikh women, Wisconsin

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Sikh women