Have The Sikhs In America Failed To Raise Awareness About Sikhi To Americans

[DaljitKaur24]

This is what is wrong with our Sikh community people just start fighting over minor things when we have bigger issues to deal with. Maybe we should first clear the differences amongst ourself first and then go out preaching about Sikhi. No Americans aren't dumb and it's kind of offensive since being an American myself. I know a lot of whites and african americans that know a lot about Sikhi and respect and admires the boldness Sikhi represents.Some people are ignorant and that's just not in the US but all over the US. I'm sure there's alot of Indian parents when they see a black person they just start assuming they are probably some druggie or a thief. This is just our society. We can't just expect others to learn and know about Sikhi we as Sikhs need to take that initative. And it's not going to be possible if we all keep fighting amongst ourselves rather than ignorance.

[DaljitKaur24]

Also I have noticed couple of times that other places where there might be more Sikhs they feel that they have been more successful at educating Non-Sikhs about Sikhi and then they start pointing fingers at others. Instead of doing that rather share ideas of how and why you all have been more successfull with educating others about Sikhi. We're suppose to be working as one.

[Not2Cool2Argue]

Check out lack of awareness

and educate about Sikhi on

http://www.reddit.co...of_all_who_are/

[gurdssingh]

Please help the American brothers by sharing what you New Zealanders are doing and enlighten us all so we can take on board your efforts.

BUMP!

[11Gurus1Jot]

Sometimes I think it doesnt need us to go into too much detail. All we need to say is 'Sikhs are not Muslims', period.

If all us Sikhs went on as many sites as they could around the world ie Sikh websites, facebook pages, chat sites like this, twitter etc posting the simple words 'Sikhs are not Muslims' everything would be fixed overnight.

I'm sick of the fact that Muslims commited the 9/11 acts in America and the 7/7 acts in England and we Sikhs are taking all the flack!! Just as an individual needs to take responsibility for their own actions so do religions need to take responsibility for their own actions and history. Otherwise their is no incentive for that religion to sort out the mess it created or apologise for the mistakes it's made. It's up to the Muslims to sort out their own mess. SIkhs didn't commit 9/11 or 7/7, Muslims did. Nothing bad us going to happen to the muslims if we make it clear that we Sikhs are not Muslims as most Muslims don't wear turbans or have uncut hair anyway. So, we are not even doing the Muslims any favours by living a lie by effectively joining in this whole facade of not making it clear that we Sikhs are not Muslims.

[californiasardar1]

First of all, Sikhs are a much smaller percentage of the overall population in America than they are in, say, England or Canada. So we are naturally not going to be as well known here.

Second of all, 99% of Sikhs males in America are clean shaven. What need do they have to explain who Sikhs are? They aren't the ones who get singled out.

So when only 1% of an already tiny population in a country has a real need to spread awareness about who Sikhs are, you can imagine why it's hard to do.

[Sherdil]

First of all, Sikhs are a much smaller percentage of the overall population in America than they are in, say, England or Canada. So we are naturally not going to be as well known here.

Second of all, 99% of Sikhs males in America are clean shaven. What need do they have to explain who Sikhs are? They aren't the ones who get singled out.

So when only 1% of an already tiny population in a country has a real need to spread awareness about who Sikhs are, you can imagine why it's hard to do.

Where do you get your statistics from? I think you are over exaggerating. Why do you turn every topic into a discussion about cutting hair?

[californiasardar1]

Where do you get your statistics from? I think you are over exaggerating. Why do you turn every topic into a discussion about cutting hair?

Maybe it's not 99%. Maybe it's 97% or 95%. But do you really think it's something dramatically different?

I'm not turning this into a discussion about cutting hair.

The point is, if every Sikh male wore a pag, we would have a lot more visibility than we do now and a lot more people would know who we are. You'd be surprised how many times I've run into Americans who talk to me and act like I'm the only Sikh they've ever met until I point out some clean shaven Sikhs who they themselves know.

Many Americans with limited exposure to Sikhism think we all wear turbans. Then they look around and see how few turbanned Sikhs there are and they come away with the impression that we are a much smaller group of people than we actually are.

We are a small group, but not THAT small. If people knew how many of us there really are, we would get a lot more recognition as a major religion and significant part of the community.

Finally, I'm sorry if I'm hurting some feelings here, but I think it's just a fact that your average mona Sikh is not going to feel as much of a need to spread awareness about who Sikhs are because they are usually not going to be confronted.

[singher23]

Where do you get your statistics from? I think you are over exaggerating. Why do you turn every topic into a discussion about cutting hair?

He's not making it about hair. He's right.

[DaljitKaur24]

Exactly I've posted this in another topic here too there are more haircut individual "Sikhs" here than nonhair cut sikhs. Just because you might live in a certain area or a certain state and you see a huge variety of non hair cutting Sikhs that's not the case all over the U.S. I mentioned in another post that I rarely see any youth being non haircutting. That's the reality. He's right how are they going to go on and educate others if they aren't fully Sikhs themself?