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Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'.
Operation Blue Star was an Indian Armed Forces operation between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the buildings of the Golden Temple, famed site of Sikhism.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh-American entrepreneur and franchisee in Mesa, Arizona, was murdered in a hate crime in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. This was the first of several cases across the United States that were reported to the police as supposed acts of retaliation for the attacks. Balbir Singh Sodhi, who had a beard and wore a turban in accordance with his Sikh faith, was mistakenly profiled as an Arab Muslim and murdered by 42-year-old Frank Silva Roque, a Boeing aircraft mechanic at a local repair facility who held a criminal record for an attempted robbery in California. Roque had reportedly told friends that he was "going to go out and shoot some towel-heads" the day of the attacks. Roque was sentenced to death for first degree murder. He died in prison on May 11, 2022.
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was an Indian militant. He was the leading figure of the Khalistan movement, although he did not personally advocate for a separate Sikh nation.
In Sikhism, the Five Ks are five items that Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699, commanded Khalsa Sikhs to wear at all times. They are: kesh, kangha, kara, kachera, and kirpan.
Guru Hargobind was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven, after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan, by the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
Colonel Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, also known as Gordana Khan, was a traveller, soldier, and mercenary active in Afghanistan and Punjab. He served in various military positions in the region, most notably for the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh.
The Akali-Nihang and Akali, is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Akali-Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akal Sena" started by Guru Hargobind. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Akali-Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army.
A dastār is an item of headwear associated with Sikhism and Sikh culture. The word is loaned from Persian through Punjabi. In Persian, the word dastār can refer to any kind of turban and replaced the original word for turban, dolband (دلبند), from which the English word is derived.
The Sikh Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment is the successor unit to the 23rd, 32nd and 34th Royal Sikh Pioneers of the British Indian Army. The regiment recruits from the Sikh community of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana states of India.
American Sikhs form the country's sixth-largest religious group. While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, 70,697 Americans declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau cites the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey's estimate of the adult Sikh American population at 78,000. The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the American Sikh population to be at 280,000 in 2012. Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures; 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size. With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated at around 200,000–300,000 in 2021. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California (52%), New York (11%), and Washington (6%).
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Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity is a book by United States Army officer G. B. Singh. The book was written in biographical form nearly 60 years after the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and challenges his image as a saintly, benevolent, and pacifistic leader of Indian independence, told through Gandhi's own writings and actions over the course of his life. The book claims that Gandhi emulated racism from the Hindu ideology of caste towards the blacks of South Africa and the Untouchables, instigated ethnic hatred against foreign communities, and, to this end, was involved in covering up the killing of American engineer William Francis Doherty.
Gandhi Under Cross Examination is a 2009 book written by G. B. Singh and Dr. Tim Watson evaluating the iconization of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as a civil rights protagonist.
Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora, was an Indian Army General Officer who was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Eastern Command during the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He organised and led the ground forces campaign in the Eastern Front of the war, which led to an overwhelming defeat of the combined Pakistan Armed Forces in East-Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Facial hair in the military has been at various times common, prohibited, or an integral part of the uniform.
Sikhs and Sikh Americans have served in the United States military since World War I through all subsequent wars. Since the 1980s, observant Sikhs have faced difficulty in serving due to a discontinuation of exemptions to uniform standards which previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their religiously mandated beards and turbans while in uniform.
Religious symbolism in the United States military includes the use of religious symbols for military chaplain insignia, uniforms, emblems, flags, and chapels; symbolic gestures, actions, and words used in military rituals and ceremonies; and religious symbols or designations used in areas such as headstones and markers in national cemeteries, and military ID tags.
Sikhism was founded in Punjab in 1469 by Guru Nanak on the foundations that everyone is equal, regardless of caste, age, or gender. Both men and women are supposed to follow the Five Ks: Kesh, Kangha (comb), Kara, Kachera and Kirpan, and there was never a distinction between what a woman should be allowed to do versus a man at theological level. Men and women are treated equally in the temple (gurdwara), and everyone eats and prays side-by-side. Both men and women are meant to carry the Kirpan with them as they are responsible for their own physical protection, and should not depend on others. Sikhs are strictly against the caste system and many chose to use Kaur or Singh as a last name to push against the problematic caste system in India. There is only one god (Waheguru) in Sikhism and they are without form or gender, and everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Many Sikh women believe that this absence of assignment of code of conduct for a woman versus a man proves that their religion is historically committed to gender equality. Presently, the culture does not always follow these traditions and equality is often more true in ideals rather than daily practice. According to Kiman Kaur: "It is essential to take into account the diverse Kaur narratives in order to critically understand the violence Sikh women experience due to religious, ethnic, and gender minoritization through enabling more intersectional conversations."
Ravi Singh is a Sikh American entrepreneur, author, and the first turban wearing, US military cadet (ARMY), a conservative (Republican) candidate for Illinois State Representative politician who fought conviction of 3 felony for eight (8) years regarding US Federal counts relating to a California State, San Diego mayoral election, and fought to wear his turban even in US Federal Prison during his 120 Days incarceration. He was the founder and CEO of Electionmall Technologies, a non-partisan marketing company that offers technology products and services tailored to those running for political office, and co-branded with Microsoft the first cloud based software, Campaign Cloud invented by him. Singh became known as the first U.S. cadet to graduate from a military academy with a turban. His 1998 bid for the Illinois Legislature made him the first Asian to ever run for the position. Singh has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions including the Sikh in Media Award in 2011, and a Rising Star, a prestigious honor given in politics.
References
- ↑ Volin, Katie (January 2, 2005). "Gandhi as a racist doesn't add up". The Kansas City Star. p. 1.
- ↑ Issue No.17, August 2004 Archived 2007-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Conspiracy Culture - Reviewing Gandhi Under Cross Examination". Archived from the original on 2010-07-18. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
- ↑ "Sikh Soldiers allowed to serve, retain their articles of faith". 25 March 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- 1 2 "Interview by Manbir Singh Chowdhary". Archived from the original on 2010-07-25. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ↑ Kaur, Sona (6 July 2020). "Lieutenant Daughter & Colonel Father: Two Generations of Sikh Americans Serving in the US Armed Forces". Sikh24.
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