Sikh Student Association club members raise awareness of Sikhism with “We Are One” event.
The Sikh Student Association (SSA) hosted a “We Are One” event on campus at Scholar’s Lane to raise awareness of Sikh culture.
The event was held on 9/11 in remembrance of the Twin Tower bombings and terrorist acts in 2001, in part leading to violence against the Sikh community. Many of these hate crimes are solely based on physical appearance.
SSA Vice President Ajay Singh Bainiwal poses the question, “Why would a turban trigger someone when the turban is a sign of helpfulness, whereas now it’s a sign of fear?” He explains, “People see a turban and then they get scared. We’re trying to attack that misconception.”
“#SikhSelfie” pictures were promoted by SSA club members so that students could share them on social media. Students held the sign and took a fun picture with a Sikh club member.
The information table also offered facts about Sikhism. Some students stayed to hold conversations with the club members, asking questions and enthusiastically receiving answers.
“I’m always welcoming and I don’t mind conversation,” says Bainiwal.
UC Merced student Yousef Karabala understands the judgments people encounter solely because of a religious headdress, and stopped by the event in support. “My mom wears a hijab; it’s not a turban, but she covers her hair. Sometimes people will look at her funny. People used to offend and harass her,” he shares, which thankfully is no longer a big problem for her anymore.
Gurjot Kaur, Inter Club Council representative for SSA, shares an emotionally hurtful experience of her own. “I’ve had one comment said to me before in my sophomore year. Someone did say that I was ‘Osama’s kid,’ or something like that and ‘diaper head’ in the same comment,” but she takes a moment to reflect on that.
“Honestly, I feel that people are confused and it’s not something I got really offended about,” Kaur continues. “I had to stop and ask that guy if he wanted to know about my religion. We talked for five minutes and he apologized afterwards.” In general, Kaur feels that “there’s definitely open-mindedness here at UC Merced.”
SSA Secretary Raman Mann adds that not all criticism is verbal. “Also, some people won’t say it aloud but inside they may feel negatively, so we’re spreading awareness to those people too.”
“Turban Day,” SSA’s event last semester, was very successful with over 200 students on campus who came out to tie on a turban. “Students were really excited about it, which made us really excited too,” says Mann.
Unfortunately an anonymous student solicited a poorly worded question on social media, “Why would the school let those people tie turbans on people?” Bainiwal took it upon himself to post a reply with a calm and in-depth explanation, which he hoped the individual would read.
Turbans are a great “conversation starter,” Bainiwal says. “We’re hoping people come to us and ask questions because we’re ready to answer them.”
Allie Teaze
News Editor
ateaze@ucmerced.edu