Sikhism
Founded by Guru Nanak about 500 years ago
Originated in the Punjab region now divided by India and Pakistan
23 million adherents today
In the U.S. today, there are between 500,000 and 750,000 adherents
Hinduism and Islam
Some Hindus and Muslims sought to acknowledge commonalities between the religions.
Guru Nanak created a new monotheistic religion
They were critical of caste and religious imagery
The goal of religious life is liberation or merging with God
A sikh is a disciple or learner
Sikhism is a convergence of two movements:
Bhakti devotionalism (from Hinduism)
Sufism – (from Islam)
Both traditions emphasize union with God and utilize practices such as singing, chanting and dancing
Sikhism in the United States:
Site Visit to Nishkam Seva Gurdwara Sahib - 4950 W Tonopah Dr, Glendale, AZ 85308.
During the 19th century through immigration, Sikhism started to appear and slowly grow in the United States. Desperate to escape the effects of British mercantilism on the Indian subcontinent, Sikhs immigrated to areas like California from ports in Hong Kong and would be employed within farms and other types of manual labor employment.
During World Wars I and II, the British would recruit Sikhs in India to serve in battle, thus prompting an increase in immigration to escape the risk of having to fight and die under British rule.
Over the course of the 20th Century, Sikhism in the U.S. spread from the West Coast to all over the country, with Sikhs establishing homes and citizenships while expanding their religious institutions.
Gurdwara: place of worship for Sikhism (first American Gurdwara in Stockton, California, 1912)
Post-9/11 Sikhism in America:
After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Sikhs were subject to horrible discrimination associated with mistaken identity and Muslim prejudice. Sikhism dictates certain styles of dress and appearance that at first glance to many resemble Muslim attire, such as substantial beards and turban head coverings. Due to these similarities, Sikhs have become targets of mistreatment and hate crimes in the years following the destruction of the World Trade Center.
September 15, 2001: Balbir Singh Sodhi was killed at a gas station he owned and operated in Mesa, Arizona. The crime was committed by Frank Silva Roque in response to the terrorist attacks in New York City four days earlier. This was the first of many Sikh hate crimes that were committed. https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/balbir-singh-sodhi-remembered-18-years-after-hate-fueled-killing-at-mesa-gas-station
March 4, 2011: Gurmej Singh Atwal and Surinder Singh were gunned down during an afternoon walk in Elk Grove, California. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/two-sikh-grandfathers-be-remembered-park-n619706
August 5, 2012: A mass shooting by white supremacist Wade Micheal Page at a Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Six died, four were wounded, and Page later committed suicide.
Sikhism in America Today:
The Pluralism Project: The Sikh Community Today https://pluralism.org/the-sikh-community-today
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh: renowned activist for Sikhism, Singh maintains social media presence and his background as a writer and educator to enlighten the public to Sikhism.
Website: https://www.simranjeetsingh.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sikhprof?lang=en
Sikh Presence in Philadelphia
Philadelphia Sikh Society, 6706 Garden Court Rd, Millbourne, PA, 19082 http://www.philadelphiasikhsociety.com/
Guru Nanak Sikh Society, 310 S 69th Street, Upper Darby, PA, 19082 https://guru-nanak-sikh-society.business.site/
Reading/Resources
Mandair, Arvind. "The Politics of Nonduality: Reassessing the Work of Transcendence in Modern Sikh Theology." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 74, no. 3 (2006): 646-73. www.jstor.org/stable/4094003.
Prema Kurien. "Shifting U.S. Racial and Ethnic Identities and Sikh American Activism." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 4, no. 5 (2018): 81-9. doi:10.7758/rsf.2018.4.5.04.
