Sikh march in Queens leads to change in school regulations
Posted by Reema in General on 09 5th, 2008 | 9 Comments
[updates in italics]
The New York City school system has established a new process for reporting bias and bullying, prompted partially by Sikhs marching in Queens, led by the Sikh Coalition, two months ago. 1.1 million students will be affected by the new regulations.
The new regulation — which is...
Mediation services needed in gurdwaras
Posted by Reema in General on 09 2nd, 2008 | 44 Comments
Many of you may have already heard about the shooting that occurred on Sunday afternoon at the Sacramento Sikh Society Sports Complex, next to the gurdwara. A cricket match, part of a sports festival, was being held when an ongoing argument took a fatal turn. So far, I’ve seen no news of the...
Dholfest: celebrating the 300th Anniversary of Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Posted by Reema in General on 08 29th, 2008 | 10 Comments
The 300th anniversary of Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is being celebrated in an interesting way by dholis in the UK. In 1999, 314 dhol players came together to set a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. This year, in honor of the 300th anniversary, dholfest is trying to set a new record. They’ve...
4 Sentenced to Life in Prison for 1984 Murders of Sikhs
Posted by Reema in Activism, General, Human Rights, India, News, Politics, Punjab on 08 28th, 2008 | 2 Comments
On Wednesday, August 27, the Delhi High Court sentenced 4 men (Lal Bahadur, Ram Lal, Virender and Surinder Pal Singh) to life in prison, eighteen years after a trial court acquitted them for lack of evidence. The men were charged with rioting, murder, and conspiracy, related to the deaths of Rajinder...
A Sikh cowboy?
Posted by Reema in General on 08 20th, 2008 | 14 Comments
I don’t really know what to make of this, so I won’t even comment. I’ll just let you form your own opinions.
Paramvir Singh Chattwal, of central Hounslow, who claims to be the world’s only Sikh rodeo star after taking up the sport while living in Texas has hung up his spurs for...
Sikhs could learn from Icelandic on stigmas, taboos
Over a year ago, Ajmer Singh Hothi was found shot dead inside a semi-truck that he had just bought and was still making payments on. Only a day before, he had changed his phone number and gotten a restraining order against his ex-girlfriend and her father. [link]
More information surrounding the case...
Essay competition on French ban of (Sikh) articles of faith
Posted by Reema in General on 08 13th, 2008 | Comments Off on Essay competition on French ban of (Sikh) articles of faith
We’ve occasionally, briefly discussed the current French ban in public schools on articles of faith. Recently, the Sikh Coalition invited high school students from all over the world to submit entries into their Diversity Essay Contest on “The Role of Freedom of Religion in the context of...
Sex-selection, pop culture, and the tipping point
Is the tipping point (the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable) approaching for a change in attitudes towards the value of women and need to have sons?
There has been a widespread, public movement condemning sex-selection by the government, ngos, and others in the community for...
Kar sewa in times of tragedy
In case you’ve missed the front page of every major newspaper in the past few days, nearly 150 people died in a stampede in the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh. (As great of a tragedy as this is, I’m not sure why it’s front page on American newspapers, considering that incidents...
Relocating Gender in Sikh History
Posted by Reema in General on 08 4th, 2008 | 68 Comments
I recently ran across Relocating Gender in Sikh History by Doris R. Jakobsh who is now an Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Waterloo. I’m not a scholar of either Sikh history (and Jakobsh shouldn’t be considered one until she can read and understand Gurbani), and the ideas presented...
Tribute to Ishmeet Singh
Posted by Reema in General on 08 1st, 2008 | 9 Comments
Ishmeet Singh’s shocking and tragic death this week will be felt for some time. During his tragically short life and time in the public eye, he was as a role model and inspiration for many. He will truly be missed.
Sikhs are a race?
Posted by Reema in General on 07 31st, 2008 | 45 Comments
Sarika Watkins-Singh won her case in South Wales this week. The news was in many newspapers, including The Guardian, which is normally well researched. Considering the high standard of journalism that its reporters are normally held to, it’s surprising that the following statement was made so...
Snoop Dogg promoting Punjabis (and Sikhs) in Bollywood
Posted by Reema in General on 07 29th, 2008 | 24 Comments
We’re continuing our coverage on Snoop Dogg in Bollywood. And now, we’re joined by the New York Times. Some may grimace at the thought of Snoop promoting Sikhs, but he’s definitely bringing us a LOT of exposure these days.
Snoop Dogg wears a Sikh turban and an ornate long coat called...
B.C. Human Rights Tribunal gives Ravidassia gurdwara special protection
Posted by Reema in General on 07 28th, 2008 | 28 Comments
A recent decision of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal highlights some complex clashes within the Sikh community. The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal dismissed a complaint by two members of the Canadian community who were denied membership in a Burnaby gurdwara because of their caste.
But it’s...
American religious tradition’s effect on Sikhi
What is American religious tradition and how does it influence the practice of Sikhi in the US?
Recently, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life surveyed nearly 36,000 people of various religions (including no affiliation/atheists) with questions about their religious beliefs. Questions addressed...
More obstacles for French Sikhs?
A recent French decision brings debates about multiculturalism and accommodation back into focus. France’s highest administrative court prevented the wife of a French national and mother of 3 French- born children from obtaining French citizenship based purely on her wearing of a niqab–...
Is this Singh king?
There’s been some controversy over the upcoming film, ‘Singh is Kinng,’ [sic] starring Akshay Kumar and a host of other Indian actors I don’t know, scheduled to hit theatres on August 8th.
Singh is Kinng is a story about Happy Singh, a Punjabi Sikh. He is very mischievous and...
Daaj and absurd status-symbols
Posted by Reema in General on 07 15th, 2008 | 18 Comments
In Ludhiana, a 29 year old woman, Hardeep Kaur, was just found dead at her in-laws house. Her brother, Harpreet Singh, informed the police that she had been frequently harassed by her in-laws about a dowry, and he alleged that the in-laws murdered her. According to Harpreet, Hardeep had just recently...
Another count of Farmer Suicides
Posted by Reema in General on 07 14th, 2008 | 4 Comments
A little while ago, we mentioned a census commissioned by the Punjab government and being conducted by the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, documenting the rates of farmer suicides in Punjab.
An interesting development is an independent study conducted by a group called the “Movement Against...
The Fall
Posted by Reema in General on 07 11th, 2008 | 4 Comments
A movie produced by some Singhs is in theatres… if anyone catches it, give us a review!
In Los Angeles circa 1915, a little immigrant girl (Catinca Untaru) is in a hospital recovering from a fall. She strikes up a friendship with a bedridden man (Lee Pace), who captivates her with a whimsical story...
