|
Bias against Sikh
students in NY
New York: Being a Sikh in the US has become increasingly difficult
in a post 9/11 world where their turban makes them a target for
bigotry and violence. With public opinion denigrating them incidents
like the Radio Jockey in Los Angeles comparing the turban to a
diaper naturally enrages the community.
And where adults discriminate can children be far behind. A study
done in the queens district of Manhattan shows a disturbing trend.
Sikhs' visible identity, a manifestation of their inner commitment
to the faith, makes Sikhs stand out-often making them targets of
violence especially in a post 9-11 America. Unfortunately, it seems
even children are not spared.
Seven-year-old Amrinderjit Singh doesn't enjoy going to school.
That's because he is constantly fighting off classmates touching and
teasing him about his pagdi.
''When I tell them that it is a turban they still bother me. Some
times they say why don't you open your hair. Is it because you have
long hair? Then cut it. And I say no,'' said Amrinderjit Singh,
student.
Amarinder is not an exception. According to a study conducted by the
Manhattan based civil rights group called Hatred in the Hallways
over 75 per cent of Sikh schoolboys in New York are teased or
harassed on account of their Sikh identity.
Two out of five Sikh children who wear turbans or patkas are
physically harassed - beaten or touched on the head. In fact in May
2007, the 50,000-strong Sikh community in NY was shocked to hear a
NYPD report that a high school Sikh student Harpal Singh Vacher, had
been attacked at school and his hair forcibly cut off by a
classmate.
Experts say this
harassment cannot be dismissed as ignorance expected of young
children.
''Ignorance is
certainly a problem in this context. Most Americans have very little
idea about who Sikhs are and what they believe but the problem has
grown exponentially in the post 9/11 world. ''The media images that
children constantly see on the television constantly portray those
in a turban as terrorists and that has become a huge problem for not
just our children but adults as well,'' said Neha Singh, Advocacy
Director, Sikh coalition.
The survey about the
harassment of Sikh children was conducted in public schools in
Queens, a borough in NY, which is possibly the most culturally
diverse state in the US.
What this means is
that the conditions of school for Sikh children in the rest of the
country is the same if not worse.
(Courtesy NDTV, reporting by Sarah
Jacob)
26
September, 2007
|
Read Also