Sikhism in the United States

American Sikhs

A gurdwara in Evergreen, San Jose, California.
Total population
~200,000 (2021 est.) 0.06% of the total American population
Religions
Sikhism
Languages
American English • Punjabi American Spanish • Hindi • Urdu

American Sikhs number around 200,000 people (estimates vary from 78,000 to 1,000,000) and account for 0.1% of the United States population as of 2021, forming the country's sixth-largest religious group. The U.S. Census does not ask about religion and it is hard for surveys to estimate the populations of smaller religious groups like Sikhs. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the adult Sikh American population at 78,000 in 2008, while the Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012. Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 500,000-1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures, which are often cited in news reports. With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated at around 200,000 in 2021. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in Northern California, especially in the Central Valley and the Bay Area, and in the New York metropolitan area. Around 49.2% of Punjabi Americans lived in California in 2021.

Sikhism is a religion originating from medieval India (predominantly from the Punjab region of modern-day India and Pakistan) which was introduced into the United States during the 19th century. While most American Sikhs are Punjabi, the United States also has a number of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism. Sikh men are typically identifiable by their unshorn beards and turbans (head coverings), articles of their faith. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and subsequent other terrorism related activities by Islamic groups, Sikhs have often been mistaken as Muslims or Arabs, and have been subject to several hate crimes, including murders. Sikh temples have also been targets of violence due to being mistaken for mosques. A 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin garnered national and international attention, with then President Obama ordering flags to be half-staffed at all federal buildings.

History

First immigrants

The Stockton gurdwara, the oldest in the U.S., opened on October 24, 1912.

Sikhs have lived in the United States for more than 130 years. The first Sikh immigrants to the United States started to arrive in the second half of the 19th century, when poor economic conditions in British India drove many Indians to emigrate elsewhere. Most Sikh immigrants to the United States came from the province of Punjab and came to the U.S. to work on agricultural farms in California, travelling via Hong Kong to Angel Island.

In the years just after 1900, hundreds of Sikhs had arrived to work in the lumber mills of Bellingham, Washington. In 1907, 400–500 white men, predominantly members of the Asiatic Exclusion League, attacked the Sikhs’ homes in what is now known as the Bellingham riots. This quickly drove the East Indian immigrants out of the town.

Some Sikhs worked in lumber mills of Oregon or in railroad construction and for some Sikhs it was on a railway line, which allowed other Sikhs who were working as migrant laborers to come into the town on festival days.

A big effect on Sikh migration to the western states occurred during World War I and World War II, where Sikhs were recruited by the British Indian Army to serve for them. Sikhs fought bravely during these wars and began to live in England after their serving period. Among the Sikhs who already lived in America prior to the wars, many Sikhs joined them, mainly during World Wars I and II. Among those who served in the US military include Bhagat Singh Thind in World War I.

The first Sikh gurdwara established in the U.S. was the Gurdwara Sahib Stockton, in Stockton, California, which was established in 1912 by Baba Wasakha Singh Ji Dadehar and Baba Jawala Singh Ji.

Discrimination after the September 11 attacks

Sikhs of America parade float at the 2016 Martin Luther King Day parade in Midtown Houston

Houston Sikh Community at the 2016 Martin Luther King Day parade in Midtown Houston

As a result of the September 11 attacks, some Sikh Americans have become subject to discrimination, often from individuals who mistakenly believe that they are Arab or Muslim.

Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner, was killed on September 15, 2001, due to being mistaken for a Muslim. In a 2011 report to the United States Senate, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported several assaults and incidents of arson at Sikh temples after September 11. All were labeled as hate crimes that resulted from the perpetrators' misconceptions that their targets were Muslim. In August 2012, a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was the site of a shooting, leading to six Sikh individuals being killed. On May 7, 2013, an elderly Sikh man was attacked with an iron bar in Fresno, California, in a possible hate crime. On September 21, 2013, Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh professor was attacked in Harlem, New York, by a group of 20-30 men who branded him as "Osama" and Terrorist".

A 2007 survey of Sikh students by the Sikh Coalition found that three out of four male students interviewed "had been teased or harassed on account of their religious identity." In 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a national report on the bullying of Sikh children in American schools. The report found that 55.8% of Sikh students surveyed in Indianapolis reported being bullied, while 54.5% of Sikh students surveyed in Fresno, California, reported being bullied. According to the surveys, Sikh students wearing turbans are twice as likely to be bullied as the average American child.

Converts

In the 1960s, due to increased Indian immigration and rising interest in Indian spirituality in the American counterculture, a number of non-Punjabi Americans began to enter 3HO. Prominent in this trend was Yogi Bhajan, leader of the Sikh-related movement 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), whose Los Angeles temple was the first to introduce non-Punjabi Americans to Sikhism.

Demography

Occupations

Bhagat Singh Thind v. United States

A gathering of British veterans who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War; a Sikh is present among them (c. 1917)

A Sikh-American U.S. Army officer (2010)

Main article: Sikhism in the United States military

Sikhs have served in the United States military at least as far back as the early 20th century, when one Bhagat Singh Thind, who though not a citizen joined the United States Army and served in World War I. Thind requested citizenship at the end of the war, being granted and revoked twice, before finally being naturalized in 1936. Far larger numbers of Sikhs served in World War II, and all American wars following.

The ability of observant Sikhs to serve in the American military has, since 1985, been compromised by a discontinuation of exemptions to uniform standards which previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their religiously mandated beards and turbans while in uniform. As of 2010, a Sikh doctor, Kamaljeet S. Kalsi, and dentist, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the only Sikh officers to be permitted to serve in uniform with beard and turban. In addition, Simranpreet Lamba was permitted to enlist, with exemption to wear his turban and beard, in 2010 due to his knowledge of Punjabi and Hindi.

Military

In the federal appeals court in Washington, a preliminary injunction allowed two Sikh men to enter the military recruit training wearing a turban as it was considered an article of religion. The military recruits Milaap Singh Chahal and Jaskirat Singh sued the Marine Corps in April due to violation of the first amendment which allows the freedom of religion. The branch that they were a part of declined full religious exemption.

Policing

In 2016, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) began to allow turbans, subject to standards compatible with unimpeded performance of duty. In 2015, Sandeep Dhaliwal became the first Deputy Sheriff in Texas to wear a turban on duty (Harris County Sherriff's Office). He was shot and killed from behind in 2019 while conducting a routine traffic stop on the Copperbrook subdivision in Houston Texas.

In 2019, the Houston Police Department changed their rules to allow beards and turbans, joining 25 other law enforcement agencies.

Professionals

Many Sikhs started life in America working in lumber mills, mines, and as farm laborers, with many eventually becoming landowners. Many early Sikh immigrants were restaurant owners. In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian Indian-born person to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.

Elected officials

• Dalip Singh Saund served three terms in the United States House of Representatives between 1957 and 1963. He was the first Asian American and the first person of a non-Abrahamic faith to serve in Congress.
• Preet Didbal was elected to the position of mayor of Yuba City, California in 2017. She is the first Sikh woman to serve as a city mayor in United States history.
• Balvir Singh was elected to the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders, New Jersey on November 7, 2017. He became the first Asian-American to win a countywide election in Burlington County and the first Sikh-American to win a countywide election in New Jersey.
• City planner Satyendra Huja was elected mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia in January 2012.
• Amarjit Singh Buttar was elected in December 2001 to the Vernon, Connecticut Board of Education and won re-election in 2011.
• United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley was born a Sikh but later converted to Christianity.
• Ravinder Bhalla was elected mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey in November 2017. He is also the first Sikh mayor to wear a turban.
• Satwinder Kaur became the first Sikh elected to the City Council of Kent, Washington in November 2017.
• Manka Dhingra of Washington became the first Sikh woman elected to a state legislature in November 2017.
• Pargat S. Sandhu was elected as mayor of Galt, California on Dec 3, 2019. He became the first Sikh to be elected for City Council and Mayor for the city of Galt.
• In November 2020, California's Sutter County and Stanislaus County became the first two America to elect turbaned Sikh supervisors (Karm Bains and Mani Grewal, respectively).

Geographical distribution

Main article: Punjabi Americans § Geographical distribution

Members of the Sikh community of Somerville, Massachusetts

Nearly half of American Sikhs live in California. Most of California's Sikh population live in NorCal, especially in the Central Valley and the Bay Area. The nation's largest Sikh population is in California's Central Valley, where Punjabi is the third most spoken language after only English and Spanish. Sikhs can found across the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, but the largest concentrations can be found in the valley's largest cities (Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley and Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley), and in smaller communities associated with the farming of almonds, peaches, walnuts, and plums. There are also significant concentrations of Sikh Americans in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and in the Bay Area near Fremont, California.

In the Sacramento Valley, Yuba City and Live Oak have prominent Sikh populations, with the first Sikh arriving in Yuba City in 1906. In 2021, Yuba City was home to an Indian American population of 10,638 (15.3% of the city's population), while Live Oak was home to an Indian American population of 1,038 (11.4% of the city's population), with most of these being Sikhs. Sutter County, California as a whole is home to 12,753 Indian Americans (12.9% of the county population); with most of these being Sikhs, this makes Sutter County the most proportionally Sikh county in America. Down south in the San Joaquin Valley, Livingston is home to 2,798 Indian Americans (19.9% of the city's population); with most of these being Sikh, Livingston is the most proportionally Sikh municipality in America.

The New York metropolitan area also has a significant Punjabi American presence, with 49,005 Punjabis living in the area. 18,187 Punjabis live in New York City (0.23% of the city's population), including 16,139 in the borough of Queens (0.73% of the borough's population). The Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens is often referred to as "Little Punjab" due to its large Punjabi population. In 2020, the stretch of 101st Avenue between 111th and 123rd streets in Richmond Hill was renamed Punjab Avenue (ਪੰਜਾਬ ਐਵੇਨਿਊ) and the stretch of 97th Avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and 117th Street was renamed Gurdwara Street. Outside of the city, the suburbs of Hicksville in Long Island and Carteret in Central Jersey have significant Punjabi populations. In 2021, Hicksville was home to 8,040 Indian Americans (18.7% of the community's population) while Carteret was home to 4,708 Indian Americans (18.8% of the borough's population), with many of these being Sikhs.

Outside of California and the New York metropolitan area, there are significant populations of Punjabi Sikhs in Kent, Washington and Greenwood, Indiana. There is also a concentration of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism in Española, New Mexico.

Notable Sikh Americans

• Uttam Dhillon
• J.J. Singh
• Sabrina Singh
• Daleep Singh
• Taegh Sokhey, created the world's first virtual reality Alzheimer's/Dementia tool, entrepreneur, medical researcher
• Ravinder Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey
• Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 2009–2017
• Gurbaksh Chahal, entrepreneur
• Sant Singh Chatwal, businessperson
• Vikram Chatwal, hotelier and actor
• Harmeet Dhillon, vice chairman of the California Republican Party
• Gurbir Grewal, Attorney General of New Jersey, and former prosecutor of Bergen County, New Jersey
• Ryan Hurst, actor, converted to Sikhism and uses the Sikh name Gobind Seva Singh
• Narinder Singh Kapany, physicist
• Snatam Kaur, singer, songwriter, and author
• Harpreet Sandhu, member of the Richmond City Council (California), 2007–2008
• Dalip Singh Saund, member of United States House of Representatives from California's 29th district, 1957–1963; first Asian Pacific American member of Congress
• Arjun Singh Sethi, civil rights writer, political rights writer, human rights lawyer, and professor of law
• Balvir Singh, Freeholder, Burlington County, New Jersey
• G. B. Singh, author, first turbaned officer in United States Army
• Bhagat Singh Thind, first turbaned soldier in United States Army; plaintiff in United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, involving an important legal battle over the rights of Indians to obtain U.S. citizenship
• Harbhajan Singh Yogi, yogi, spiritual teacher, and entrepreneur
• Waris Ahluwalia, actor and tastemaker
• Simran Jeet Singh, author and civil rights activist
• Preet Didbal, mayor of Yuba City, California; first Sikh woman mayor
• Manka Dhingra, state senator of Washington; first Sikh state senator
• Sandeep Dhaliwal, First member of the Sikh community in Harris County, Texas, to be allowed to wear his turban and beard while on duty as a Harris County Sheriff's deputy. Murdered by a motorist during a traffic stop in 2019.
• Thaminder Singh Anand, scholar and translator of Guru Granth Sahib.

See also

• Indian American
• Indians in the New York City metropolitan region
• Sikhism by country
• List of gurdwaras in the United States
• Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi
• Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting
• Sikhism in Australia
• Sikhism in Canada
• Sikhism in the United Kingdom
• Sikhism in New Zealand

Further reading

Further information: Indian Americans § Further reading

• Atkinson, David C. The burden of white supremacy: Containing Asian migration in the British empire and the United States (U North Carolina Press, 2016).
• Hawley, John Stratton, and Gurinder Singh Mann. Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America (State University of New York Press, 1993).
• Kurien, Prema. "Shifting US racial and ethnic identities and Sikh American activism." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 4.5 (2018): 81–98. online
• Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley, and Stacy Brady. The Guru's Gift: An Ethnography Exploring Gender Equality with North American Sikh Women (Mayfield Publishers, 2000).
• Mann, Gurinder Singh et al. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America (Oxford University Press, 2008).
• Sidhu, Dawinder S., and Neha Singh Gohil. Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience (Ashgate, 2009).
• Stabin, Tova. "Sikh Americans." in Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2014), pp. 179–192. Online

External links

• Pioneering Punjabis Digital archive at the University of California, Davis
• Sikh Research Institute
• Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara