[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]It seems to be getting even more common for attacks to be made on members of the Sikh community. A lot of it has to do with a biased view that automatically misinterprets Sikhs as those linked to acts of terrorism.
The truth is that this could be changed if people would simply approach Sikhism with an open mind and understand that just because someone wears a turban, it doesn’t mean that they’re a terrorist.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE CURRENT STATE OF SIKHS BEING TARGETED.
Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world, and it is the most misunderstood one. Here are just a few of the recent events in which Sikhs were targeted.
FRESNO SIKHS ARE ON HIGH ALERT AFTER 2 ATTACKS AGAINST 2 ELDERLY SIKHS
A recent attack was a beating on December 26, 2015 by 2 men involving Amrik Singh Bal who is 68 years old. He was wearing a turban at the time, and had just finished up his shift on the farm. The beating occurred while he was waiting to be picked up.
Shortly after that, on New Year’s Day, Gurcharan Singh Gill was attacked while working his shift at a liquor store. The attack turned into a stabbing that killed him.
AMERICAN AIRLINES ISN’T IMMUNE FROM TARGETING A SIKH
After enjoying birthday celebrations in New York City, 2 Muslims and a Sikh were the target of a misunderstanding by American Airlines employees. Their plane was grounded until they were removed from the plane. The claimed reasoning for this is that crew members and others “felt uneasy and uncomfortable” with their presence.
DRIVING HIS ROUTE, THIS SIKH BUS DRIVER WAS ATTACKED
A Sikh bus driver that was driving his route was attacked, being called a “suicide bomber” and “terrorist.” This all occurred while driving down the road which forced him to fight to keep control. Local authorities were failing to treat this as a hate crime, which has made the Sikh community of Los Angeles uneasy.
UNDERSTANDING THE BELIEFS OF SIKHS
Sikhs believe that unless you live a life full of good deeds, you will repeat the cycle of life and death. It’s a faith where everyone is equal.
The goal of Sikhism is to build a close loving relationship with God. Sikhs live in the world without being materialistic. One thing that you’ll also see is that they show compassion for everyone. They help those that need help, and that have no line of defense.
There are about 500,000-700,000 Sikhs in the United States alone, which gives them a huge presence. While there’s no set day of worship, a lot of those residing in the United States will go to services on Sunday. In a typical service, they conclude with prayer for the well being of the world.
SIKHISM IS A FAITH OF ONENESS AND LOVE
These are the core values of the Sikh faith, and it enables Sikhs to embrace divine interactions with everyone that they come across. This also allows them to seek out unity in the world that surrounds them. In terms of justice, Sikhs stand for it and are known for standing up to defend those who can’t defend themselves.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SIKHS?
The Sikh Coalition is dedicated to educating the world about Sikhs and protecting the Sikh population. It was started in the aftermath of a “reprisal attack” in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 that involved an elderly Sikh accompanied by two teenagers. You can see what they’re about as well as recent happenings in the Sikh community by visiting their website.
RESOURCES:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/05/sikhs-tout-equality-service-to-others/
http://www.npr.org/2016/01/17/463213788/sikhs-in-fresno-worried-after-recent-attacks
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-attack-on-metro-driver-sparks-fear-in-sikh-community-20160114-story.html[/fusion_text][/fullwidth][fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_tabs design=”classic” layout=”horizontal” justified=”yes” backgroundcolor=”” inactivecolor=”#ffffff” bordercolor=”” class=”posto-tabo” id=””][fusion_tab title=”BIO” icon=”fa-user”]
Ricky Ahuja
Founder at rickyahuja.com
A serial entrepreneur, Ricky Ahuja has been known and well respected for his strong acumen as an online marketer and social media expert since 1998.
His affiliate networks have been ranked in the Top 10 from 2012 – 2016 by the mThink Blue Book Survey and Perform Insider.
He is easily one of the most accessible and approachable individuals in the industry. Be sure to catch him at the next industry event or trade show.
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