The September 11th terrorist attack of 2001 undoubtedly changed how the majority of Americans view someone in a pagh. This attack increased the degree of implicit and explicit racism in this country. Implicit racism occurs when people deny having blatant prejudices yet still have a reaction to people who have a different racial, ethnic, or religious views and who act differently than the “majority.” Explicit racism is outright discrimination against those of a different race, ethnicity, or religion. For most Americans who have not had an in-depth study of Muslims, Sikhs, or Hindus, one would find it hard to differentiate the three based on appearance. Americans might generalize someone wearing a pagh as a Muslim, thus imposing immense discrimination against the Islamic group.
A foundation of Sikhism, as represented by one of the swords in the symbol above, stresses the importance of Sikhs upholding their obligations to society. When Sikhs are constantly being discriminated against, these societal roles are difficult to uphold, jeopardizing the Sikh faith.
According to the University of Leicester, the effects of the September 11th attack were purely negative in the social aspect. Following the attack, Sikhs reported an increase of experienced implicit racism, while Christians and Jews experienced a decrease of implicit racism. Immediately following the attack, many Sikhs reported to have been selected for “random” airport inspections showing immediate discrimination against the pagh (turban). The pagh, becoming an established part of Sikhism during the start of the 17th century under the 10th Guru Gobind Singh, made everyone in the Sikh community feel equal. Since the attack, Sikhs have never felt more discriminated against.
Sikhs base their lives around three tenets; naam japna[1], kirat karni[2], and, vand ke chanka[3] (Guru Granth Sahib). Since this new discrimination, Sikhs find it more difficult to feel equal in society and to perform their societal “obligations,” which imposes stress on the religion. They feel it is difficult to perform the last Pillar, vand ke chanka because of the discrimination they are experiencing since the attack.
June Han recognizes that the American Sikh community has faced an increase of social discrimination since the September 11th attack, but also poses the new idea that Sikhs have almost become more socially and politically mobilized since the attack. Since September 11th, there are now more Sikh organizations and the ones that were established before 9/11 have become more active. Sikhs have also become more proactive in speaking with people of leadership positions. According to June Han, “Sikh leaders have met with top-ranking officials in the Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and Transportation and Security Administration, and they have been conducting diversity awareness and sensitivity trainings with law enforcement officials at various agencies”. Sikhs have been able to educate people inside and out of their community on the basis of the hate crimes that have occurred since the attack. Han has compared Sikhs to Jews in the fact that they are at a political advantage because “they have a single agenda. Their ethnicity and religion are the same.”
Although Sikhs have become more unified since the 9/11, there have been many negative responses against Sikhs since the attack that have a damaging effect on the social role of Sikhs. Americans, both radical and not, have acquired this new fear of the pagh. The more radical “Islamaphobes” have violently attacked many Sikhs on the train, in the streets, and even in their own temple. Temple shootings were very common right after the attack and all of these hate crimes have made Sikhs feel even more discriminated against. After listening to the stories of those who Valarie Kaur interviewed and making a personal interpretation about them and her film, it has become very disappointing how ignorant Americans have been towards Sikhs, yet the adherents still give so much back to society.
“I had no idea that I could be so discriminated against in my own country” said Satjot Kaur, NY. “After 9/11 I started to get bullied. I was called names like Bin Laden and terrorist. Because of that I cut my hair; not because I wanted to move away from my religion, but to be accepted more in school. My friends turned on me and told me to watch my back” said Gurwinder Singh, NY. These are quotes taken from the “Unheard Voices of 9/11” project from real people with real experiences. Sikhs want to make known that they are just as American as a Christian or Jew and that the new hate crimes make it difficult for them to perform their religious duties. After watching Valarie Kaur’s film about the hate crimes imposed on Sikhs after 9/11 it has become obvious that the Sikh community has never felt more alienated in this country then they do now. Even present day, 15 years after the attack, they are still being discriminated against for the pagh.
A sense of community is something that almost all Americans strive for, and Sikhism offers just that. Even though the September 11th attack has caused a great deal of discrimination against their community, it has made the Sikh faith stronger and more mobilized in our society. The Sikhs have grown stronger as a religion and as a community in publicizing hate crimes and speaking their minds. In times of tragedy, those with the strongest faith learn to adapt, and that is just what Sikhs have done. It cannot be known when Sikhs will feel as American as they did before the attack, but September 11th has tested the Sikh faith and the Sikhs continue to prevail.
[1] Naam japna: meditating on God’s name. Performed in the temple or in the home
[2] Kirat karni: earning an honest living from the sweat of your brow
[3] Vand ke chanka: sharing your wealth with the community
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