“Washington |

Picture of the Day: Planned Gurdwara in Vancouver, WA burns to the ground

October 12, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In Vancouver, Washington (not to be confused with Vancouver, BC, Canada), an athletic club that was in the process of being renovated for use as a Gurdwara burned to the ground early this morning: VANCOUVER, Wash. – Fire swept through a Sikh temple and school that was under construction in Vancouver early Friday morning. Two workers who were asleep in the complex escaped without injury. The Guru Ram Das Church essentially burned to the ground. The building is located on […]

Categories: News Bits, Picture of the Day • Tags: "Washington, Gurdwara, Guru Ram Das Church, KATU, Vancouver

Pictures of the Day: Capital Sikhs – Washington, D.C & London, England

June 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This past week provided an interesting reflection of the Sikh diaspora, as Sikhs on both sides of the Atlantic gathered in their respective capital cities to take up Sikh issues. As mentioned yesterday, Sikhs from all over the United States attended the first ever White House briefing on Sikh civil rights in Washington, D.C. last Friday: Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Sikhs in London, England came together in much grander scale this past weekend at Hyde Park […]

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights, Picture of the Day, Politics • Tags: "Washington, 1984, D.C.", England, Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom

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Picture of the Day: Navpreet Kaur, 17, from Lake Stevens, WA

June 11, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Bellingham Herald in Washington State provides a profile of Navpreet Kaur, a graduating senior at Lake Stevens High School near Marysville, Washington: Navpreet, 17, was born in a village in Punjab, India. Her family moved to California when she was 8 and shortly after moved to Bellingham. The family moved to Marysville a few years later, and she went to school in Lake Stevens. Read more about Navpreet’s goals and her balance of her cultural backgrounds here.

Categories: Picture of the Day, Profiles • Tags: "Washington, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Navpreet Kaur

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Is Washington, D.C.’s Fojol Bros. food-truck racist?

May 22, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Washington Post discusses the Fojol Bros. food-trucks in Washington, D.C.: As of Friday, more than 950 people had signed the petition, many expressing outrage over the cultural insensitivity of Fojol employees, who wear turbans and fake bushy mustaches and assume mythical personas from the lands of “Merlindia” and “Benethiopia” — all while peddling dishes inspired by the cuisines of India, Ethiopia and Thailand. Despite the criticism, the founder of the business, Justin Vitarello, seems unapologetic about the use of […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: "Washington, D.C.", Fojol Bros, Food truck, Washington Post

Washington, DC Police to accommodate observant Sikhs

May 16, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. will soon make an accommodation to allow observant Sikhs to serve: The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund says [D.C. Police Chief Cathy] Lanier will announce an executive order Wednesday that eases uniform and appearance rules for Sikhs. Observant Sikhs generally wear turbans and do not cut their hair, and a policy change will permit them to maintain their appearance. Despite the long history of Sikhs serving in military and law enforcement […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: "Washington, Cathy Lanier, D.C.", Jasjit Singh Jaggi, Metropolitan Police Department, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

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A look at America’s Sikh advocacy organizations

May 15, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent study called “Lobbying for the Faithful” from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life provided a survey of religious advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C.: The number of organizations engaged in religious lobbying or religion-related advocacy in Washington, D.C., has increased roughly fivefold in the past four decades, from fewer than 40 in 1970 to more than 200 today. These groups collectively employ at least 1,000 people in the greater Washington area and spend at least $350 million […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: "Washington, D.C.", Pew Forum, religious advocacy, SALDEF, SCORE, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Council on Religion and Education, Washington DC

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Picture of the Day: Nagar Kirtan near Seattle, WA

May 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Thousands of Sikhs in the Seattle, Washington area celebrated Vaisakhi with a Nagar Kirtan last weekend. While traditionally celebrated in mid-April, the Sikhs in the Pacific Northwest obviously did not want to miss their chance. See more photos at the Seattle Times.

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day • Tags: "Washington, Nagar Kirtan, Renton, Seattle, Vaisakhi

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Seattle, WA Sikh community to celebrate Vaisakhi this Saturday

May 3, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh community in the greater Seattle area will be holding a Nagar Kirtan in Renton, Washington in celebration of Vaisakhi this Saturday: The fifth annual parade in celebration of Khalsa Day or Visakhi, a Sikh religious festival, is at 11 a.m. Saturday. The celebration is marked with a colorful procession that starts at Gurdwara Singh Sabha of Washington, 5200 Talbot Road S. in Renton, and marches toward South 200th Street. The parade route then will proceed down 200th Street […]

Categories: Events • Tags: "Washington, Nagar Kirtan, Renton, Seattle, Vaisakhi

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Washington, D.C.’s National Gurdwara closes

February 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

About six months ago, we received news of the dire financial situation surrounding the National Gurdwara located in the US Capitol district in Washington, DC. The Gurdwara has apparently finally succumbed to its financial issues and closed, but not without objections from its sangat (congregation): Said Sardar Bakhshish Singh, President of the Gurdwar,a in a communique, “I want to inform the Sikh sangat all over the United States of some very sad news that the National Gurdwara, DC has been […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: "Washington, D.C.", National Gurdwara, Washington D.C.

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: “Washington

Picture of the Day: Planned Gurdwara in Vancouver, WA burns to the ground

Pictures of the Day: Capital Sikhs – Washington, D.C & London, England

Picture of the Day: Navpreet Kaur, 17, from Lake Stevens, WA

Is Washington, D.C.’s Fojol Bros. food-truck racist?

Washington, DC Police to accommodate observant Sikhs

A look at America’s Sikh advocacy organizations

Picture of the Day: Nagar Kirtan near Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA Sikh community to celebrate Vaisakhi this Saturday

Washington, D.C.’s National Gurdwara closes