Sikh Youth in North America - Essay Example

8 November Sikh Youth in North America America was formed into a melting pot. While settlers already existed inNorth America, many people immigrated in search of a new world full of new opportunities and a promising future. While mostly Europeans first settled the colonies, eventually people from all over the world began to migrate to the United States. Among those people were many Catholics and Protestants who had to learn to tolerate. The laws of the land were established so that people had the freedom to exercise their personal religion of choice. Among those people who immigrated were people from all different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and religions. One of the biggest hurdles for these immigrants to overcome has been and still is the toleration of religion. Many people do not understand a culture they have not grown up with. It has been no different for the Sikh people though they too are a monotheistic religion that primarily originated in India (Hawley & Mann 1). The people who practice Sikhism have been discriminated against simply for their beliefs and their traditional dress. In order for cultures to get along while living in the Western civilization, it has become essential for people to understand the Sikh traditions and Sikhism. It has been equally important for the Sikhs to understand the views of the rest of the world. Violence is essentially one of the main reasons that caused Sikhs to migrate. Their Golden Temple Shrine was invaded, people were assassinated, and there was a complete massacre of numerous Sikhs in Delhi, India. The Sikhs wanted to flee for a place of safety. Teachers and students of Sikhism have numerous struggles in order to stay true to their history and tradition, their written religious texts, the beliefs and practices of the religion, and the collective identity of the people as a whole (Hawley & Mann 1). In order for the Sikh to be introduced into academics and to introduce students to the culture and religion, some Sikhs may be stricter while others have become more westernized so life is easier for them. To completely teach the practices and the history behind Sikhism, to do so may be challenging. Hawley and Mann wrote “Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America,” in 1993 in order for students and religion teachers to have a format to follow. This is like a guidebook to help lay out what the Sikhs believe, what their culture and history is and many other facts about their symbols and traditions. While the Sikhs have their own perspective, Mann represents the culture, providing his own first hand encounters as a Sikh. There are many different resources and even a sample syllabus for those teachers who want to effectively teach the culture so that religious tolerance can become even more prevalent and incorporate this Eastern religion. There have been many struggles facing the Sikh population since their immigration to North America. Since the first time the Sikh people came to North America in 1910 up until the present time, Sikhs have become increasingly aware that some of the symbols of the Sikh culture that they wear are a conflict with the United States especially. Early Sikhs were prohibited citizenship to the United States deliberately due to the turbans that they wore on a daily basis (Gibson 121). Over 500 years ago, Sikhism was established in the Punjab by Guru Nanak. Sikhism is a practice that is very distinctive. For this reason, they have undergone religious struggles for many years, since the Mughal Empire. The men wear their uncut hair tucked into a turban. There is a comb within the hair. They wear particular undergarments. They carry their ceremonial dagger and have an iron bracelet. These are all symbols of a person baptized into the faith. Each of these have a meaning that the person wearing these symbols is a disciple. In the east, the Sikhs stood out even among the religions of the neighbors from Asia (Singh). However, the religion has grown quite a bit in the last 500 years, as it is now the fifth largest religion in the world. It is not just a religion that is practiced in India but also in Britain along with the United States. Naturally, this is a religion with different religious texts and beliefs. However, there are also different roles of women in the religion. The people have different methods of art, architecture and even individual ethics that separate them from others (Singh). These people often suffered discrimination because if their jobs in the United States required a particular uniform, they had to remove both their turbans and their hats. Many times it even cost them their jobs completely (Gibson 121). As a result, some of the Sikh people began to start abiding by the rules that they had to follow in their workplaces but they have also been trying to fight to wear the clothing that symbolizes their culture. Some job sectors eventually took note and at least required that all gentlemen remove their hats unless they were to be worn for religious purposes (Gibson 122). In addition to their clothing, the Sikhs faced a court case that involved their traditional symbolic weapon in 1994. They carried a kirpan which is a short sword for rituals. The Sikh children in California were carrying them to school as a part of their culture and who they were. Unfortunately, the parents of these students found their children being suspended after administration in schools realized these three-inch long swords were being worn under the students’ clothing. The kirpans were among what the state of California considered a weapon and was banned in schools (Gibson 122). This led for the American Civil Liberties Union to step in to protest by filing a lawsuit against the school claiming on behalf of the Sikh students that carrying the kirpan was part of their religious freedoms. While some members of the state legislature agreed and it became a law that was passed, the Governor of California at the time refused to sign it. His argument was that it was still a type of knife, was considered a weapon, and could still be a threat to other students. While some Sikhs were agreeable and said that God would still love them though they were not allowed to carry their religious symbol, it still created friction. In other school districts, it became a choice (Gibson 122). In schools, the young boys who wore the turbans were also bullied. According to Sikh tradition, the males also wore their hair long. In one particular case again in California, a child was tormented so badly that his family allowed him to cut his hair (Gibson, 123). The Sikh people are currently trying to increase their presence in North America. Some of the Sikh leaders have acknowledged that the religious and cultural differences are so prevalent that it was necessary to start to educate Americans. Some of the larger cities in the United States began to have Sikh Day parades and it has since become an annual event that thousands of Sikhs from all over the United States travel to attend. Floats have the emblems of Sikh tradition on them and other significant events such as communal eating ceremonies are also held. The Americans who are non-Sikh are invited to attend these events to learn more about the culture and religion in hopes that they will become educated more about the religion and not see it as a threat (Gibson 123). By spreading the awareness about the culture, it is gradually transitioning non-Sikhs to acknowledge the religion and become more tolerant which is helpful in American schools. The world of Sikh studies are changing as people are gathering together to help the people overcome the challenges they face in North America by continuing to educate them. In a series of Berkeley papers, authors and editors simply wanted to help introduce others to the diversity of culture of the Sikh people. It would then allow for people to take what they have learned about the Sikh people and then it would pave the way for additional future studies about the religious and cultural differences in America (Juergensmeyer & Barrier 97). The shift toward becoming more open-minded would give people a completely different perception of this religion and how the Sikhs would have to somehow modernize their more traditional ways in order for their existence to work and let them practice their religion freely. It takes tolerance for others to understand. This would also help encourage religious studies throughout the United States, using the Sikh as a means of learning more about the origin and how their complex religion based overseas is involved in today’s Westernized world (Juergensmeyer & Barrier 79). It is important to learn more about the religions of the world. This is especially true if the religions are within our own country. People can learn to respect and tolerate rather than stare and be rude. Their history of over 500 years and the struggles the Sikh people overcame after a massacre that sent them looking for places of safety are important pieces of who this group of people are and what they represent. They are a religious group that is very community-oriented and are open to those who are interested in their values. Living as any other American, they have adapted to westernized culture despite discrimination and people even having to give up their beliefs (such as the cutting of the boys’ long hair) in order to somehow fit in. They have a place in schools, are able to hold jobs and are accepted into the military. The Sikhs have had struggles being welcomed but through others becoming more informed, tolerance will build. Works Cited Gibson, Margaret A.  Accommodation without Assimilation: Sikh Immigrants in an American High School. Ithica: Cornell UP, 1988. Print. Hawley, John Stratton and Mann, Gurinder Singh. Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993. Print. Juergensmeyer, Mark and Barrier, N. Gerald. Sikh Studies: Comparative Perspectives on a Changing Tradition: Working Papers from the Berkeley Conference of Sikh Studies. Berkeley: Graduate Theological Union, 1979. Print. Singh, Nikky-Guninder Kaur. Sikhism: An Introduction. I.B. Tauris, 2011. Print. Read More