Query For Sikhs Living In USA Or CANADA

[prabhdeep_hanspal]

vaahe guru ji ka khalsa , vaahe guru ji ki fateh
i dont know if i'm posting this msg at right place, but brothers i wanted to know how do gore treat our sikh brothers i mean if a sikh child is born in country like USA made to go to school how does other children treat him, imean are sikhs getting a recoginition as sikhs, is there enough awareness about sikhs in USA (especially eastern costal area, like NY) , i hope atleast they are no considered as muslims (by looks) cuz after september 11 they have turned hostile towards muslims and wot i heard was that some sikhs also had to pay for it bcoz of lack of recognizalbe stature.

 

[Arvind]

Veer,

When one stays strong, loves the environment, likes the people around, offers help with smile, always work for betterment of surroundings, attempts to bring a peaceful and harmonius world - all done selflessly without any expectations or any kind of returns, then your concern may not matter.

I welcome you to explore the bigger world, and let people know who you are. And incidentally, I personally never cared much about whether sikh community people are around me or not, where I live.

Just my personal thinking.

Regards.

PS: And all the best for higher studies. Make the university a criteria for higher studies, and not the sikh population there. Venture out new places

 

[prabhdeep_hanspal]

GurFateh arvind ji,
thanx for replying, i agree with wot u say but i asked the question because i was more concerned about how will ppl deal with me there like my classmates proffessors , i mean won't it b difficult for me to find friends ????, okie even if i dont bother for it , wont i feel lonely like no one to talk no one to be with because they will feel it different for me , like stranger or some primitive guy. ????

 

[Arvind]

different, stranger, primitive..!!! There were/are sikh students in almost any university, I guess, and due to their intelligence and hard work, they continue to reach newer heights.


There are thousands of students here, and many sikhs in the remotest areas which you could imagine. So I dont consider your concern a valid one. But that s just me!

 

[S|kH]

I go to school in the US...

It's really not that hard unless you make it hard on yourself. Never let it get to you that "oh he's not being my friend just because I have a dhari or turban".

Frankly, I have more gore friends that most indians, and I'm more appreciated by other races and cultures than the average indian or Fob that comes ot America and the first thing they do is cut their hair.

Trust me, you already know how to speak english, you'll be ok, and watch you'll gain more friends than Fobs ever could. Your probably down with western culture more than the fobs are.

Kids that come straight from India, have a bit more trouble, but they make it out to seem much harder than it is.

I play basketball with a pugh and dhari, I listen to hip hop, all my friends know what a Sikh is, and the differnece between a Sikh and hindu/muslim, and I also do bhangra.

Don't worry about it, you will make friends, whether they be hindus, muslims, goray, or kalay.

You will face racism, but tell me where you won't? Racism in America, but Sardar jokes thrown at your face in India...

And as far as them making you feel like a stranger, they may ask you questions about your appearance, but don't take it as an insult immediately or that they are singling you out...most likely, there just curious. Just explain, and they should move on.

 

[ravisingh]

This Canadian's perspective:

I agree with S]kh wholeheartedly. Being a sardar and having completed 8 years of University schooling I have had the same experiences as he has. Most of my friends are not Sikh (in fact my best friends are Jewish, Muslim and Christian) and I think that you will find that non Indians are far more open minded and willing to be your friends than Indians.

If you are respectful, friendly and speak English I do not think you will have any problems at all. I have found and been told by many that Sardars generally have a very outgoing personality --no doubt because we stick out like sore thumbs wherever we go --and this certainly helps in making new friends no matter where you go.

You will certainly face racism. I think it is good to expect this but as S]kh said often what may seem like racism is only curiousity and should be seen as an opportunity to make a friend --if they are asking they are interestec.

I will give you one tip though. People often discount the importance of the differences in body language between cultures. Body language plays a big part in building rapport. For example, Indians and asians in general have a much smaller "bubble" than Americans and especially Canadians. That means that the socially appropriate distance between people when they are having a conversation is different in different cultures. If you talk closer than is the cultural norm people of that culture will subconsciously want to move away from you and may even find you "creepy". I've noticed that many new arrivals don't account for this and often have trouble building rapport in their new countries.

Best of luck and I strongly encourage you to consider studies overseas if you are open-minded and comfortable with change.

Ravi Singh

 

[Arvind]

It's really not that hard unless you make it hard on yourself. Never let it get to you that "oh he's not being my friend just because I have a dhari or turban".

S|kh and Ravi veer have gone to detail to reply to your concern veer.

Stay strong, Be what you are, there is nothing stopping you. Any question which people ask you, take that in the spirit of their curiosity and platform for you to explain them the real stuff. btw, I happened to teach in local technical college, and all students there became good friends of mine, as it was their first exposure as well.

Regards.

 

[UnstoppableSingh]

I also got to agree with S|kh and Ravi bhajis

Life is as easy as you make it. Most newbies try to act a certain manner and are rough to deal with that is what causes a problem.

Now i've been through the whole schooling system here (born and raised in Toronto) and its very true that a Sikh is more appreciated by Non-Indians then he is by Indians. Personally most FOBs have an inferior complex and try to hard but still can't seem to blend in. Thats the problem.

 

[Sher Singh]

Anything is possibe, i remember when i was younger i was immeditaely accepeted, no one cared whether i had a turban or not. As we grow older we grow wiser, and questions arise within us and within our community (Sikh and non-Sikh) as to who we/they are and why do we/they, act/wear/behave (what) the way they do. You should prepare yourself by answering your questions as well as what you think others will have. Also, in today's world there are vast resources with which we can learn more about, one which i can immediatly name is the Internet. The interent is the most used source for information, we use it everyday of our lives practically, just like how you as well as I are using it now. Gore, if taught now about Sikhi will understand it and appreciate it. even if we dont do it now they will eventually ask, and so be content and answer they're question. Moreover, we are taught to be our own person, be individuals, etc. As Sikhs we demonstate this by wearing what we do and acting the way we do. We will be accepted, no one should tease you and yes you will most definatly make friends! And leave the rest to Guru Ji.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh!!!

 

[Dawnnymph]

People here in America have no intelligence of the difference between muslims and sikhs, because they don't take the time to know. People here in America are so quick to judge and not to learn. People are so racist where im from sometimes when me and Raman are together we get so many dirty looks because im white and hes indian. Its sad it really is that America is so ignorant...

 

[truthseeker]

Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh!!


As i had posted a few months ago on a different thread... Im half black and with that comes alot of discrimination. Even tho i am half indian i do not really look like it. I honestly dont think that only certain ppl are racist..one weekend i was at a samagaam and me a few other friends were sitting in the langar hall just talking and one of the girls said to the group in general " my couins married sum 'kala' guy and i think it is SOOOOOO nasty" when she said that i was soo surprised, i was sitting right there next to her and she soo calls me her " best friend" I was just soo surprised that anyone could say sumthing like that. I mean thats fine ppl have their own opinions and i mean... when i go to gurdwara i dont look that different cuz i do wear a ramal under my chuni ( just sumthing ive always done) but when i go to skool ppl think that i am black cuz i have poofy hair and what not and they say things but what can i do about it
And soo my point is that, no matter what people say, u just gotta brush off all those rude comments and move on. If u get along with someone, u get alone with one another because of whats on the inside not whats on the outside. And for all those people that do critise u and say thing about u... they arent worth ur time to feel bad about it because in the end u kno that Guru ji loves u and will always love u and really thats all that counts.

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh!

 

[Amerikaur]

Nobody in the USA has a perfect life. No matter who you are, what you look like, what you do...there will always be someone that takes issue with SOMETHING.

Will a child get teased for what they wear on their head? Maybe. A child may be teased for the way s/he dresses. Or for being smart. Or for not being smart enough. Or for being short. Or for being tall. Or for being thin. Or for being fat. Or for being talented. Or for being talentless. Or for having nothing distinctive about them at all.

It has been almost 4 years since 9/11, and I think most Sikhs know that ignorance towards Sikhs existed before the Towers and the Pentagon was bombed.

But somehow...

There has been no mass-exodus of Sikhs from the U.S. Many of the Sikhs that have left the U.S. have done so because their visa has expired before they had a chance to earn permanent residnecy status - the deeply coveted "Green Card."

Not only has there been no mass-exodus of Sikhs, the population is growing. Most Sikhs that come to the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa (H1, R1, etc.) have full intention to find a LEGAL way to stay in the U.S., permanently. 10 years ago my city had 1 Gurdwara. Now it has 3. Smaller cities such as Richmond, VA or Hartford, CT sport Gurdwaras of their own.

Have there been hate crimes against Sikhs? Yes, by individual idiots.

However, in the 100 years that Sikhs have been in the U.S. there has been NOTHING even remotely like the threats that Sikhs have faced over the last 100 years in India.

Yes, many/most Americans do not know about Sikhs and Sikhism or even desis.

To be fair, it is also true that a similar proportion of emigrating Sikhs do not know much about American culture or Christianity or Judaism when they land on our shores.

Prabhdeep ji, I hope you don't mind if I point out a few things.

Your sentence:
"brothers i wanted to know how do gore treat our sikh brothers "

America is far more than just "goray". Being white in America may get you a sunburn, but very little else. People of ALL races live and thrive in America. Poeple of both genders live and work and praise Waheguruji in America, not just brothers. To work in the workplace here, you MUST make decisions without mind to race and gender.

Work hard, stay strong, and get a really good book on negotiation


Best of luck!

 

[Archived_member8]

I was born in Toronto, Canada and raised in Toronto, I have alot of white (gore friends) that treat me like a brother, I've mostly ran into trouble with indians, somehow its the indians that hate the indians you know. Also I cant say anything about America just because I cant comment on something i dont know alot about, but theres a big desi community in Canada, some of our federal ministers are punjabi or were minsiters, MP's MPP's like Gurbax Malhi MP, Ujjal Dosangh former federal health minister, Takhar (forgot first name) who is ontario's transportation minister. So everyone is respecting punjabis here in canada, ive never really been bothered by any gore concerning my race or turban, rather ive had alot of gore friends that love punjabi music and they love our food like samosas and sweets. So yeah theres nothing bad here concerning punjabi's, people here know the difference between muslim and punjabi, and muslims arnt even discriminated against, even after september 11th, canada loves everyone. period.