Why Sikhs want Obama to visit Sikh Shrine

##ad_1##AMRITSAR: The 9/11 terror attack seem to have done a lot more damage to the World ##img_1##than widely narrated by the intelligentsia all around. Not many may have noticed but one of the biggest affected things has been the natural trust factor, which previously existed among people around the world.

I felt this strange and most uncomfortable influence of 9/11 attacks in the public behavior during my recent visits to American, Latin American, European and Southeast countries as part of the media contingent while accompanying either the President of India or the Prime Minister of India.

 

The world noticed crumbling of Twin Towers like a pack of cards on that fateful day, and later, the revenge of a wounded America to take on enemies of the country by ‘hook or crook’, as demonstrated in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

But what not many people could notice was the distrust, cynicism, and hatred that developed post 9/11 among the Americans and European public towards Sikh community besides Muslims.

It overwhelmed my mind to personally experience and observe how the attacks on the Twin Towers of New York had devastated humans respect for each other across the societies than believed.

Most of the people know that America’s enemy no.1 Osama bin Laden, the head of Al Qaeda organization, which was involved in the 9/11 attacks, supported a long beard.  It has made most of them believe that anyone supporting a long beard is either a terrorist or at least a supporter or follower of Osama!

 

##ad_2##“OSAMAAAA!”, a creaking sound fell into my ears that day in ……. I was enjoying my time in that beautiful country until I heard it.  I turned around and looked in the direction to find out where that sound came from. I saw a few Mexican youngsters making obscene gestures towards me, addressing me by shouting at me  “OSAMA”.

 

Immediately, a wave of shiver ran through my body, as I feared for my life lest I should become another victim of ‘mistaken identity’ for being viewed as any supporter or follower of the Al Qaeda chief Osama by ignorant people. But there was barely anything I could do at that

difficult moment.

 

Without reacting to the youngsters, still gesturing at me, I decided not to step down from the bus arranged for us by the tourism department of the Mexico government.

 

##page_break##It was for the first time I sensed how “Mistaken identity” has led to several incidents and resulted into victimization of Sikhs, who actually belong to a community known for its rich culture, rituals and celebration of life. ….Sant Singh Chatwal, AN American business tycoon and close aide to Former US President Bill Clinton, comes from the same community in which the males carry a turban as their religious identity.

##ad_3##But the fact is that ‘mistaken identity’ has taken a toll on many places on Sikhs, due to their long beard resembling the believers of Islam. I felt for the first time how much public awareness people in most developed countries required about other cultures, when I noticed Sikhs, the people known for their centuries old rivalry against Moghul warriors, being looked upon as people of identical faith.

It was, however, shocking to notice prevalence of so much ignorance in the United States of America, one of the most liberal and developed countries of the World, which takes pride in being ‘leader’ of the rest of the world.

 

I was a member of the media delegation of the President of India, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, during her tour to Latin American Countries. It was in the year of 2001 when “ OSAMA” and his terrorist group “AL Qaeda” phobia gripped the entire World with terror and people living in besides western countries including many in Europe those who mistook the Sikhs with Arabs or Afghans. 

 

Osama bin Laden, the man singled out as the prime suspect behind the terrorist attacks, wears a beard and turban and so the  Sikhs also wear beards and turbans and there is no other similarity between the two .

I noticed how people living in Western countries were having very little knowledge about the Sikhs and their culture and customs. I thought that was one of the main reasons that they have associating beards and turbans (both articles of the Sikh faith) to Arabs, Taliban and Muslim terrorists.

 

In the U.S, I believe most of the downtowns are unsafe for evening stroll for a foreigner, especially Sikhs.

 

Once I was invited by the San Jose University to cover one seminar and the organizers arranged transportation for me to pick up from San Francisco airport to Holiday inn Hotel.

 ##ad_4##

Before arriving the hotel, I requested our driver to take me to one of the Indian restaurant in SFO, since I wanted to have dinner there. He took me to one restaurant; probably it was named like “Shalimar or Taj Mahal”. But advised us to be quick.

 

After dinner as I came out from the restaurant, a gang of young Americans, shouted at me and suddenly turned around to show me their buttocks in disgust and lampooning by pulling their pants down.  The kind cab driver took his car near us and quickly took us away from that area.

 

On our way, the driver narrated how many incidents usually happened there with the Sikhs and most of the Americans didn’t know about the Sikhs. They often identify them with the Arabs or Afghans.

On another occasion, I remember a day when I was getting out of the Wall Mart store in Fremont area of California. Suddenly, a car came close to me, stopped for a few seconds, and people in it used choicest of expletives for me. I could have replied back befittingly but I

maintained the decency of being a guest in that country.

##page_break##In 2010, I had an opportunity to go along Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who is himself a Sikh by religion and support a turban like me, to cover the event of Nuclear Security Summit at  Washington DC.

##ad_5##Outside our hotel, there was a shop of souvenirs.  To attract customer the shopkeeper put a cut out of the newly elected President of US Barrack Obama.

 

Tourists would come and pose with the cutout. Likewise, I also opted to pose with that cutout and to have my share of joy for kids and friends back in Punjab.  But it pained me a lot suddenly some passers by said: “See Obama with Osama.” It disheartened me at their sheer ignorance and indecent behavior for non-Americans.

Besides western countries there are few other countries in Europe where people are also ignorant about Sikhs and their culture and customs.

In July 2009,  I was in Poland again with the delegation of the President of India, an incident reminded me Mexico. After completing my job I was heading to my room in Novetel Hotel in Warsaw, I was wearing “bandh gala suit”, a Polish teacher along with his students were also waiting out side the elevator saw me and said, “I never saw an Arab like you”.

 

The immediate response I was made to him by showing my right arm wearing “Karah” an iron bracelet that in Sikh religion is a symbol of equality and one of the five must wear “K’s”.

 

##ad_6##The five sacred Sikh symbols prescribed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth master of the Sikhs, are commonly known as Panj Kakkar or the  'Five Ks' because they start with letter K representing Kakkar in the Punjabi language. They are Kes or unshorn hair, Kangha or the comb, Kara or the steel or iron bracelet, Kachh or the soldier’s shorts, Kirpan or the sword.

 

Though the polish teacher and young children were patiently listened about me and the culture and custom of Sikhs but I was only relieved till I got in to my room.

 

Now the question is how effectively and rapidly the awareness could be generated about the Sikhs in World so the hate crime against them should be stopped at once.

 

Interestingly I had not faced any problem in the Countries like China, which was recently, open its window to the world and Vietnam a Far East country for India. More over in Tibet the residents there greeted me with “Sat Sri Akal” (the Sikh way of greet).

##page_break##Basically the major reasons behind  the incidents of “mistaken identity” were the lack of awareness about the Sikhs and their customs.  The Sikh NGO’s and other religious bodies were making efforts but mass awareness could not be generated without the help of local governments.  In a bid to eliminate identity crises about Sikhs in US the California State Assembly Recently unanimously passed a proposed law that would train law enforcement personnel about Sikhs and Kirpans with the help of local NGO named “Sikhs collation”.

##ad_7##I remember a meeting that I had with Edward W. Gomez, Federal Security Director, US Department of Homeland Security, San Francisco with a US Sikh delegation to let the security under stands the significance of the Turban to them and the Sikh turban issue, particularly at airports. After understanding  the issue the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) send A twelve-member TSA delegation to visited the San Jose Gurdwara and interacted with representatives of various Sikh organizations of USA to know about the Sikh community and their religious values.

 

This was good effort and such type of awareness program certainly helps to resolve the ID crisis in US, I believe. However, a lot of more has yet to done in many countries.

 

Even the a number of meetings were held between France President Sarkozy and Indian “Sikh” Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh were not enough to educate France about the Sikhs and their religious beliefs. Sikhs in France still fighting in France court for wearing Turban. The issues like wearing Turban in France, wearing the karah in the schools of England or the wearing kirpan in many countries in Europe are still unresolved problems that are to address effectively by the respected authorities.

We have heard many cases of  lot of young Sikhs who had gone  to many countries in search for green pasture got their haircut best reason known to them but many says their got their haircut to get jobs and saving them to become a victim of “Mistaken Identity”. Responsibilities should be fixed on the culprits.

 

##ad_8##The premier body of the Sikhs Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) has established “Dharm Parchar Committee” (DPC) to preach the Sikhism and their objective was to spread the code of belief of Sikhism to the world.  However DPC was restricted their services to Punjab and near by the state. They should approach the all the consulates and embassies of various countries situated in India and explain them about Sikhs and their customs.

In light of above incidents I am of view that Obama’s visit to Amritsar -who would be covered by international media -would help dispel myths about Sikh’s identity especially in the countries where Sikh’s have been subjected to hate crime.

 

Headgear issue raised by a section of media has already been clarified by Sikh religious authorities and have no significance left. SGPC had also referred the visit of other country heads in Golden Temple in past.

 

Now that the Sikhs have made frantic appeals to President Obama to visit Sikh shrine during his India visit, it is an utmost relevance to the fact that it would give an impetus to the awareness required on the Sikh identity issue today.