They came to this country for better opportunities but found it inhospitable instead. It came in the form of severe bullying.
In fact, a local Sikh family thought about going back to India as their son was mercilessly bullied.
Sikhism is something unfamiliar to many in the West. A tradition dating back 400 years in India, its followers wear head coverings and long beards. It’s a tradition that made one boy a target for bullies.
On any given day, you can hear prayers coming from the Sikh Temple of Las Vegas. For many men of this faith, covering the head is always the custom.
“The reason for my turban is respect to the God… and I have long hair,” explains Amar Chaddha. “By religion, we have to have long hair under the turban. I have a long beard, which I tie up. You can see a pin here; I roll [the beard] up and tie it.”
Chaddha wants to share the story of the Sikhs because, he says, ignorance in this country is leading to hatred and racism.
“You face those challenges everywhere. Doesn’t matter if it’s the airport, law enforcement; people look at you differently. It’s so hard to tell people [that] first of all, we are not Muslim, we are Sikhs and we [come from] Punjab, the northern part of India. There is a lack of involvement and education out there.”
That lack of education may have led to the severe bullying of the Gurdwara priest’s son, Raman Deep, who is now 14.
Sue Manteris: How long has this been happening to you?
“They used to call me terrorist, Osama, stuff like that,” says Raman. “They said oh, you want to blow up the school at the end of the year and stuff like that. When I would walk in the hallways they would slap me. In class they made fun of me they threw papers at me.”
Raman didn’t tell his father for a long time what was happening at school for fear of reprisals.
After learning the truth, the priest told his son never to be hostile to his bullies, but to tell his teachers and counselors about the situation instead.
Raman did, and each incident was to be handled on a case by case basis. However, the problem of consistent bullying was never addressed by the school.
It was then that Amar Chadha knew he and others in the Sikh community had to spring into action. They contacted a national Sikh organization which had been helping other Sikhs in similar situations throughout the country.
After 911, Sikhs in this country were targeted, called Arabs and Muslims in a pejorative sense, harassed and killed.
Now, the Sikh community here wants to conduct seminars on Sikhism for the school district and individual schools so that what happened to Raman won’t be repeated.
Just last month, the New York school system agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged it failed to protect a Sikh student from violent bullies. The settlement also includes education about bias and discrimination in the New York school system and specific issues that face Sikh students.
Parents, the sooner you know your child is being bullied, the better you can respond. News 3, in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League, is holding a cyber-bullying seminar Wednesday, November 10th at the Paseo Verde Library in Henderson. It’s across from The District shopping center.
http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=30966&n=5037
In fact, a local Sikh family thought about going back to India as their son was mercilessly bullied.
Sikhism is something unfamiliar to many in the West. A tradition dating back 400 years in India, its followers wear head coverings and long beards. It’s a tradition that made one boy a target for bullies.
On any given day, you can hear prayers coming from the Sikh Temple of Las Vegas. For many men of this faith, covering the head is always the custom.
“The reason for my turban is respect to the God… and I have long hair,” explains Amar Chaddha. “By religion, we have to have long hair under the turban. I have a long beard, which I tie up. You can see a pin here; I roll [the beard] up and tie it.”
Chaddha wants to share the story of the Sikhs because, he says, ignorance in this country is leading to hatred and racism.
“You face those challenges everywhere. Doesn’t matter if it’s the airport, law enforcement; people look at you differently. It’s so hard to tell people [that] first of all, we are not Muslim, we are Sikhs and we [come from] Punjab, the northern part of India. There is a lack of involvement and education out there.”
That lack of education may have led to the severe bullying of the Gurdwara priest’s son, Raman Deep, who is now 14.
Sue Manteris: How long has this been happening to you?
“They used to call me terrorist, Osama, stuff like that,” says Raman. “They said oh, you want to blow up the school at the end of the year and stuff like that. When I would walk in the hallways they would slap me. In class they made fun of me they threw papers at me.”
Raman didn’t tell his father for a long time what was happening at school for fear of reprisals.
After learning the truth, the priest told his son never to be hostile to his bullies, but to tell his teachers and counselors about the situation instead.
Raman did, and each incident was to be handled on a case by case basis. However, the problem of consistent bullying was never addressed by the school.
It was then that Amar Chadha knew he and others in the Sikh community had to spring into action. They contacted a national Sikh organization which had been helping other Sikhs in similar situations throughout the country.
After 911, Sikhs in this country were targeted, called Arabs and Muslims in a pejorative sense, harassed and killed.
Now, the Sikh community here wants to conduct seminars on Sikhism for the school district and individual schools so that what happened to Raman won’t be repeated.
Just last month, the New York school system agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged it failed to protect a Sikh student from violent bullies. The settlement also includes education about bias and discrimination in the New York school system and specific issues that face Sikh students.
Parents, the sooner you know your child is being bullied, the better you can respond. News 3, in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League, is holding a cyber-bullying seminar Wednesday, November 10th at the Paseo Verde Library in Henderson. It’s across from The District shopping center.
http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=30966&n=5037