Obama Rings in the New Year with Indefinite Detentions
As many of us in the US and around the world have been celebrating the beginning of a new year this past week as well as the Gurpurab of Guru Gobind Singh, a new draconian law has been brought upon us in the United States with near silence from the mainstream media. On New Year’s Eve, President...
Burqa ban crosses the Atlantic
The legal banning of the burqa and niqab has once again been in the headlines this last week, but this time beyond Europe, in Canada (or as Tanmit from G.N.E. called it last week at Lahir, “America’s pagh”).
Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, known...
A taste of Lahir via music and poetry (part 2)
As promised, here is my follow-up to Monday’s post about the Inquilab hip hop workshop in New York.
This past Saturday night brought together hundreds of Sikhs (and others) for the fourth annual Lahir: Move the Movement. I always seemed to have a conflict the last several years, but finally made...
A taste of Inquilab via hip hop and poetry (part 1)
As Sundari blogged about a few days ago, we just had an exciting weekend of Sikh youth art and activism in the NY/NJ area. I was lucky enough to sit in on the Sikh Coalition’s “Inquilab: Raising Our Voices” hip hop workshop for a few hours on Saturday and then ride the bus to New...
A Sikh Minstrel Show?
This video from the popular South Indian television show Adhurs Ultimate Talent Show has gone viral in the last couple of days. In it, the so-called Warriors of Goja, a group of Sikh men “performing” with a giant Khanda as their backdrop and upbeat bhangra music as their soundtrack, win...
Dhan Dhan Guru Nanak Sahib!
From all of us here at The Langar Hall, wishing you a very happy and inspired Gurpurab.
Sikhs Occupying Wall Street
In October I wrote a piece about Sikhs and the Occupy Wall Street movement, stating, “I haven’t seen one other person who was easily identifiable as a Sikh. I’m sure other Sikhs have come through at different times, but to be sure, this is no significant Sikh presence.” I am glad...
This is what profiling looks like
It’s been quite a day here in New York City. I woke up at 3am this morning and arrived at Liberty Square at 4:00 to protect the Occupy Wall Street encampment from eviction. Sleep deprived but fired up, I joined with thousands of others who showed up to stand in solidarity with this growing...
Sikh runner featured in NYC marathon: Cast your vote!
Following in the footsteps of great Sikh marathon runners like Fauja Singh, a young Sikh Ph.D. student named Simran Singh is currently training to run the largest marathon in the world — the New York City Marathon. And he’s running for a good cause. Simran is working with Team in Training...
Afghanistan: 10 years of war, 10 years of occupation
Occupation has come to carry a different connotation of late as the #OccupyWallStreet movement quickly spreads throughout the country. But for millions in Afghanistan it still means U.S. militarism. It still means war. It still means injustice. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion...
Wall Street Sikhs, Corporate Tyranny, and the 99%
By now I imagine most of you have heard about Occupy Wall Street in New York City and the growing “Occupy” movement all over the country. Inspired by the mass uprisings of the Arab Spring, the movement is uniting under the banner, “We are the 99%”, in its protest of unprecedented...
Fighting for our right to oppress: Gays, Sikhs & the Military
Last week the US military officially ended “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) after President Obama signed a repeal of the 18-year-old anti-gay policy last December. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members (note the absence of transgender people, who are still not allowed to serve openly) and advocates...
Updated: Because it’s a matter of life and death
UPDATED ON 9/22/11 at 11:00am (after the fold)
On Wednesday, September 21st at 7pm, the state of Georgia plans to end the life of Troy Davis. Davis’s only hope at this point may be if prison staff refuse to carry out the execution, if they courageously stand up for what is right, rather than...
Democracy Now Features Sikh Voices
The daily news program Democracy Now has long been a trusted source of information and analysis for progressives in the US and around the world. Their coverage of the attacks of 9/11/01 and the aftermath has been crucial for so many of us. You can check out an impressive and thorough timeline of...
Amplifying the Unheard Voices of 9/11
Posted by Brooklynwala in Human Rights, Media, USA on 09 8th, 2011 | Comments Off on Amplifying the Unheard Voices of 9/11
Today, I want to highlight an important initiative that amplifies the unheard, and often undocumented, stories of post-9/11 bigotry, harassment, and discrimination. Launched last week by the Sikh Coalition and co-sponsored by a host of organizations including the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,...
A Sikh Voice on Post-9/11 Torture
As the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon approaches, I am filled with a whole mess of thoughts and emotions. 9/11 was a turning point in the United States–and the world–in so many ways. I need not explain what it has meant for us Sikhs in the...
Fair & Lovely for Sikh Youth?
Embracing my new role as a proud Chacha, I recently bought some Sikhi-related children’s books for my niece for her first birthday. I was especially excited about this new book and CD of Sikh nursery rhymes called Ik Chota Bacha. The book/CD is a great way to teach basic Sikh values to kids...
Faith groups file lawsuit over Alabama’s new anti-immigrant law
I was listening to NPR a few nights ago while cooking dinner and was excited to hear about a group of Christian and Catholic clergy in Alabama taking action against a new anti-immigrant law in their state.
A few months ago, Alabama followed in Arizona’s footsteps in passing a bill that many are...
NYC Passes Law to Ban Workplace Religious Discrimination
NYC Sikhs speak out against the Transit Authority's religious discrimination in 2009
This morning, the New York City Council voted unanimously to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (Int. 632-A), a bill that will strengthen the city’s human rights law that protects employees from religious...
Burqa Ban Spreads in Europe
Along with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the last few weeks have seen an increase in momentum for laws that ban the wearing of the burqa and niqab in European countries. We’ve talked about France before, where the implementation of its law banning Muslim face covering began this past...
