Simran Jeet Singh discusses Sikhism in America. A religious community that has been victim to a troubling pattern of racist violence throughout American history, Singh explains how Sikh visions for justice can help the country reclaim and reinvigorate its concept of religious freedom

Jeet Singh, Simran

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Seeking	Justice:	Sikhism	in	AmericaSimran	Jeet	Singh	discusses	Sikhism	in	America.	A	religious	community	that	has	been	victim	to	atroubling	pattern	of	racist	violence	throughout	American	history,	Singh	explains	how	Sikh	visions	forjustice	can	help	the	country	reclaim	and	reinvigorate	its	concept	of	religious	freedom.On	15	June	2021,	LSE	Religion	and	Global	Society	(RGS),	together	with	the	US	Centre	andDepartment	of	International	Relations,	hosted	an	LSE	Public	Lecture,	Religious	Freedom	under	theBiden	Administration.	In	conjunction	with	that	event,	RGS	and	the	US	Centre’s	USAPP	Blog	have	launched	ajoint	series	focusing	on	religion	in	American	society,	bringing	in	experts	to	explore	the	relationship	differentfaith	groups	have	with	American	society.	Read	other	posts	in	this	series.“E	Pluribus	Unum	–	From	Many,	One”	(CC	BY	2.0)	by	Randy	Son	Of	RobertOn	April	15,	2021,	a	19-year-old	white	man	approached	a	FedEx	facility	in	Indianapolis	and	opened	fire	on	theemployees.	He	killed	eight	and	wounded	several	others	before	taking	his	own	life.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Seeking Justice: Sikhism in America Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-10-30Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2021/10/30/seeking-justice-sikhism-in-america/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/As	details	of	his	attack	have	come	to	light,	and	although	authorities	have	yet	to	determine	the	killer’s	motive,	it	feelsincreasingly	likely	that	his	massacre	was	driven	by	racist	bias.	Four	of	the	eight	killed	were	Sikhs,	as	were	some	ofthose	injured.	Cops	reported	that	the	killer	previously	visited	white	supremacist	websites.	Independent	interviewswith	surviving	eyewitness	suggest	that	he	was	hunting	Sikhs.	The	perpetrator	previously	worked	at	the	facility	andwould	have	known	that	Sikhs	comprise	a	significant	percentage	of	employees	at	the	site	(approximately	90%,according	to	the	Associated	Press).When	viewed	in	context,	this	assault	fits	a	larger	pattern	of	racist	violence	targeting	Sikhs	since	they	first	arrived	inthe	US	more	than	125	years	ago.	The	first	anti-Sikh	race	riots	took	place	in	Bellingham,	Washington	in	1907.	Then,Americans	referred	to	Sikhs	as	“Hindoos”	and	saw	them	as	a	threat	to	their	job	security.	About	a	century	later,many	Americans	read	Sikhs	as	Muslim	and	see	them	as	a	threat	to	national	security.Then,	as	now,	Sikh	Americans	are	being	killed.	And	in	both	cases,	white	supremacy	and	xenophobia	are	the	culprit.What	is	the	greatest	threat	that	Sikhs	face	in	the	US	today?	Perhaps	it’s	the	coming	together	of	American	ignoranceand	American	racism.American	religion	also	figures	into	this	equation.	American	racism	has	been	enabled	by	forms	of	Christianity,	and	ithas	been	powered	by	it,	too.	The	nexus	between	American	Christianity	and	racism	is	centuries	old	and	has	becomeincreasingly	clear	over	the	past	few	years.	With	the	ascent	of	Christian	nationalism	has	come	a	coopting	of	religiousfreedom	–	the	Trump	administration	used	religious	freedom	as	a	guise	to	justify	and	advance	discrimination.Religious	freedom	must	be	reframed	before	it	is	weaponized	further.	It	must	be	taken	out	of	the	hands	ofnationalists	and	nativists	around	the	world,	whether	Christian	nationalists	in	the	US	or	Hindu	nationalists	in	India.Reclaiming	religious	freedom	from	the	right-wing	may	seem	irreconcilable.	However,	a	clear	vision	for	religiousfreedom	was	laid	out	in	an	October	2020	report	co-authored	by	Auburn	Seminary	and	Columbia	Law	School’s	Law,Rights,	and	Religion	Project.	The	report	offers	six	principles	for	an	expanded	and	evenly	applied	approach:	religiousliberty	must	be	neutral,	must	be	noncoercive,	must	be	nondiscriminatory,	must	not	be	absolute,	must	bedemocratic,	and	must	be	pluralistic.As	the	authors	of	the	report	write	in	its	introduction:	“Religious	liberty	rights	have	been	immeasurably	damaged	overthe	past	several	years	–	often	in	the	name	of	protecting	religious	liberty…	To	achieve	true	freedom	for	those	of	allfaiths	and	none,	a	complete	overhaul	of	religious	liberty	policy,	and	a	new	understanding	of	what	this	right	trulymeans,	is	necessary.”The	vision	brought	forth	in	this	report	aligns	with	the	Sikh	vision	for	justice,	one	in	which	all	are	equally	free	topractice	their	religious	commitments.	Our	faith	guides	us	to	ensure	justice	for	all	without	privileging	ourselves.	Wedraw	this	from	the	example	of	Sikhi’s	founder,	Guru	Nanak,	who	established	the	city	of	Kartarpur	and	treated	allwho	inhabited	it	with	respect.	The	same	was	true	as	successive	gurus	established	their	own	cities	and	institutions.All	are	welcome,	whether	they	identified	as	Sikh	or	otherwise.Perhaps	the	most	well-known	institution	within	the	Sikh	tradition	is	langar,	the	free	meal	served	to	all.	Part	of	whatmade	it	so	radical	when	it	was	established	five	centuries	ago—and	part	of	what	makes	it	so	radical	today—is	thatwhile	this	is	a	practice	built	into	a	particular	religious	tradition,	it	was	designed	to	serve	people	of	all	faiths,	andnone.This	is	radical	inclusion.	And	it’s	a	model	of	what	religious	freedom	in	America	could	look	like.A	society	free	from	ignorance	and	supremacy	is	at	stake.	A	just	religious	freedom	in	America	means	no	groupreceives	special	favor	from	the	government,	nor	is	anyone	discriminated	for	their	faith,	or	lack	thereof.As	a	practicing	Sikh	whose	community	is	often	on	the	receiving	end	of	racist	hate,	bringing	this	vision	to	fruition	isboth	urgent	and	aspirational.	Marginalized	groups	in	America	are	still	reeling	from	the	deleterious	turn	towardsChristian	nationalism,	and	acts	of	violence,	like	what	happened	in	Indiana,	continue	to	target	our	communities	andmake	us	feel	unsafe.Reclaiming	religious	freedom	from	the	select	few	and	advancing	it	for	all	is	a	matter	of	justice.	It’s	what	we’re	calledto	do	as	Sikhs.	And	it’s	our	only	way	forward.	Will	you	join	us	in	this	shared	vision?USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Seeking Justice: Sikhism in America Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-10-30Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2021/10/30/seeking-justice-sikhism-in-america/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/This	article	appeared	originally	at	the	LSE’s	Religion	and	Global	Society	blog.Please	read	our	comments	policy	before	commenting.Note:	This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	USAPP	–	American	Politics	and	Policy,	northe	London	School	of	Economics.	Shortened	URL	for	this	post:	https://bit.ly/3vYdAIEAbout	the	author	Simran	Jeet	Singh	–	YSC	Consulting,	Union	SeminarySimran	Jeet	Singh	is	Senior	Adviser	for	Equity	and	Inclusion	at	YSC	Consulting	and	a	VisitingProfessor	at	Union	Seminary.	He	is	a	2020	Equality	Fellow	with	the	Open	Society	Foundations	and	aSenior	Fellow	for	the	Sikh	Coalition.	Simran	holds	a	PhD,	MPhil,	and	MA	from	Columbia	University,	anMTS	from	Harvard	University,	and	a	BA	from	Trinity	University.	Simran	is	a	highly	sought-out	speakeron	diversity,	equity,	inclusion,	justice,	and	anti-racism.	His	thought	leadership	extends	acrosscorporate,	university,	and	government	settings,	and	his	work	has	been	featured	in	various	outlets,	including	NPR,CNN,	BBC,	TIME,	The	Washington	Post,	and	The	New	York	Times.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Seeking Justice: Sikhism in America Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-10-30Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2021/10/30/seeking-justice-sikhism-in-america/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/

Seeking justice: Sikhism in America

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Seeking justice: Sikhism in America

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