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Is It Possible For Poor Sikhs To Wear Turban

kds1980

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Apr 3, 2005
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:shutup:Here is the news of attack on sikh taxi driver

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Sikh taxi driver assaulted in Seattle- Hindustan Times
In what the police say may have been a hate crime, a Sikh taxi driver was brutally assaulted in Seattle by a passenger.
The 48-year-old driver, Sukhvir Singh, is in a hospital for kidney and respiratory damage caused by the attack over the weekend.


The suspect, 20-year-old Luis A Vazquez, was released from custody on a $25,000 bond on Monday. He was yet to be charged, the Seattle Times has reported.

According to the police, Singh picked up the suspect in a drunken state at a football stadium on Saturday evening. Shortly into the cab ride, the fan began yelling obscenities at the driver, using racial slurs and calling him an "Iraqi terrorist".

At some point, the man began hitting the driver in the head and neck. After a while, Singh stopped the cab and got out. But the passenger followed him and continued to hit him.

The Sikh Coalition, which fights racism against Sikhs, has condemned the attack and urged prosecutors to charge the alleged attacker with hate crime.

In a statement, the Coalition quoted Singh as saying: "I am in a lot of pain and don't understand why someone would do this to me. I love America and hope that in my case justice will be done."
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Now please don't mind or get offended but my question is that possible for sikhs which are not so educated or rich and doing jobs like taxi or truck driver to wear turban.
Its easy for rich and resourceful sikhs to preach that all sikhs should wear turban but what about these people.The conflict between america,europe and islamic world is growing.
They see pictures of bin laden and other islamic terrorists in turban and whenever any one
of their soldier dies they will retalitae as there are many crazies in this world.So is it possible for them to wear turban if yes then what is the solution.

please comment
 

Randip Singh

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May 25, 2005
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:shutup:Here is the news of attack on sikh taxi driver

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sikh taxi driver assaulted in Seattle- Hindustan Times
In what the police say may have been a hate crime, a Sikh taxi driver was brutally assaulted in Seattle by a passenger.
The 48-year-old driver, Sukhvir Singh, is in a hospital for kidney and respiratory damage caused by the attack over the weekend.


The suspect, 20-year-old Luis A Vazquez, was released from custody on a $25,000 bond on Monday. He was yet to be charged, the Seattle Times has reported.

According to the police, Singh picked up the suspect in a drunken state at a football stadium on Saturday evening. Shortly into the cab ride, the fan began yelling obscenities at the driver, using racial slurs and calling him an "Iraqi terrorist".

At some point, the man began hitting the driver in the head and neck. After a while, Singh stopped the cab and got out. But the passenger followed him and continued to hit him.

The Sikh Coalition, which fights racism against Sikhs, has condemned the attack and urged prosecutors to charge the alleged attacker with hate crime.

In a statement, the Coalition quoted Singh as saying: "I am in a lot of pain and don't understand why someone would do this to me. I love America and hope that in my case justice will be done."
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Now please don't mind or get offended but my question is that possible for sikhs which are not so educated or rich and doing jobs like taxi or truck driver to wear turban.
Its easy for rich and resourceful sikhs to preach that all sikhs should wear turban but what about these people.The conflict between america,europe and islamic world is growing.
They see pictures of bin laden and other islamic terrorists in turban and whenever any one
of their soldier dies they will retalitae as there are many crazies in this world.So is it possible for them to wear turban if yes then what is the solution.

please comment

The levels of hate crime were much higher towards Sikhs in the UK in the 70's and 80's. You didn't go to a lot of neighbourhoods.

We got through that so I don't think nowadays is too bad. Most people who are not ignorant know the difference between a Sikh and others.
 

kds1980

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The levels of hate crime were much higher towards Sikhs in the UK in the 70's and 80's. You didn't go to a lot of neighbourhoods.

We got through that so I don't think nowadays is too bad. Most people who are not ignorant know the difference between a Sikh and others.

Quite interesting but the question is that were those hate crimes specifically targeted towards sikhs or all migrants like pakistani's,blacks etc were also targets.Also did the turbaned sikhs were more vulnerable than clean shaven one
 
Apr 4, 2007
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i really don't like the subject line of this thread.

just because american police makd a point to prosecute hate crimes and you see them on the news doesn't make them commonplace. since 9/11 there have been a very small number of very highly publicised attacks on sikhs. the number of actual attacks is so small it's really sad that people actually use it as an excuse to not keep their identity.

solution?

don't cut your hair, that's for sure. take amrit, carry kirpan, know how to defend yourself if someone does harm you. do your nitnem daily, do ardas, do seva, be an upstanding citizen. nitnemi sikhs radiate peace, no one could attack such a person.
 

kds1980

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Apr 3, 2005
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i really don't like the subject line of this thread.

just because american police makd a point to prosecute hate crimes and you see them on the news doesn't make them commonplace. since 9/11 there have been a very small number of very highly publicised attacks on sikhs. the number of actual attacks is so small it's really sad that people actually use it as an excuse to not keep their identity.

Dear kelly

In every month or so you hear such crime mainly directed toward turbaned sikhs and you are saying that numbers are small.The population of sikhs is small and more small is the the number of sikhs who wear turban if still these crimes are directed towards turbaned sikhs then it means a very very small minority is specifically targetted.

solution?

don't cut your hair, that's for sure. take amrit, carry kirpan, know how to defend yourself if someone does harm you. do your nitnem daily, do ardas, do seva, be an upstanding citizen. nitnemi sikhs radiate peace, no one could attack such a person.

Its very easy to say but very difficuilt to implement.every sikh is not 6 footer macho.Look at
the news the guy is 48 and the attacker is 20 do you think that 48 year old has chance if he is not macho.
 
Apr 4, 2007
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29
Dear kelly

In every month or so you hear such crime mainly directed toward turbaned sikhs and you are saying that numbers are small.The population of sikhs is small and more small is the the number of sikhs who wear turban if still these crimes are directed towards turbaned sikhs then it means a very very small minority is specifically targetted.



Its very easy to say but very difficuilt to implement.every sikh is not 6 footer macho.Look at
the news the guy is 48 and the attacker is 20 do you think that 48 year old has chance if he is not macho.


hmm, i live in the US and i don't hear about them every month. what is your source for this allegation? in india? sure, probably it happens more than once a month. but in the west? i don't believe hate crimes against sikhs are that common.


and 48 years old is not so old one can't defend oneself if one knows how. what ever happened to one sikh equalling seva lakh??? you don't believe our Guru's words?
 

kds1980

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hmm, i live in the US and i don't hear about them every month. what is your source for this allegation? in india? sure, probably it happens more than once a month. but in the west? i don't believe hate crimes against sikhs are that common.

Here is the site where hate crimes against sikhs are mentioned

SALDEF - Sikh American Legal Defence & Education Fund - The new name of SMART

also please read this

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City Of Tolerance? Apparently No

Preliminary results of a study released today by the Sikh Coalition show that over 58 percent of Sikh students in New York City public schools have been the victims of name-calling, threats or physical abuse due to their religion. The report also found that more than three quarters (77.5 percent) of male Sikh students who live in Queens have been subjected to teasing or harassment, while 18.9 percent of Sikhs have been told they look like terrorists by other students. Many who have been harassed also said that their school administrators failed to provide any assistance following complaints. The report, entitled “Hatred in the Hallways,” was not scheduled for publication until September. However, coalition workers decided to release their preliminary numbers early in light of a much-publicized bias incident involving the attack of a Sikh student in his school bathroom.
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Isn't it figure 77.5% shocking.

kelly please don't take this thread as attack on america or americans.The truth is that there is undeclared war between muslims and americans,europeans is going on.Muslims beleive that everything bad is because of american conspiracy and europe and america is increasingly becoming islamophobic.In between this sikhs are suffering.The reason i started this thread is because i know that an educated,wealthy turbaned sikh could stand discrimination and hate and even drag culprits to court but what about turbaned sikhs which are not so educated or not so wealthy.

and 48 years old is not so old one can't defend oneself if one knows how. what ever happened to one sikh equalling seva lakh??? you don't believe our Guru's words?

It depends on indivisuals health.and i do beleive guru ji's word but i beleive they are more metaphoric in nature.It means that 1 sikh should have courage to face 1.25 lakh .i don't think it means that 1 sikh's strength = 1.25 lakh people.Taking amrit does not give you superman's strength
 
Apr 4, 2007
934
29
Here is the site where hate crimes against sikhs are mentioned

SALDEF - Sikh American Legal Defence & Education Fund - The new name of SMART

also please read this

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City Of Tolerance? Apparently No

Preliminary results of a study released today by the Sikh Coalition show that over 58 percent of Sikh students in New York City public schools have been the victims of name-calling, threats or physical abuse due to their religion. The report also found that more than three quarters (77.5 percent) of male Sikh students who live in Queens have been subjected to teasing or harassment, while 18.9 percent of Sikhs have been told they look like terrorists by other students. Many who have been harassed also said that their school administrators failed to provide any assistance following complaints. The report, entitled “Hatred in the Hallways,” was not scheduled for publication until September. However, coalition workers decided to release their preliminary numbers early in light of a much-publicized bias incident involving the attack of a Sikh student in his school bathroom.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't it figure 77.5% shocking.


i see. so you equate teasing or name calling with brutal assults? i would guess that 77.5% of ALL teen agers have been teased or called names. it's part of being in school. it's part of life. it's not at all the same thing as a hate crime.

i wear a turban, i live in texas which is considered to be a rascist state. and honestly i've never had a single bad experience here, and neither has my husband (a turban wearing, open beard, punjabi sikh). so you'll have to forgive me if i simply do not see evidence of your theory that hate crimes are wide spread in america.
 
Apr 4, 2007
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29
It depends on indivisuals health.and i do beleive guru ji's word but i beleive they are more metaphoric in nature.It means that 1 sikh should have courage to face 1.25 lakh .i don't think it means that 1 sikh's strength = 1.25 lakh people.Taking amrit does not give you superman's strength


so you think we should lie back and let people assult us? are we buddhists or jains that we're not allowed to defend ourselves against an attack?

amrit may not give me superman's strength, but it does give me the knowledge that god is on MY side in such a situation.

we need to encourage people to learn gatka. we have this wonderful tool to use in these situations and we're not even interested in knowing how to use it.

suggesting that sikhs should cut their hair to avoid being harrassed is simply weak. we are stronger than that. we need to look at our history because apparently we've forgotten the people who DIED to keep their identity. to give that up because of the vague idea we might be teased is just wrong.
 

Sherab

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Mar 26, 2007
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so you think we should lie back and let people assult us? are we buddhists or jains that we're not allowed to defend ourselves against an attack?

amrit may not give me superman's strength, but it does give me the knowledge that god is on MY side in such a situation.

we need to encourage people to learn gatka. we have this wonderful tool to use in these situations and we're not even interested in knowing how to use it.

suggesting that sikhs should cut their hair to avoid being harrassed is simply weak. we are stronger than that. we need to look at our history because apparently we've forgotten the people who DIED to keep their identity. to give that up because of the vague idea we might be teased is just wrong.

Jasleen - I would watch how you insult Jains or Buddhists. The idea that Buddhists cannot defend themselves is completely FALSE.

If they are theravadin monks - you are quite correct. But please see the fighting going on in Burma with the Buddhists there, and how they are fighting back, physically.

However, despite that - I agree with your post 100%.
 

kds1980

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Apr 3, 2005
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i see. so you equate teasing or name calling with brutal assults? i would guess that 77.5% of ALL teen agers have been teased or called names. it's part of being in school. it's part of life. it's not at all the same thing as a hate crime.
...

there is differencce between day to day funny name calling and hatred filled racial name calling,threat of physical abuse.In no time ugly abuse could turn into hate crime.

i wear a turban, i live in texas which is considered to be a rascist state. and honestly i've never had a single bad experience here, and neither has my husband (a turban wearing, open beard, punjabi sikh). so you'll have to forgive me if i simply do not see evidence of your theory that hate crimes are wide spread in america.

Its good that you and your husband never faced anything.But if the situation is so good then why organisations like saldef are coming. the best information could give you on this subject is following blogspot

Into the Whirlwind

This girl is really amazing.She has taken the initative to show the people about the plight of sikhs after 9-11
 

kds1980

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Apr 3, 2005
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so you think we should lie back and let people assult us? are we buddhists or jains that we're not allowed to defend ourselves against an attack?

amrit may not give me superman's strength, but it does give me the knowledge that god is on MY side in such a situation.

we need to encourage people to learn gatka. we have this wonderful tool to use in these situations and we're not even interested in knowing how to use it.

suggesting that sikhs should cut their hair to avoid being harrassed is simply weak. we are stronger than that. we need to look at our history because apparently we've forgotten the people who DIED to keep their identity. to give that up because of the vague idea we might be teased is just wrong.

You are reaching conclusion too quickly i am not at all saying that sikhs should cut their hair.but these kind of news make's me worry especiaally about poor sikhs.

And i agree with you that sikhs should learn martial arts but again the problem is that
many are not at all interested in it.
 

kds1980

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Jasleen - I would watch how you insult Jains or Buddhists. The idea that Buddhists cannot defend themselves is completely FALSE.

What kelly is saying about buddhists is 100% true.Just read the history buddhists countries were unable to defend themselves first against hindu's and then muslims.As a result buddhism nearly wiped out from india and completely from pakistan,afghanistan.
 

Sherab

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Mar 26, 2007
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What kelly is saying about buddhists is 100% true.Just read the history buddhists countries were unable to defend themselves first against hindu's and then muslims.As a result buddhism nearly wiped out from india and completely from pakistan,afghanistan.

I agree some of it is true, but that is the past - now, in the future, with human rights - there is some resistance. I just take it as a personal attack as i had been a deeply involved Buddhist since I was about 12-13.

Although it's not an attack at all, i just don't like some of the attacks, is all.
 
Oct 14, 2007
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I think the situation boils down to individual's response mechanism. But it is equally foolish to get beaten by a 20 year old drunk. A sikh , unless sick, at the age of 48 should have given a befitting reply.
A sikh in India is as good as he is in USA. let us not start differentiationg between sikhs on the basis of the residence.
 

kds1980

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I think the situation boils down to individual's response mechanism. But it is equally foolish to get beaten by a 20 year old drunk. A sikh , unless sick, at the age of 48 should have given a befitting reply.
A sikh in India is as good as he is in USA. let us not start differentiationg between sikhs on the basis of the residence.

A lot depend on your physique,mental strength and health.if the attacker was over 6 feet broad shouldered muscular man then its really difficuilt for an ordinary person to defend himself.

And this thread is not about sikhs in india vs sikhs in usa.
 
Apr 4, 2007
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Jasleen - I would watch how you insult Jains or Buddhists. The idea that Buddhists cannot defend themselves is completely FALSE.

If they are theravadin monks - you are quite correct. But please see the fighting going on in Burma with the Buddhists there, and how they are fighting back, physically.

However, despite that - I agree with your post 100%.



my point is not to put anyone down or insult any faith. the truth is that it is part of their religion not to fight back. however, we are not bound by such constraints.

i was in thailand when some buddhist monks were butchered by muslim extremists. their reaction was to sit calmly, bow their heads and wait for the gunshot. while i admire the self discipline that takes, personally, i would prefer to go out fighting. :)
 
Apr 4, 2007
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...

there is differencce between day to day funny name calling and hatred filled racial name calling,threat of physical abuse.In no time ugly abuse could turn into hate crime.



Its good that you and your husband never faced anything.But if the situation is so good then why organisations like saldef are coming. the best information could give you on this subject is following blogspot


you've obviously never been a teenager in america/. trust me, it's pretty horrible for ANYONE who isn't on the football team/cheer squad. :) teenagers are cruel and vicious. but once you get out of high school, 95% of that kind of behavior stops. i still wouldn't call it hate crimes.


saldef and sikh coalition are fantastic groups who have helped sikhs a LOT in the US. an acquaintence of mine is working with saldef to win her right to carry her kirpan at work as we speak.

but to say they only exist because it's so horrible to be a sikh in america is wrong. i think it's much worse to live as a sikh in india. at least here the government doesn't attack us. mobs don't attack us. the media doesn't ridicule us. rather than saying saldef exists because it's bad here, i'd say it's better here because saldef exists. :) just my perspective.
 

kds1980

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you've obviously never been a teenager in america/. trust me, it's pretty horrible for ANYONE who isn't on the football team/cheer squad. teenagers are cruel and vicious. but once you get out of high school, 95% of that kind of behavior stops. i still wouldn't call it hate crimes.

Quite interesting ..If i am not wrong there is much bigger population of muslims living in america with many black muslims.I want to know that are they also targeted because of their religion.

but to say they only exist because it's so horrible to be a sikh in america is wrong

Well i have already clarified my position that this thread has nothing to do with america.I have lot of respect for america and americans who freely allow sikhs to practice their religion rather than french and germans which are not even allowing sikhs to wear turbans.
 

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