9/11 Affecting Sikhs In The United States

How did 9/11 affect Sikhs in the United States? On September 11, 2001, 19 militants linked with al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks on different locations in the United States. Roughly 3,000 people were wrongly killed. This tragedy affected Americans all over the country, but one specific religion was attacked twice; first by terrorists, then by their fellow Americans. This religion is known as Sikhism. Followers of Sikhism thrive for justice, equality, and honest conduct and livelihood. They make up the world’s fifth largest religion, but are often misunderstood as Muslim because of their distinct appearance. A Sikh’s features embrace unshorn hair, a beard, and a turban for those who are Amritdhari or Keshdhari.

Harpal Singh Vachel, a shy high school freshman in Queens, was cornered in a bathroom and had his previously unshorn hair scattered on the ground around him. Although backlash had come in contact with both Sikh adults and children, Sikh youth are particularly vulnerable to harassment. Sikhs were assaulted on a daily basis because of their appearance and many say it made their education miserable. Roughly half of Sikh Americans are bullied in school, according to United States Commission of Civil Rights (USCCR). Some children would yell, “terrorist” or go as far as to say “go back to your own country.” In 2003, a student in New Jersey was continuously called “Osama Bin Laden,” and was hit on the head, which resulted in contusions. A week after that, twelve-year-old Gurprit Kaur had three inches of her hair cut off from the bottom. She attended a public school in Flushing, Queens. Students have had to move schools, states, and even countries as a result of getting bullied and intimidated by their peers. Profiling of those who seem Muslim, Including Sikhs, is still frequent in the United States. One of the most recurring problems for Sikhs after 9/11 has been profiling at airports. On November 26, 2002, as Hansdip Singh Bindra sat in his respected seat, a stewardess told numerous passengers that their may be “trouble,” and then told Bindra to keep a low “profile” and to “not cause any problems.” Sikh

It provides legal services to those who have had their civil rights violated and promotes diversity through education. It formed the night of September as a response to violent attacks against Sikh Americans and now has offices in New York, California, and Washington. In order to bring awareness of bullying,The Sikh Coalition had launched an anti-bullying campaign called ActToChange. This campaign is in the search to address bullying, including in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Recently, this organization helped desegregate a Sikh employee, Gurdit Singh, at Walt Disney World. Gurdit’s appearance violated Disney’s “Look Policy.” The Sikh Coalition partnered with ACLU(American Civil Liberties Union) and sent a forceful letter to Disney, which resulted in Gurdit being allowed to wear his articles of faith in public. The Sikh Coalition has been helping Sikh Americans all over the United States for fourteen years, and does not plan to stop any time