A turban doesn’t mean he’s a terrorist, is the message of a new campaign.
AB Wire
The Sikh Coalition, a non-profit advocacy group, has launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #MySikhAmericanLife, to create greater awareness of the community in mainstream circles, and to potentially curb the spate of hate crimes that have spawned since the 9/11 attacks, and spurred further by the recent terrorist attacks in Europe and the US.
Members of the Sikh-American community took to Twitter to post photos of themselves and their families in everyday situations, iconic American settings, casual scenes, formal events, and more, reported NBC News.
“Each time I read about another hate crime against the Sikh community, I’m saddened but also reminded that we have work to do to create awareness about our religion,” Deepika Pujji, creator of the #MySikhAmericanLife hastag, told NBC News. “My husband, father, and brother are all patriotic U.S. citizens, who also happen to wear a turban and keep an uncut beard. They each have their own unique journey, as do all other Sikhs in America. This campaign is an opportunity for each of us to share our story with the hopes of building awareness.”
In the wake of the Paris attacks and San Bernardino shootings, leaders have warned of backlash against Muslims and those who are mistaken for Muslims. According to The Sikh Coalition, Sikh Americans are often targeted for bullying and intimidation because they wear turbans and beards as articles of their faith, even though the Sikh religion originates in the Punjab region of India, and Sikhs have been part of the United States for 125 years.
“Hateful rhetoric around the country is surging and people feel increasingly emboldened to verbally and physically attack people based on how they look or what they believe,” Simran Jeet Singh, senior religion fellow at The Sikh Coalition, told NBC News. “Sikhs are regular targets of such hate, and we believe it’s important to take on xenophobia as a community.”
“This campaign is a fantastic way to introduce ourselves to our neighbors in a way that is both authentic and humanizing,” he said. “It also empowers members of our community to take a stand against hate and to engage in simple acts that spread awareness and compassion within our individual networks.”
The New Yok Daily News reported that within hours of its launch, there were hundreds of pictures linked to the hashtag plastered across sites like Twitter. Members of the Sikh community could be seen together as families, in museums, at sporting events, weddings, on stage, in front of Christmas trees and a multitude of other familiar settings. Sometimes they held American flags. Sometimes they held each other.
Sikhism, is the world’s fifth-largest religion and originates from the Punjab region of India. There are about 25 million observers worldwide. The religion requires men to wear a turban and beards as a commitment to equality and justice.
In one recent hate crime attack, a Chicago man was viciously beaten in September. After knocking 53-year-old Singh Mukker to the ground his assailant yelled, “Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin Laden!”
In 2011, as he ran in the New York City Marathon, spectators hurled stones and insults at him, Simran Jeet Singh told the News.
“I’ve had people yell racist comments at me and a couple kids started throwing rocks at me,” he says.
Singh also recalled how his best friend was once beaten by a group of 12 boys because of how he looked.
“It was the most brutal thing,” he said.
“#MySikhAmericanLife is grounded in loving my neighbors, no matter how they look or what they believe,” Singh said.