Why do we wear turbans?"
Nearly every Sikh American who grows up in the U.S. asks their families this question and as two Sikh Americans who maintain our faith, we were no different when we were little. This week, as Americans join in vigils for the six murdered Sikhs in another violent act of hate, many are now asking us this same question.
"Our ancestors were beheaded so that we could practice our faith without fear," our grandparents told us, detailing stories of torture and heroism, martyrdom and sacrifice, in 500 years of Sikh history. These stories gave us a legacy that infuses the turban with deep meaning: it embodies our community's commitment to devotion, honor, and service to all, a gift made possible by those who died to protect the practice of our faith.
While some non-Sikhs wear turbans as cultural garb, Sikhs are the only community for whom the turban is religious and nearly every person who wears the turban in the U.S. is Sikh. For many of us, abandoning this visible identity is equivalent to abandoning our faith and core values, including the commitment to protect the right of all people to practice whatever faith they choose.
But in the wake of the shootings of Sikh Americans in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, many Americans may silently wonder: If turbans mark Sikhs as targets for hate and violence, then why not take the turban off? Through a vibrant oral tradition, we Sikhs are emboldened by the stories passed down to us through the generations about why we keep the turban:
During a time of tremendous religious strife, a man named Nanak was born in 15th century Punjab (now Northern India and Pakistan). Guru Nanak expressed a unique vision of unity: Na ko Hindu, Na ko Muslim. There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim - beneath all husks and labels, humanity is one. He carried his message across South and Central Asia, rejecting all social inequalities, including caste hierarchies, gender discrimination, and religious persecution. He called for devotion to the One Divine, justice and equality of all people, and a commitment to seva or divinely-inspired service. And he taught that each person has the potential to develop his or her own relationship with the Divine. His followers were called "Sikhs," or disciples and seekers of truth.
As Guru Nanak passed his leadership on to a succession of teachers, many people embraced the Sikh faith and began wearing turbans to represent their devotion. Through the 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of Sikhs died fighting alongside people of many faiths against political oppression, and the ninth Sikh leader, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by the state for defending the right of all communities to freely practice religion.
"The Guru was beheaded before a big crowd," our grandparents would tell us. "When one brave man brought the Guru's head to his young son, his son asked, 'Were there any Sikhs in the crowd to stand up to this injustice?' The man said he didn't know. The young boy responded, 'From now on, Sikhs will never hide.'"
As the story goes, the son grew up as the tenth Sikh leader, Guru Gobind Singh. In 1699, he called all Sikhs together and formalized a standard identity. He gave Sikhs five articles of faith, including kesh (uncut hair), meant for women and men equally. Men traditionally wrapped their long hair in turbans. Some women wear turbans too, but most simply cover their heads with headscarves when praying. Guru Gobind Singh requested all Sikhs to drop their surnames (a marker of social status), and instead, embrace a shared surname: all women adopted the last name "Kaur" and men took the last name "Singh." He declared that our eleventh and lasting teacher would be the sacred scriptures - the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs pray together in houses of worship and learning called gurdwaras [Doorways to the Divine] to study and sing devotional prayers from scripture.
Through the 18th century, Sikhs were captured, tortured and executed before giving up their turbans or their faith. The Sikh ideal became the warrior-saint: to live a life devoted to God and fiercely committed to fighting injustice in all forms. When India was conquered by the British, Sikhs joined fellow Hindus and Muslims to fight for independence. In recent history, Sikhs have continued to struggle for rights in India, and many Sikhs fled religious persecution in the 1980s to settle in the U.S.
Today, Sikhs belong to the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and are more than half a million strong in the U.S. However, Sikhs continue to encounter racism and religious bigotry since landing on American shores. Early Sikh pioneers, including one of our grandfathers, waited for decades before they were permitted to become citizens or own land. In our own childhoods, we remember racial slurs and shattered windows in the aftermath of the Iran hostage crisis, the first Gulf war, and the Oklahoma City bombing. In the immediate and long-term aftermath of 9/11, Sikhs have been bullied in schools, profiled at airports, barred from workplaces like the military, and targeted in hate violence - including the brutal massacre last Sunday.
In Oak Creek and across the U.S., Sikhs have drawn upon their history of struggle and resilience to rise up in the wake of this tragedy. We witnessed this in person on Thursday morning, when Sikhs were allowed to return to their gurdwara for the first time since the attack. They walked into a crime scene: there was still blood on the carpets and bullet holes in the walls. In an instant, the community burst into action: they ripped out and replaced carpets, scrubbed the floors, painted over bullet holes, and repaired broken windows. We literally watched a community rebuild itself before her eyes.
The Sikh community in Oak Creek reflects the broader Sikh community in America. Some choose to wear only one or two articles of faith; some wear turbans and others don't. Like all faith communities, ours is wonderfully diverse. But all Sikhs, no matter how they practice their faith, share in the spirit of "Chardi Kala" - a rising optimism even in dark times - and are coming together so that good can come from tragedy.
We believe that hate crimes against people who wear turbans, veils, yarmulkes, or robes are attacks on all communities marked as "other" in the American psyche. In a time when the economy is struggling, guns are easily accessible, and ideologues drum up votes through fear-mongering, we must renew our commitment to building safe and caring communities - for Sikhs and for all Americans.
So perhaps by passing along our story to you, it will embolden you the next time you see a turban. Perhaps you will think about the layers of history and resilience wrapped within - and offer a nod of recognition.
Follow Simran Jeet Singh on Twitter: www.twitter.com/simrancolumbia
Follow Valarie Kaur on Twitter: www.twitter.com/valariekaur
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This is not exactly true. Sikhs, after their defeat in the 2nd Anglo-Sikh War of the 1840's, joined British Ranks and were instrumental in putting down the Great Sepoy Rebellion, also known as the First War for Independence in India.
It was only later on in the 20th century, after events like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by British General Reginald Dyer, that the Sikh diaspora became largely anti-british and joined the Indian Independence Movement.
A worthy ideal equally applicable to atheists.
and amazing diversity of the world, that we must respect.
On the other hand requirements, or even suggestions, that people have to
wear certain clothes, or other rather odd idea's, simply do not make
much sense. Even as someone very religious, I have to keep asking
what a rational God would care about.....like
children, general health, fairness, the ability to have a
decent life and work, and Peace !
Would it, or he/she, care at all about wearing hat's, skullcaps,
covering a woman's face or body, etc. etc...or Mormon magic
underwear, etc.....it's all rather Nuts to a rational God I suspect...
and a vast waste of time and money.
Much of it also serves to divide us more or less.....and often
with a sort of Super Ego pov......which is a sad and often
destructive thing.
Of course we must always fight against those who would
even think of attacking a faith for any reason. We deeply
regret the attack in Wisconsin.
division and the ego....but certainly there are many Sikh's around here,
and they seem successful and modest
care of our own, let alone millions more
sure, war's $$$$ are nuts....but it's not only not fair...
the average taxpayer gets ticked about stuff like this...
so at best it's a distraction away from the
important things like war
But do we really believe that? Apparently not, or we wouldn't be wearing our turbans, or crosses or hijabs, or yarmulke, or whatever else it is that sets us a part.
They don't have the right to buy the gov;ernment, but they ALL do!! Then whine when others do.
They ALL have their lobbiests buying them special favors, but have the nerve to whine when another religion does it.
Muslims have lobbiests, Jews have lobbiests, Catholics have lobbiests, Protestants have lobbiests, Evangelicals have lobbiests, LBGT people ;have lobbiests, Corporations have lobbiests.
They all point the finger at someone else, when they are doing the same thing.
None of them get any sympathy from me.
Sadly, they all do it
Totally untrue, I was a practicing Sikh when I was in India and did outshine majority of students in my school and college life, be it School Captain or College Student Club President. I have never ever come across any Sikh who was discriminated on religious grounds.
Did many Sikh's think things were that bad ?
Is that a good thing? (not in the long term)
Is that a bad thing? (not in the short term)
Very much unlike the Abrahamic religions who teach to blame gawd and to react with violence.
Fascination of the "orient" has been a part of European and American culture since the 2nd millenium.
If I come to believe that all religions practice the same level of child indoctrination, only THEN will I be "musted" to say it for all. They do NOT.
Sikhs and Buddhists are also people, thus capable of extreme violence and cruelty, even in the name of their religions.
Much of the American culture is anathema to Sikh values. Their behavior must therefore be outside, apart, separate, from much of American culture. For example, much of the American culture is secular, as in not exhibiting religious affiliation in public. No Sikhs are secular by dictate of their written unchangable religious dogma.
Further, those who want to come to the US - should respect the culture of the US - instead of holding themselves out as superior to us.
"Truth is nothing more than one's perception of misconstrued lies"
e.g. WMD ;)
When searching for truth, one must look at all empirical evidence and then make a decision. If it was exactly how it was as described by the State run media then why was it the Amnesty International was not allowed, or UN, or international journalists?
History is literally HIS STORY -- So you should try to educate yourself with the other side of the coin first!!!! http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Operation_Blue_Star