Essay On Sikh Discrimination In America

It seems as though all non-Christian religions experience discrimination in some capacity by American citizens. Freedom of religion is a part of the First Amendment to the Constitution, yet Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and even more typical religions such as Judaism, are looked down upon by Christians of all denominations for both religious reasons, and for cultural reasons related to their respective religions. Perhaps the most discriminated against religious group in America are the Sikhs, and it is for all the wrong reasons. In a post 9/11 America, Sikhs are all too often mistaken as members of the Muslim faith, of whom only a select few were to blame for the terrorist attacks of 2001. September 11th, 2001 can be considered the boiling point of Sikh discrimination, as it erased years of progress in terms of acceptance of the Sikh religion and its followers in America.

Sikhs have been in the country since about the start of the twentieth century. At this time, anti-Asian sentiments were evident in a few different ways, including verbal abuse and the passing of immigration and citizenship laws (Mann et al. 110). These feelings were not exclusive to just the Sikh people, as they also included other religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and many others. When Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1965, the doors opened for many new Sikhs to come to America and become citizens (Mann et al. 117). This act was the culmination of American culture becoming more accepting of other cultures, and even integrating some traditions into their own. In America at this time, Sikhs, along with other Asian religions, were making huge progress towards the end of