By: Sheeba Singh
© Panjabi Byte, January-February 2010, Vol. 1, Issue 2
“So you are from India?…. Are you Hindu?”
An inquiry most South Asians are faced with by people when living or traveling abroad. As a Sikh, it almost becomes a redundant task to have to run the average person through Sikhism and the religious diversity India embodies. Most of us, who are not Hindu, wind up walking away from such situations shaking our heads in disbelief. The attacks against Sikhs, have only taught the west that ‘turban equals terrorist.’ It is unfortunate we are surprised, as Sikhs, when a ‘foreigner’ knows what Sikhism is. (more…)
© Panjabi Byte, 2009
Human rights give us insight to what we are entitled to, simply by the virtue of being human. They apprise us about our freedoms, given that they are, in fact, our ‘rights,’ we have every reason not to have to fight for them in this day and age. Unfortunately, the September 11, 2001 shocker has confined the world’s view within the bounds of terrorism- causing grief, loss and increased struggle for civilians who wish to live only within the freedoms they know they have, and exercise rights, universally guaranteed. (more…)
© Saturday Extra, The Tribune, September 5, 2009
As Bakhtawar Singh, director and critic, welled up, all he could say was: “If only we all could be a little more like Bhai Taru Singh`85 if only we could practice Sikhism the way he has been instilling in ourselves, the same qualities, things would be different.” (more…)
© Panjabi Beat, May-June, 2009, Vol. 1. .No. 4
What was initially a move out of Liberia at the time of an outbreak of war in 1991 to Canada, soon transformed the Grewal couple to be the first South Asian couple elected to the House of Commons in 2004. With Gurmant Grewal elected to office in 1996, his wife, Nina Grewal’s interest in politics was invigorated even further. Perhaps it was the impetus she was waiting for- and with her 2 sons raised, her election into office in 2004 has fueled her desire since- with no looking back. (more…)
© Panjabi Beat, December 2008-January 2009. Vol. 1 No. 2
‘Diaper head,’ ‘terrorist,’ ‘taliban,’ ‘towel-head’ are some of the few names which have been in increased use since 9/11 against those believed to be Muslims or members of the Taliban in the United States as well as in Canada. Although not all, some of the victims in such cases are normally not members of any terrorist group but a part of the Sikh faith which emerges from India with no intention of ‘bombing’ anything or place- brining no harm to anyone despite the hate crimes being inflicted on the group itself. Through widespread portrayal of the turbaned man as the terrorist or Muslims as the Taliban, various groups who conform to a similar identity (i.e. especially Sikhs) have been attempting to face such hate crimes and misunderstandings in the name of terrorism since 9/11. This paper will attempt to approach the hate crimes which have been inflicted particularly on the Sikh community since the attack on the World Trade Centre, 2001, through a restorative means to seek for answers in order to deal with the victims of attack in addition to the larger community. (more…)
