Printer-friendly versionWe know little about the motives of the gunman who opened fire yesterday in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Many of us will monitor the news during the day, hoping to learn more about what the shooter thought he was doing, sure to hear more about the heroism and horror inside the building.
But it’s Monday, one of the first days of school for students throughout the South, where school starts early. In those classrooms, teachers need to know how to talk about the shooting now, this morning.
Teaching Tolerance suggests starting with educating students about the Sikhs.
Sikhism rose in India at a time, about 350 years ago, when both Hinduism and Islam were practiced there; its followers seek enlightenment and brotherhood. It is a religious tradition that is little understood in the United States. Despite their rich heritage and distinctive dress, Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims. And they have paid a heavy price for our cultural ignorance.
In fact, after 9/11, the first victim of anti-Muslim retaliation was a Sikh man, a 52-year-old gas station owner in Arizona. Since then, according to the Sikh Coalition of Washington, Sikhs have endured more than 700 attacks.
Did the shooter confuse Sikhs with Muslims, and conflate Muslims with terrorists? We know only that he performed in racist skinhead bands and, according to some witnesses, had a tattoo marking the 9/11 attacks.
We wrote about Sikhism last year in a blog about religious freedom, “Can My Sikh Student Carry a Sword?” As blogger Jackie Walker wrote, Sikh men traditionally have uncut hair as a visible sign of affiliation. They may also carry a ceremonial sword or dagger, called a kirpan, to symbolize defense of the weak.
At least one Sikh in the temple died while defending the weak. Amardeep Kaleka was told by police that his father, Satwant Singh Kaleka, was killed after attacking “the intruder or the shooter in the lobby after gunshots were fired.” He slowed the gunman down, allowing others to find shelter.
And that reminds us of something we do know: Like most faiths, Sikhism is founded on love and concern, even in the face of fear and hate.
Comments
Thank you for sharing in our
Thank you for sharing in our responsibility to educate about "the other". It will be with the partnership of educators that we can move forward to understand differences.
Schools looking to add a good
Schools looking to add a good book on Sikhism would do well to consider the brief biography "Guru Nanak: The First Sikh Guru" by Rina Singh. ISBN 978-0-88899-958-0. I've reviewed it http://bookmansbytes.blogspot.com/2012/08/sikh-wisdom.html and will share with students and staff in my public elementary school.
Thank you for this. I have
Thank you for this.
I have forwarded the information to the Media Specialist at my public elementary school. It will be a worthy addition to our biography collection. We are constantly striving to increase the diversity of subjects in this section.
Hi Craig, The Kaur
Hi Craig,
The Kaur Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching about the Sikh community has some excellent free materials as well. Please contact Mirin Phool at the Kaurfoundation.org.
They have a DVD and lesson plans for both elementary and middle and high school students.
Thanks!
Sangeeta Luthra
That's a great idea. On the
That's a great idea. On the continuum of becoming a culturally competent educator, we have to remember that faith identity is only one layer in a student's cultural identity. All instruction should be informed about its students - as educators we can include stories and experiences from our students' lives through Social Studies, Literacy (choosing diverse text choices) and more. The instruction has to raise critical dialogue around differences.
The Sikh Next Door is an
The Sikh Next Door is an excellent DVD with accompanying lesson plans. I first saw it at a community meeting at our local Sikh Gurwara. We ordered it for our school. It is excellent, and I've used it with our faculty and in my Sociology classes and World Cultures Club. The website includes good FAQs.
www.sikhnextdoor.org
This is the United States of
This is the United States of America with one of the most beautiful and wonderful "Declaration of Independance, Bill of Rights, and Constitution ever written." I don't think that schools are teaching young students, the way I was taught in my day, and I am 75 years old going on 76 in October 2012. All of us were never taught hate when I attended school. That was during WW11, which was fought and won against the teaching of hate. What's going on with our young ones, I really don't know. I can only guess, and my guess is that we have lost the concept written on our coins that's used for money; "IN GOD WE TRUST."
"All of us were never taught
"All of us were never taught hate when we attended school."
If that's true, it's only because you got it elsewhere. You invoke World War 2 as being a war against the teaching of hate. Japanese-American internment and a segregated military tell a different story.
A resource I wanted to share
A resource I wanted to share is the picture book "A Lion's Mane" in which young readers journey to cultures around the world to explore the meaning of the dastaar, or turban of the Sikhs. More here, including a book trailer: http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-childrens-book-lions-mane-is-going.html
Thank you for sharing my
Thank you for sharing my book! For anyone interested, I have created a complete Teacher's Guide for the book which can be used during Reading Workshop. It includes mini lessons and is based on encouraging higher order thinking. You can download it here:
www.navjotkaur.com/curriculum-guide
For excellent materials about
For excellent materials about the Sikh community in America for teachers please reach out to Kaur Foundation, kaurfoundation.org. They have produced a 17 minute DVD and accompanying lesson plans. The DVD is called "Cultural Safari." There are two different lesson plans one designed for elementary students and one for middle and high school students. These materials provide a brief yet thorough and non-denominational discussion of the Sikh community in America. These materials were made in consultation with teachers from a number of school districts and have been adopted in the curriculum of districts in Maryland, northern Virginia, and California. Thank you to Teaching for Tolerance for helping the Sikh community in its outreach efforts.
"The world in which you were
"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." _Wade Davis Our world is increasingly become a global village. When you are uncomfortable with who is in your village, learn about their culture. Then, the thing that makes you uncomfortable may become the thing that opens a door to a new friend.
If you are looking for a way to help your children or students, learn more about the beauty of the Sikh people, try doing this webquest with them. http://www.elanalindquist.com/webquest.html
Thanks for this post! I have
Thanks for this post! I have read that "Can My Sikh Student Carry A Sword" article and I was curious to learn more about this topic.