American Turban

A recent study by The Barna Group surveying the topic of religious freedom in the United States suggests that a large proportion of Evangelical Christians believe that their religious freedom is under threat because of a perception that “some groups have actively tried to move society away from traditional Christian values.” An article in Patheos (via @jbarooah) summarizes the study and addresses the perception, providing recommendations for Evangelicals around understanding the difference between dominance and freedom: First, we need to [...]

Categories: Civil Rights, Interfaith • Tags: Barna Group, Evangelicalism, Patheos, religious dominance, religious freedom

In a recent interview with the Hindustan Times, Lieutenant Brian Murphy of the Oak Creek Police Department talks about the attack on Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin six months ago in which he took 15 bullets by the attacker, and reflects: The kind of activism that happened in Oak Creek post the tragedy should have happened before the tragedy. Every community has to be pro-active. Hate crime is not about anything but about being ignorant. One of the tenets of [...]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: hate crimes, Lt. Brian Murphy, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

Sikh-themed applications (apps) are establishing a presence in the world of smartphones and tablets. Most of the apps currently available are associated with providing access to Gurbani (hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh sacred scripture) — either as a reference that can be stored on a mobile device, a translation reference, or as a means to listen to recordings. Increasingly, these apps are replacing traditional hard copies of Sikh scriptures during worship services. There is also a movement [...]

Categories: Resources • Tags: Android, ChardiKala, Share Charity, Sikh video games, SikhiToTheMax, smartphone app, SuperSant, Vismaad

Last night, American Idol contestant Gurpreet Singh Sarin sang Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind” during the singing competition’s “Hollywood Week”. His soulful and crooning performance earned him an advance into the next round. You can view a sample of his performance below (via @TheAerogram):

Categories: Art, TV/Movies • Tags: American Idol, Georgia On My Mind, Gurpreet Singh Sarin, Hollywood, Hollywood Week, Ray Charles

On Wednesday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced plans to invest $30 million towards mental health in his state to address gun violence, particularly after the mass shooting of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August: “Initially, the discussion centered on those tragedies,” he said. “But it’s really much bigger than that, it’s much broader than that, it’s not just in reaction to that. There is a tremendous need in terms of addressing mental health in our society.” The intention behind [...]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Connecticut, gun control, hate crimes, mental health, Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Scott Walker, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Stamford, White supremacy, Wisconsin

In Houston, Texas, the InterFaith Ministries for Greater Houston organized a series of “dinner dialogues” in which members of Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh families invite members of the public into their homes for dinner and engage in a moderated interfaith conversation: …the dinner dialogues will focus on conversations held in  private homes where groups of 8-12 Houstonians will gather to learn about the faith practices and traditions of Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist families here in Houston and engage in an [...]

Categories: Interfaith • Tags: Bobby Singh, Buddhism, Dinner Dialogues, Hindu, Houston, Interfaith dialog, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, Jasmeeta Singh, Sikh, Texas

The Sikh Coalition shared news today of a victory in a recent religious accommodation case in Arizona, in which a Sikh correctional officer employed by the Arizona Department of Corrections was threatened with dismissal unless he removed his articles of faith. According to the Sikh Coalition, after 10 years of employment with the Department, Ikhbinder Singh Bassin was told in December that he would be terminated unless he shaved his beard and removed his kara (steel bracelet) within 10 days, [...]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Arizona, Arizona Department of Corrections, Balbir Singh Sodhi, California, Employment Discrimination, Ikhbinder Singh Bassin, Jan Brewer, Sikh Coalition, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

In the video above released by the Innovation Movement (advocacy group on behalf of entrepreneurs, via @amritsays), Amar Sawhney, CEO of Ocular Therapeutix, discusses being an immigrant and an entrepreneur in the United States. In another 2010 story chronicling his road to entrepreneurial success, Amar Sawhney shares a story that is not uncommon among many immigrants who came to the United States in search of opportunity, and particularly those from India — arriving with very little money or social support [...]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Amar Sawhney, entrepreneurship, Innovation Movement, Ocular Therapeutix, Sikholars

Today marks six months since the mass shooting of Sikhs in their place of worship by a white supremacist in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In recognition of this span of time, filmmakers Valarie Kaur and Sharat Raju released a short film entitled Oak Creek: In Memoriam which recounts that fateful moment and the days since. On this day, the Sikh Coalition provided an update about their activities in the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, area in educating city officials, law enforcement and school [...]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Oak Creek, Oak Creek: In Memoriam, Sharat Raju, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Steve Scaffidi, Valarie Kaur, White supremacy, Wisconsin