Sikh American soldiers can fight ‘terrorist’ tag
The bipartisan appeal by US lawmakers to Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel to amend the military's appearance regulations, that prevent Sikhs from serving in the US Armed Forces, should be an important step towards ending the insidious American stereotype: Turban equals terrorist. In the post-9/11 era, Sikh Americans, who have chosen to keep their articles of faith including the turban, have been falsely associated with bomb-makers and mass-murderers, and marked as targets of hate. Allowing them to join the Armed Forces in large numbers will help turn the stereotype on its head, as the average American —oblivious to religious, cultural and ethnic differences — will, hopefully, then see the turbaned brown man as a protector of society, not a perpetrator of crimes. The good news here is that winds of change are already blowing in that direction. Since 2009, three Sikhs have been granted exemptions to serve in the Armed Forces while keeping their articles of faith. While these special permissions are only granted on a case-by-case basis and can be revoked at any time, they are important gains — both for the Sikh American community, demanding the right to freely practice its faith, as well as, for American society, seeking to be more inclusive and tolerant.
The turban-terrorist stereotype, unfortunately, runs deep in the US, affecting even school children. A recent survey of 500 Sikh students across four US cities, released earlier this month by the Sikh Coalition, an umbrella group for Sikh outfits, has found that more than 67 per cent of children who wore turbans to class were bullied, as compared to the national average of about 32 per cent. But, thankfully, here too, things are gradually changing. After a series of high profile physical assaults in New York City schools in 2007 and 2008, Sikh civil rights groups lobbied for tougher anti-bullying programmes that, they say, has brought some relief. Indeed, a concerted effort by the Sikh American community to spread awareness about their faith and culture, and legitimise their position in the mainstream, is gradually bearing fruit. For instance, in December 2013, Gap, the American multinational apparel retail giant, launched an advertisement featuring Sikh jewellery designer Waris Ahluwalia with filmaker Quentin Jones. This was the first time that a Sikh model had been prominently portrayed in a nation-wide campaign, and the initiative was much appreciated. But after a Gap billboard in the New York City subway was defaced with racist graffiti, the advertisement went viral and brought forth an outpouring of support for the Sikh community from all quarters of American society.