Summer camp in a Sikh gurdwara (house of worship) in Auburn, Wash., involves presentations on Sikh history, religion and other activities. One important lesson imparted is how to contend with bullying.
Sikhs have been living in the United States since the late 1800s, but their numbers grew substantially when political instability in India in the late 20th century led to a new influx of immigrants. Of the 50,000 Sikhs now living in Washington state, a big percentage of them have ended up in South King County, which has some of the most demographically diverse ZIP codes in the country.
Yet even the rich cultural mix here has not been enough to prevent the kind of harassment that Sikhs have faced around the country since the attack Islamic extremists made in 2001 on New York’s World Trade Center.
Sikhs, first of all, are not Muslims. Second, they played no role in the 9/11 attacks. To the contrary, Sikhism promotes universal brotherhood. Nevertheless, because Sikh males wear turbans to wrap their uncut hair (it’s a symbol of commitment to their religion), they are sometimes mistaken as followers of Osama bin Laden.
Misguided prejudices have trickled down into the schools, too, where Sikh students wearing hair coverings have been heckled as terrorists and told to “go back where they came from.”
The Sikh community hasn’t been passive in facing these misconceptions. They’ve counseled their children on tactics to counter bullying and they’ve taken discrimination cases to court. They’ve combatted misinformation with museum exhibits, charitable giving and other outreach efforts.
And in May of this year, more than 12,000 Sikhs converged in Kent, Wash., to celebrate their new year with a colorful parade and a religious festival. It was a joyful occasion that included the mayor and other local dignitaries. And it was a statement that Sikhs are here to stay.
Barbara Lloyd McMichael is our ground reporter in South King County, Wash., and author of the syndicated book review column “The Bookmonger.”
From South King County, Wash.:
Growing Faith in a New Community
By Barbara Lloyd McMichael
THE CONNECTOR’S REGIONAL REPORTS
Summer camp at Gurdwara Sacha Marg Sahib.
Photo courtesy of Harchhinder Singh