Vaisakhi Interesectional Inspiration
We Sikhs are celebrating ‪‎Vaisakhi this week, the 315th birthday of the Khalsa, a body of revolutionaries given the responsibility to tear down tyranny and oppression in all its forms. Hundreds of years ago, Sikhs had an intersectional analysis of oppression, recognizing that all forms...
Sikhi: A Nonconformist’s Religion
Guest blogged by Gunita Kaur Singh Being a nonconformist builds character, but only when it is exercised within a certain framework of values. A prime example of this lifestyle is embodied within the Sikh religion. Gunita’s father Sikhism is very progressive for it allows the practitioner freedom...
Letters Home
Guest blogged by Preeti Kaur The following is an excerpt from Preeti Kaur’s poem “Letters Home,” in honor of those lost and injured in Oak Creek, WI. Read the full poem here, and sign the petition to push the FBI to track hate crimes against Sikhs.   i travel the 5th udaasi i see no...
Sikhi Is Part of the Solution: Ending Gendercide
Gendercide is a well-known problem in India.  The BBC and ABC 20/20 have highlighted this issue.  The low sex-ratio in Punjab, India shows how the soil, which gave birth to Sikhi is not devoid of this problem. The land on which our Gurus proclaimed the equality of women when others considered her impure...
Dhan Dhan Guru Nanak Sahib!
From all of us here at The Langar Hall, wishing you a very happy and inspired Gurpurab.
Sada Safar
Guest blogged by Adi Shakti Kaur For as long as I can remember, I can envision the imprints of patriarchy within the Guruduaras (Sikh spaces of worship). The Guru, was more than sacred scriptures; more than a living embodiment of the ‘word’; more than a Guru, who took us from darkness to light; but...
French Niqab Ban in Action
The controversial new French law that bans Muslim women from wearing the niqab, or full-face veil, went into effect today and was met with resistance in Paris.  The New York Times reports: The police detained two fully veiled women at a small protest outside the Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris,...
The Divisive Taboo of Halal for Sikhs
Like many Sikhs, I grew up eating meat.  It was something I never really questioned until I was in college and started learning more about the treatment of animals on factory farms and the environmental impact of the meat industry. But growing up I never thought about where my spicy deep-fried chicken...
Arab Sovereignty, Sikh Solidarity
Kicked off by Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution last month, the massive uprisings against U.S.-backed authoritarian regimes throughout the Arab world have grown into an undeniable and unprecedented force for real democracy. Since the dictators being targeted have close ties to Washington, the leaders...
24 million dollars later, still no cry for Sikh rights in India.
Yes, I am going to indulge in imposing what I believe our priorities are onto those of you reading this. Our priorities should be where the ground touches our feet and not the vast mansions seating established masands who rake in millions and output redundant declarations commemorating our great history...
Baba Ji’s Room
Guest blogged by Hunny Singh Recently I went home to the East Coast and had some inspirational time with my family.  While snowy conditions prevailed outside, inside the house, a pizza soon to be shared joined a confused and yet open love for a dance.  I had an interaction with my mother that got...
A place for our sangat
Last week I attended a diwan of about 50 people on a Thursday night on the east side of Manhattan, in New York City.  The Manhattan Sikh Association (MSA) has been organizing monthly diwans in NYC for years now in apartment buildings and other temporary locations, but recently the group opened up a...