tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/sikh-turbans-36908/articlesSikh turbans – The Conversation2023-04-14T11:03:00Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2027812023-04-14T11:03:00Z2023-04-14T11:03:00ZWe asked Sikh men in Britain what the turban means to them – here’s what they told us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517915/original/file-20230328-962-ckpnai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5540%2C2421&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sikh men wearing the dastaar/turban in temple.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/panoramic-sikh-people-back-their-colory-1583135275">Enselme Arthur/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <em>dastaar</em> – most commonly referred to as a turban – is perhaps Sikhism’s most visible expression of identity.</p>
<p>As part of our ongoing research, we talked to 13 British Sikh men to learn about their identity, religious practice and their experiences of wearing the turban in the UK. They told us that they hoped the recent visibility of the turban in fashion collections, police uniform and advertising campaigns would help to dilute the stigma surrounding the turban.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BADpcHjCScg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Royal Navy’s campaign focusing on a Sikh recruit.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In recent years, several projects have sought to promote Sikhism positively in an effort to reclaim narratives around the turban. In the UK, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRTNo39d32U">Sikh Project</a> art exhibition, fashion blogs such as <a href="https://singhstreetstyle.co.uk/">Singh Street Style</a> and YouTube creators tying the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDxYnEGEiiw">turban on camera</a> have contributed to this. </p>
<p>Other noteworthy cases include the 2022 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BADpcHjCScg">recruitment campaign</a> for the Royal Navy, which exposed the traumas and stigmas associated with keeping hair and wearing a turban for a young Sikh man in Britain.</p>
<p>The Sikh code of discipline – the <em>Rehat Maryada</em> – states that Sikh men must cover their heads. While most Sikhs in the UK and around the world <a href="https://britishsikhreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/BSR_2013_FINAL.pdf">do not wear the turban</a>, it remains the most recognisable article of faith for adult Sikh men and women.</p>
<p>There has been a Sikh presence in Britain for <a href="https://britishsikhreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/BSR_2013_FINAL.pdf">almost 160 years</a>, but Sikh migration to the UK mostly started in the 1950s. </p>
<p>People (mostly men) from the Punjab region of India – and later from east Africa – responded to Britain’s call to the Commonwealth to participate in its postwar reconstruction efforts. Sikh migrants <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/history/britishsikhism.shtml">mostly found</a> work in industries like foundries and textiles.</p>
<p>According to the 2021 census, there are about <a href="https://britishsikhreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Sikhs-in-Census-2021-Summary.pdf">524,000 Sikhs</a> (0.9% of the population) in England and Wales and around <a href="https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/census-results/at-a-glance/religion/">10,000 in Scotland</a> (0.2% of the Scottish population). This population has <a href="https://britishsikhreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BSR-Report-2022.pdf">higher than average</a> levels of education and employment in professional and managerial occupations.</p>
<p>The first Sikh migrants to Britain faced significant discrimination in securing employment and many had to forgo their identities, resulting in the removal of all outward religious symbols including turban, hair and beard. Having to abandon the <em>dastaar</em> and cutting their hair were not benign acts:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It hurts. It really hurts. Why should you lose your identity to gain economic advantage? There was a pressure to change my appearance. Punjabis came to this country, they were misled in a way and told: ‘come on, let’s get your hair cut’ […] When you are born as something, and you cut your hair, deep down it hits you. It hits you all the time. – Gurtej, 68</p>
</blockquote>
<p>More recently, British society has positively responded to inclusion of Sikh ways of life, with the <a href="https://assets.college.police.uk/s3fs-public/2021-02/sikh-articles-of-faith-in-the-workplace.pdf">acceptance of the turban</a> in police and military uniforms. But there have also been real <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-29904-4_111">challenges and struggles</a> along the way. </p>
<p>Most notably, stigmas and discrimination around the turban were exacerbated following the 9/11 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks">World Trade Center</a> terrorist attacks in 2001. </p>
<p>Alongside Muslims, turban-wearing Sikhs have <a href="https://www.sikhcoalition.org/documents/pdf/go-home-terrorist.pdf">borne the brunt</a> of the <a href="https://www.hatecrimescotland.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Islamaphobia-Anti-Muslim-Hate-Crime-a-London-Case-Study-EMRC-2010.pdf">subsequent rise</a> in hate crimes, anti-Islamic sentiment, discrimination and racial profiling worldwide.</p>
<p>The Sikh men we spoke to for our as yet unpublished research, explained how wearing the turban signalled their observance to Sikhism and the life choices this entails, such as the protection of and service to others:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For me, what the turban signifies is a unique identity. To stand out in a crowd of millions is an act of real courage. […] if you need me, I am here for help. If you need food and shelter, this turbaned Sikh will give you food and shelter. It’s about courage, human rights, equality, it’s about commitment, discipline, it’s about compassion. Jagpal, 47</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The <em>dastaar</em> holds both practical and spiritual significance:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apart from the practical use of covering my long hair … the other reason for the turban is to protect the spiritual centre on top of the head so that it doesn’t get damaged in any way. When I meditate with my turban on my head, I feel happy and very good, the turban concentrates those happy feelings. Jagpal</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Big brands have recently begun featuring turban-wearing models including Louis Vuitton, H&M, The Gap, Burberry and more controversially, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/gucci-s-indy-turban-criticized-cultural-appropriation-n1005971">Gucci</a> at the 2019 Milan Fashion Week. </p>
<p>Some of our interviewees hoped that this visibility would help dilute the stigma surrounding the turban:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whatever medium takes [the turban] away from terrorism, is a great thing. I don’t really care if it’s a catwalk, or young dapper Sikhs wearing designer clothing … I think anything that separates the turban from Bin Laden and those images all over the media after 9/11 and takes the turban into the realm of a Sikh perspective [is] great. Jagpal</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Kuldeep, 27, who runs a successful fashion blog, spoke of his desire to feature his difference and break stereotypes. However, other interviewees expressed discomfort regarding the new found popularity of the <em>dastaar</em> in marketing campaigns and its commodification as a fashion item.</p>
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<p>The striking visual of a fully observant Sikh keeping hair (<em>kesh</em>) and wearing the <em>dastaar</em> is part of its appeal for marketeers who seek to signal their inclusive values. Interviewees generally implied, however, that simply prioritising the visual aspects of the turban would come at the expense of its symbolic and spiritual dimension.</p>
<p>There is a genuine concern that those representations created for mainstream marketplace consumption may strip the <em>dastaar</em> of its metaphysical and symbolic value and turn it into a commercial commodity, the next cool must-have “cultural” accessory to be consumed by the masses.</p>
<p>As many interviewees explained, to them, the <em>dastaar</em> is so much more. It is not only a symbol of faith and a life of service, but also an embodiment of its long heritage and sacrifice borne by the Sikh community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202781/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Sikh men we spoke to explained how wearing the turban signalled their observance to Sikhism and the life choices this entails, such as the protection of and service to others.Mona Moufahim, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of StirlingAnoop Bhogal-Nair, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Consumption, De Montfort UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1232562019-09-13T11:41:53Z2019-09-13T11:41:53ZWhy Sikhs wear a turban and what it means to practice the faith in the United States<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292055/original/file-20190911-190012-1s4t5ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People participate in a candlelight vigil near the White House to protest violence against Sikhs in 2012.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Sikh-Temple-Shooting-Vigil/ad57c7685bef4f4bb6cddecaa1883221/20/0">AP Photo/Susan Walsh</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An elderly Sikh gentleman in Northern California, 64-year-old Parmjit Singh, was recently <a href="https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/08/27/sikh-stabbed-to-death-tracy-parmjit-singh/">stabbed to death</a> while taking a walk in the evening. Authorities are still investigating the killer’s motive, but community members have <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/us/california-sikh-mans-death-fbi-trnd/index.html">asked the FBI to investigate</a> the killing. </p>
<p>For many among the <a href="http://pluralism.org/religions/sikhism/sikhism-in-america/the-sikh-community-today/">estimated 500,000</a> Sikhs in the U.S., it wouldn’t be the first time. According to the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in North America, this is the <a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11770976/hate-crime-sikh-community-asks-fbi-to-investigate-stabbing-death-in-tracy">seventh such attack</a> on an elderly Sikh with a turban in the past eight years. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&view_op=list_works&authuser=1&gmla=AJsN-F7irP4mmhGxZbPfBF8jBXPvOLWMrqTjeDnqSnXJsyWttjQGrUI9m_tJBBh0QJHK1BWEVbHbPbe-ihA2qhlr05ClxIa12g&user=DxunMTcAAAAJ">As a scholar of the tradition</a> and a practicing Sikh myself, I have studied the harsh realities of what it means to be a Sikh in America today. I have also experienced racial slurs from a young age.</p>
<p>I have found there is little understanding of who exactly the Sikhs are and what they believe. So here’s a primer.</p>
<h2>Founder of Sikhism</h2>
<p>The founder of the Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469 in the Punjab region of South Asia, which is currently split between Pakistan and the northwestern area of India. A majority of the global Sikh population <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781135367459">still resides in Punjab on the Indian side of the border</a>.</p>
<p>From a young age, Guru Nanak was disillusioned by the social inequities and religious hypocrisies he observed around him. He believed that <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781136451010">a single divine force</a> created the entire world and resided within it. In his belief, God was not separate from the world and watching from a distance, but fully present in every aspect of creation. </p>
<p>He therefore asserted that all people <a href="http://www.iuscanada.com/journal/archives/2011/j1312p42.pdf">are equally divine</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article-abstract/74/3/646/895695">deserve to be treated</a> as such.</p>
<p>To promote this vision of divine oneness and social equality, <a href="http://www.academicroom.com/article/guru-nanak-and-%E2%80%98sants%E2%80%99-reappraisal">Guru Nanak created institutions and religious practices</a>. He established community centers and places of worship, wrote his own scriptural compositions and institutionalized a system of leadership (gurus) that would carry forward his vision.</p>
<p>The Sikh view thus rejects all social distinctions that produce inequities, including gender, race, religion and caste, the predominant structure for social hierarchy in South Asia. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230978/original/file-20180807-191044-t68ftq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A community kitchen run by the Sikhs to provide free meals irrespective of caste, faith or religion, in the Golden Temple, in Punjab, India.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/shankaronline/38938496121">shankar s.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Serving the world is a natural expression of the Sikh prayer and worship. <a href="https://therevealer.org/why-sikhs-serve/">Sikhs call this prayerful service “seva,”</a> and it is a core part of their practice.</p>
<h2>The Sikh identity</h2>
<p>In the Sikh tradition, a truly religious person is one who cultivates the spiritual self while also serving the communities around them – or a <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FqvTRUrwt2UC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=sikh+saint+soldier++&ots=eM7EOLjPBV&sig=jXLxItv_Xp9n7Plh-C55G0M6oaM#v=onepage&q=sikh%20saint%20soldier&f=false">saint-soldier</a>. The saint-soldier ideal applies to women and men alike.</p>
<p>In this spirit, Sikh women and men maintain <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=TJb_i97CG70C&pg=PT149&dq=sikh+identity+articles+of+faith&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXx4TZtszcAhWm44MKHU-ICfQQ6AEIQTAE#v=onepage&q=sikh%20identity%20articles%20of%20faith&f=false">five articles of faith, popularly known as the five Ks</a>. These are: kes (long, uncut hair), kara (steel bracelet), kanga (wooden comb), kirpan (small sword) and kachera (soldier-shorts). </p>
<p>Although little historical evidence exists to explain why these particular articles were chosen, the five Ks continue to provide the community with a collective identity, binding together individuals on the basis of a shared belief and practice. As I understand, Sikhs cherish these articles of faith as gifts from their gurus.</p>
<p>Turbans are an important part of the Sikh identity. Both women and men may wear turbans. Like the articles of faith, Sikhs regard their turbans as gifts given by their beloved gurus, and their meaning is deeply personal. In South Asian culture, wearing a turban typically indicated one’s social status – kings and rulers once wore turbans. The <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17448720500132557">Sikh gurus adopted the turban</a>, in part, to remind Sikhs that all humans are sovereign, royal and ultimately equal. </p>
<h2>Sikhs in America</h2>
<p>Today, there are <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=7QEjPVyd9YMC&pg=PA275&lpg=PA275&dq=sikhs+30+million&source=bl&ots=urtHXKjCPx&sig=nyZTGrreOK6owh5EmmPA16YVD8A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_8Lbk9M7cAhXis1kKHWCPB-UQ6AEwFXoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q=sikhs%2030%20million&f=false">approximately 30 million Sikhs worldwide</a>, making Sikhism the world’s fifth-largest major religion. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231170/original/file-20180808-191019-xqmsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘A Sikh-American Journey’ parade in Pasadena, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After British colonizers in India seized power of Punjab in 1849, where a majority of the Sikh community was based, <a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/9789004257238">Sikhs began migrating to various regions</a> controlled by the British Empire, including Southeast Asia, East Africa and the United Kingdom itself. Based on what was available to them, Sikhs played various roles in these communities, including military service, agricultural work and railway construction.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ccss.org/Resources/Documents/Sikh%20Migration%20to%20CA%20_%20West%20Coast.pdf">The first Sikh community entered the United States</a> via the West Coast during the 1890s. They began experiencing discrimination immediately upon their arrival. For instance, <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/bham_intro.htm">the first race riot targeting Sikhs</a> took place in Bellingham, Washington, in 1907. Angry mobs of white men <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/bham_history.htm">rounded up Sikh laborers</a>, beat them up and forced them to leave town. </p>
<p>The discrimination continued over the years. For instance, when my father moved from Punjab to the United States in the 1970s, racial slurs like “Ayatollah” and “raghead” were hurled at him. It was a time when <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/world/meast/iran-hostage-crisis-fast-facts/index.html">52 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive in Iran</a> and tension between the two countries was high. These slurs reflected the racist backlash against those who fitted the stereotypes of Iranians. Our family faced a similar racist backlash when the U.S. engaged in the Gulf War during the early 1990s. </p>
<h2>Increase in hate crimes</h2>
<p>The racist attacks spiked again after 9/11, particularly because many Americans did not know about the Sikh religion and may have <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17448727.2013.822138">conflated the unique Sikh appearance with popular stereotypes</a> of what terrorists look like. News reports show that in comparison to the past decade, the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-trump-sikhs-20170509-htmlstory.html">rates of violence against Sikhs have surged</a>.</p>
<p>Elsewhere too, Sikhs have been victims of hate crimes. An Ontario member of Parliament, Gurrattan Singh, was <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/09/01/brampton-mpp-gurratan-singh-denounces-islamophobic-remarks-made-toward-him-at-muslimfest.html">recently heckled</a> with Islamophobic comments by a man who perceived Singh as a Muslim.</p>
<p>As a practicing Sikh, I can affirm that the Sikh <a href="http://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1296&context=law_facultyscholarship">commitment to the tenets of their faith</a>, including love, service and justice, keeps them resilient in the face of hate. For these reasons, for many Sikh Americans, like myself, it is rewarding to maintain the unique Sikh identity.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of an article <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-sikhs-and-what-are-their-beliefs-97237">first published</a> on Aug. 9, 2018.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simran Jeet Singh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sikh gurus adopted the turban, in part, to remind Sikhs that all humans are sovereign, royal and ultimately equal. But their attire can also lead to misunderstandings and at times, hate crimes.Simran Jeet Singh, Henry R. Luce Post-Doctoral Fellow in Religion in International Affairs Post-Doctoral Fellow, New York UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/849632017-10-02T01:58:13Z2017-10-02T01:58:13ZWhat Jagmeet Singh’s historic NDP leadership win means for Canada<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188615/original/file-20171003-12146-nntfvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=91%2C80%2C2387%2C2311&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jagmeet Singh won 53.6 per cent of the first-ballot votes on Sunday to become the new leader of Canada's New Democratic Party.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(The Canadian Press/Chris Young)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a landslide victory, Jagmeet Singh has become the new leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party. </p>
<p>Despite predictions that voting could go into multiple rounds and ostensibly drag on until mid-October, Singh won 53.6 per cent of the first-ballot votes on Sunday. He easily beat out his closest rival, Charlie Angus, who garnered only 19.3 per cent.</p>
<p>Singh’s victory is historic. </p>
<p>He is the first person of colour to be elected leader of a major Canadian political party. He is a proud Sikh; he wears a turban, and carries a kirpan — a ceremonial knife. He openly talks about his experiences with racism, and has fought for policies that would combat racism. </p>
<p>As a member of provincial parliament in Ontario, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/06/15/mpp-jagmeet-singh-wants-province-to-end-carding-entirely.html">he worked to pass legislation that banned so-called carding</a> — a practice whereby police officers stop individuals “randomly” and ask for their identification and used to disproportionately target people of colour. </p>
<p>One of the best known moments of Singh’s campaign was when a heckler accused him of being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdb6uGTSfQ">“in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood.”</a> He responded to her by leading the audience in a chant of “love and courage.” The video of the encounter went viral — and he was praised for his response by commentators all over the world.</p>
<h2>‘Love and courage’</h2>
<p>Indeed, <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-ndp-leader-jagmeet-singh-battles-racism-in-canadian-politics-with-love-83857">“love and courage” seem to have won the day</a>. Singh’s message clearly resonated with NDP members. Even more than that, his campaign has claimed to have signed up 47,000 new members for the party, although <a href="http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/jagmeet-singh-accused-of-inflating-party-membership-signups">this claim has been disputed</a>.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Singh has his work cut out for him before Canada’s 2019 federal election. It remains to be seen if Singh will be embraced by the rest of Canada in the same way he has been embraced by the NDP. In particular, it’s unclear whether Singh can win over Quebec, and if he can expand the NDP’s base to Canadians who traditionally vote Liberal or Conservative.</p>
<p>The Quebec question looms over the new NDP leader. Quebec has been seen as essential to the party’s success. The 2011 “orange wave” that swept the NDP to their biggest victory was strongest in Quebec.</p>
<p>In reflecting on his legacy, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair noted that he was <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tom-mulcair-ndp-leadership-exit-1.4307981">most proud of his efforts in Quebec</a>. He added that the party’s future in Quebec was the thing he worried most about <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tom-mulcair-ndp-leadership-exit-1.4307981">going forward</a>. </p>
<p>Conventional wisdom suggests that Singh will face significant hurdles in the province. Religious headgear and symbols are frequently at the centre of heated debate in Quebec. </p>
<p>In 2013, the Quebec Charter of Values was proposed. If passed, the bill would have banned the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols for government personnel and mandated that, in order to receive government services, one’s face must be uncovered. </p>
<p>The Charter had the support of <a href="http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/dan-delmar-its-wrong-to-link-mosque-shooting-quebec-charter-of-values">roughly 50 per cent of the province.</a> Currently, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-62-identity-politics-muslim-burqa-1.4250417">Bill-62</a> is being debated in Quebec. The bill would not allow women wearing burkas or niqabs to provide or receive public services. </p>
<h2>Quebecers ‘open-minded’</h2>
<p>Martine Ouellet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, has condemned Singh for not respecting the separation of church and state. She stated that Singh’s <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/09/18/bloc-leader-martine-ouellet-suggests-jagmeet-singh-is-too-religious-for-quebec_a_23214013/">“primary values are related to his religion”</a> and has argued that’s a problem for those in public office.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188286/original/file-20171002-28521-1wssw0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bloc Quebecois leader Martine Ouellet has been critical of Jagmeet Singh.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Singh has addressed such concerns frequently during his campaign. Quebecers are more <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/09/16/jagmeet-singh-defends-open-minded-quebec-after-mp-s-turban-comment_a_23212022/">“open-minded and open-hearted”</a> than his critics were giving them credit for, he insisted.</p>
<p>During his victory speech, Singh addressed Quebecers directly. He stated that he knew what it is like to have your culture and language marginalized. He said he learned French “in solidarity” and promised to “be an ally in the defence and promotion of” their language and culture. </p>
<p>Perhaps this promise of kinship will be enough to make gains in Quebec, or at least maintain the current NDP base. But it will definitely continue to be a challenge for Singh as 2019 approaches.</p>
<h2>Winning over the rest of Canada</h2>
<p>Another major question is whether Singh can expand the NDP’s base, and win over voters who cast their ballots for either Liberals or Conservatives in the last election. </p>
<p>In 2015, <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/jagmeet-singh-and-the-newest-new-ndp/">Trudeau won over many voters who traditionally voted NDP</a>. And he appealed to and attracted young and new Canadians. Trudeau ran the 2015 campaign as the young, fresh, optimistic candidate, in contrast to former prime minister Stephen Harper and Mulcair. </p>
<p>He was 43 years old and taking on much older and more experienced politicians. He utilized social media and connected with young people better than either of his opponents. He championed diversity better, and more fully too. “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” and “Canada is strong, not in spite of our differences, but because of them” were campaign slogans that resonated. </p>
<p>But much of what Trudeau used to differentiate himself is no longer in play with Singh in the picture. At 45, Trudeau is now the oldest candidate of a competitive Canadian party — both Singh and Andrew Scheer, the new Conservative leader, are 38.</p>
<p>Singh is the new outsider to federal politics, as he’s never held federal office. And given Singh’s history of working on issues related to racial justice on the provincial level, and his personal identity and the challenges he’s faced, he seems much better-suited to be the champion of people of colour and new Canadians. </p>
<h2>‘Sunny ways’</h2>
<p>In 2015, Trudeau’s “sunny ways” won over more traditionally NDP supporters than Conservative supporters. Can Singh’s “love and courage” win them back? </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188271/original/file-20171001-10771-10rmnp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Can Jagmeet Singh’s love and courage trump Justin Trudeau’s sunny ways?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And if Singh does win them back, will that simply serve to split the left, and allow the Conservatives to regain government? </p>
<p>Singh could actually win over voters that the Conservatives will be counting on. The Conservatives’ biggest gains under Harper were in the suburbs, and with new Canadians. The Conservatives lost much of those voters in 2015, but Scheer will try to win them back. </p>
<p>The Conservatives could benefit from Singh if he simply splits the left and steals votes from the Liberals. But he could also make the NDP more <a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/jagmeet-singh-could-transform-ndp-from-party-of-labour-to-party-of-the-suburbs/article36339853/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&">competitive in the suburbs, and with new Canadians</a>. </p>
<p>Singh has strong ties to the suburbs of Toronto, and to new Canadians and people of colour. If the Conservatives were planning on courting these voters, Singh’s presence could throw a wrench in their plans. And Singh might be able to expand the NDP’s base beyond its traditional demographics of labour groups, and people in urban areas. </p>
<p>The NDP and all Canadians have much to celebrate today. A country that prides itself on multiculturalism finally has a major political party that is led by a person of colour, and one who has spent his career working to address issues of racial injustice and inequality. This is historic, and is a major step for equality and representation in Canada.</p>
<p>But many questions remain between now and the 2019 election. It’s clear that Singh offers a new direction for his party — and perhaps the country. How Canadians will respond to it remains uncertain.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan Dias does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Jagmeet Singh has become the first ethnic minority to become leader of a federal political party. Will his message of “love and courage” best Justin Trudeau’s “sunny ways” in the next federal election?Megan Dias, Research Assistant, Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/838572017-09-26T23:42:36Z2017-09-26T23:42:36ZNew NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh battles racism in Canadian politics with love<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188268/original/file-20171001-22066-1rlf50k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh celebrates with supporters after winning on the first ballot at the party's leadership convention Oct. 1. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It will go down as the defining moment of Jagmeet Singh’s successful campaign for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party.</p>
<p>Moments into a campaign event on Sept. 6, an angry white woman interrupted Singh and shouted Islamophobic and vitriolic statements at him, and physically gesticulated, demonstrating her feeling of entitlement — to space, voice and position — in relation to others at the event. A video of the incident went viral and has been viewed millions of times in Canada and around the world. </p>
<p>Singh seemed undeterred by the outburst. His response to her rant was <a href="https://youtu.be/j2onmR-oBIY">to rally his audience to help him relay his campaign message</a>. He asked his guests to chant: “Love and courage.”</p>
<p>He returned to those themes in his acceptance speech on Sunday.</p>
<p>“It takes an act of love to realize we are all in this together and an act of courage to demand better, to dream bigger and to fight for a more inclusive and just world,” Singh told his cheering supporters shortly after the results were announced.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j2onmR-oBIY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">In the face of a racist rant, Singh remained calm.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What is the nature of Singh’s call for love? His political slogan is based on a message of universal love and courage. Singh’s message — and chant that evening — was uniquely situated among the slogans of the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/09/16/the-four-candidates-who-would-lead-the-ndp.html">three other candidates</a>: <a href="http://www.charlieangusndp.ca/">Charlie Angus</a> “Got your back,” <a href="http://www.nikiashton2017.ca/">Niki Ashton</a> “Building a movement, together,” and <a href="http://en.guycaron.ca/">Guy Caron,</a> “Let’s build a progressive and sustainable economy.” </p>
<p>The dramatic events at the Sept. 6 meeting demonstrates something about Singh, as a person and as a candidate. It also points to new undercurrents of religion and spirituality and its role in Canadian politics.</p>
<p>Singh’s emergence as the new NDP leader comes in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-trump-emboldening-right-wing-extremism-in-canada-82635">climate of increasing hatred</a>, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action. How does the language of love and courage relate to a New Democratic Party trying to find its way in a shifting political landscape?</p>
<p>Singh’s outward appearance solicits questions from some Canadians — as in the case of the heckler — regarding his secular position: To what degree does Singh’s religion relate to his policy ideas or conduct? </p>
<h2>Canada: Judeo-Christian values?</h2>
<p>Canadian political institutions and traditions are imbued with Judeo-Christian values and symbols. Yet the separation of church and state maintains religion does not dictate the making of policy and law. However, in the game of politics, courting ethno-racial, national and religious identified voters has become a central art of party campaign strategists. </p>
<p>Political parties of all persuasions have had to navigate this division in a variety of ways. In Canada, the left social democratic tradition, represented now by the NDP, has had less experience with faith-based movements and the religious identity of its leaders than their right-wing counterparts and left-leaning parties elsewhere in the world. Singh’s successful leadership challenge will likely change that. </p>
<p>While Singh is positioned as a secular politician, his ethos, sense of justice and formation of his identity is connected to a Sikh practice. The very essence of the message of universal love and courage is embedded in a Sikh devotion, rather than a secular idea of loving all humankind. Practising Sikhism defines a way of life — one that is contemplative, meditative and committed to spiritualism and positive actions. </p>
<h2>The Clash of Civilizations</h2>
<p>To understand the contemporary role of religion in politics, we need to look at one of our turning points: 9/11. The attacks on New York City and the Pentagon served as a marker of the time foreign and domestic policy in <a href="https://theconversation.com/9-11-anniversary-understanding-extremist-motives-could-stop-further-violence-83773">North America was called upon to name Islamic terrorism as a universal enemy</a>. </p>
<p>Once North America and other western governments embraced <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/1993-06-01/clash-civilizations">the rhetoric of a civilization divide</a>, the psyche of liberal democratic nations split apart. The already tenuous divide between the religious and secular began to rupture further.</p>
<p>This reinforced a binary division and <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/clash-ignorance/">emboldened a powerful discourse of racism and Islamophobia</a>. The basic premise is that Islam represents something universally distinct from Christian belief systems. </p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/books/review/14yoshino.html">discourse of racism and difference</a> has gained strength and societal control through the election of conservative governments with moral platforms that build on fears and anxieties of susceptible citizens. </p>
<p>Sixteen years of corrosive discourses since 9/11 has led to: Us vs. Them, the Clash of Civilizations and racism. We are now at the point of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/quiet-canadian-ugly-american-does-racism-differ-north-of-the-border-81388">normalization of white supremacy</a>. It is no longer an oddity or a left-wing conspiracy theory to discuss the presence of fascism and neo-Nazis — these are events widely circulated in our social media feeds and featured during the evening news. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187148/original/file-20170922-30334-1wszxyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Racism and Islamophobia have been on the rise in the West, which conservative and far-right politicians have capitalized on. Here, President Donald Trump on Aug. 15 defends those who marched with neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., days earlier.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Religious discrimination in Canada</h2>
<p>Islamophobia and racism are often understood to be twinned structures of oppression. In many ways they are, but there are complex differences between them. They disseminate and exist in different political, cultural and social taxonomies. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediaed.org/transcripts/Edward-Said-The-Myth-of-Clash-Civilizations-Transcript.pdf">Islamophobia operates through systems of stereotypes</a>, often misunderstanding or misrepresenting the traditions, religious practices and customs of highly diverse ethno-national and racial communities. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/is-islamophobia-real-maher-harris-aslan/381411/">Islamophobia</a> has been manufactured in multiple ways in society through popular culture, media, policy and criminalizing targeting Islam and Muslims. </p>
<p>Racism is a larger systemic operation of power denigrating one race while validating or elevating another. </p>
<p>When the Harper Conservatives were in government, they attempted to map onto Canadian national values a form of social conservatism. This was articulated through a distinction between Canada and the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/media-portrays-indigenous-and-muslim-youth-as-savages-and-barbarians-79153">barbaric cultural practices” of others</a>. </p>
<p>The clear lines that were being drawn between what <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2675751009/">Harper referred to as “old stock Canadians”</a> during a 2015 federal leaders’ debate brought into discourse front and center the relationship between white supremacy and Islamophobia. It connected the dots between a normative white Christian Canadian identity that could stand against the racialized others. </p>
<p>Now the Conservative Party has a leader who proudly accepts the label: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AndrewScheerMP/videos/1532870230080057/">“Harper with a Smile.”</a>“ Andrew Scheer has the support of social conservatives in the Conservative Party. He has steadfastly <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scheer-five-things-policies-1.4137120">supported free speech over the condemnation of Islamophobia</a> and was absent during the House of Commons vote for the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/03/23/m-103-anti-islamophobia-motion-house-passes_n_15567120.html">Anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103</a>, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Commons. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187143/original/file-20170922-20978-3ycnby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Conservative Party of Canada leader Andrew Scheer has been labeled the smiling Harper. Here, he speaks at his shadow cabinet meeting in Winnipeg.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>When losing your cool is not an option</h2>
<p>Singh said his ability to remain cool under pressure was largely owed to his experience of being a brown, Sikh and turbaned man, growing up in the 1980s in Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto. </p>
<p>His past experiences of religious and racist intolerance helped to fortify him against racist language and assault. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187150/original/file-20170922-20978-1w84nbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Leadership contender Jagmeet Singh greets supporters before the NDP’s Leadership Showcase in Hamilton, Ont., on Sept. 17.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the moment in which the racist woman yelled at him, she assumed he was a Muslim. Many wondered why Singh did not attempt to correct her misconceived perception; he is not a Muslim, but rather, a Sikh. </p>
<p>Suggesting such a distinction in the moment, he said, would only further the misunderstanding that somehow being Muslim means such treatment is considered justifiable. His reaction, he said, should not be to proclaim his religion. By not correcting this misconception, Singh was acting in solidarity against Islamophobia. </p>
<p>Sikhs have been affected throughout the post-9/11 discourses of Islamophobia, mainly because of this misunderstood identity. In the U.S., and elsewhere, there has been a <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/columnists/sikhs-have-been-living-in-fear-of-hate-crimes-since-911/article4468643/?arc404=true">rise in hate bias attacks against Sikhs</a>, with the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/us/shooting-reported-at-temple-in-wisconsin.html">2012 Oak Creek, Wis., shooting</a> as a visible example.</p>
<p>While there are those who, in the similar vein as Singh, have sought to challenge Islamophobia by standing in solidarity, there have also been many instances where Sikhs in America, the U.K. and Canada painstakingly distinguish themselves from Muslims. </p>
<p>However, in countless examples, when Islamophobia is experienced in the public sphere against properly identified Muslims, there has been a lack of outcry. </p>
<p>In Canada, the <a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-city-mosque-shooting-what-we-know-so-far/article33826078/">shooting deaths in Quebec’s Sainte-Foy’s Mosque</a>, in which Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubakar Thabthi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahim Barry were killed, was unmistakably an act of terrorism. Canadians across the country mourned this tragedy. And yet was it recognized as an act of terrorism against the citizens of this state?</p>
<p>The day-to-day effects of Islamophobia have led to many <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hate-crimes-muslims-statscan-1.4158042">Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear</a> and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus. </p>
<p>The left social-democrats of the NDP hold steadfastly to their conception of justice, fairness and equality in a secular world. The ways in which people are encountering the public today, however, is seemingly much murkier than these stark divisions. </p>
<p>The issues of racism, religious intolerance and social justice are not central issues for any federal political party. These issues, however, should no longer be viewed as separate from major policy platforms including health, welfare reform, employment, national defense, national security, aboriginal relations and education. Perhaps a political leader such as Jagmeet Singh will be able to navigate these debates with an alacrity and style we have yet to witness in the Canadian political world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83857/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Davina Bhandar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Jagmeet Singh is the new leader of the federal New Democratic Party. Singh brings an unprecedented diversity to the role of being the leader of a major Canadian political party.Davina Bhandar, Adjunct Professor in School of Communication and Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/815482017-07-26T20:15:56Z2017-07-26T20:15:56ZSchool uniform policies need to accommodate students’ cultural practices<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179765/original/file-20170726-30152-ipssp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sagardeep Singh Arora is challenging Melton Christian College's decision not to enrol his son unless he agrees not to wear his patka (similar to the photo above).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Can a school impose a uniform policy that does not take into account a student’s religious or cultural beliefs and practices? This is an issue currently being considered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). </p>
<p>Sagardeep Singh Arora, on behalf of his five-year-old son Sidhak Singh Arora, is challenging Melton Christian College’s decision not to enrol his son unless he agrees <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-24/sikh-family-challenge-christian-schools-turban-ban/8737716">not to wear his patka</a>, a Sikh head covering.</p>
<p>Despite being a Christian school, Melton Christian College accepts children of all faiths “as long as they don’t wear clothing that promotes other religions”. Its stated reason for its stance is it doesn’t “want children standing out as different”.</p>
<p>Protections for freedom of religion in Australia are notoriously weak. The <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/eoa2010250/s6.html">Victorian Equal Opportunities Act</a> prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person’s religion, but also grants a wide exemption for schools in relation to uniforms. <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/eoa2010250/s42.html">Section 42(1)</a> states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>An educational authority may set and enforce reasonable standards of dress, appearance and behaviour for students.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is qualified by Section 42(2), which states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In relation to a school, without limiting the generality of what constitutes a reasonable standard of dress, appearance or behaviour, a standard must be taken to be reasonable if the educational authority administering the school has taken into account the views of the school community in setting the standard.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Earlier this year, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights commissioner, Kristen Hilton, commented on cases where schools were refusing to allow students to wear their hair in braids, even when done so for cultural reasons. <a href="https://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/home/news-and-events/commission-news/item/1554-school-uniform-policies-yet-to-get-balance-right">She said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There is a clear difference between students who have had their hair in braids for their entire life and whose hairstyle connects them to their culture, and students who have gotten braids or cornrows on an overseas holiday. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The principal of Melton Christian College, David Gleeson, has failed to draw a distinction between headwear worn for reasons of fashion and Sikh headwear worn for reasons of faith. He has been reported as drawing an analogy between Sidhak’s patka and a student who wished to wear a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-24/sikh-family-challenge-christian-schools-turban-ban/8737716">New Balance cap</a> but was not allowed to do so. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.sikhcoalition.org/images/documents/how_do_you_tie_a_patka.pdf">patka</a> is a smaller version of the turban, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dastar">dastar</a>, worn by most Sikh men. It is an important article of faith. It therefore forms an important part of a Sikh child’s identity. It is not simply a piece of clothing. </p>
<p>An analogy may also be drawn with a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldjudgmt/jd060322/begum.pdf">UK case</a> in which a Muslim student challenged the decision of Denbigh High School to prohibit her from wearing a form of Islamic dress known as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jilb%C4%81b">jilbab</a>. While the House of Lords was split on whether the school uniform policy had infringed the student’s religious freedoms, all agreed there were justifiable grounds for doing so. </p>
<p>Female Muslim students at Denbigh High School were permitted to wear the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalwar_kameez">shalwar kameez</a>, an alternative form of Islamic dress. The school had agreed on this accommodation for its Muslim students in consultation with the local community. The school’s aim in requiring compliance with its uniform policy was to promote social cohesion in a multicultural, multi-faith school. </p>
<p>On the one hand, the Denbigh High School case supports Melton Christian College’s position. Like Denbigh High, the stated aim of its uniform policy is inclusivity – ensuring individual students “don’t stand out”. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Denbigh High had already sought to accommodate the needs of its Muslim students in consultation with the local community – something it appears Melton Christian College has not done for its Sikh students. </p>
<p>It will be for the VCAT to determine whether the uniform policy of Melton Christian College falls within the exceptions granted by Section 42. However, whether the policy is legal is arguably not the point. In a <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0%7E2016%7EMain%20Features%7EReligion%20Article%7E30">religiously diverse</a>, multicultural society, the attitude taken by the school is unhelpful.</p>
<p>The school’s principal is <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-24/sikh-family-challenge-christian-schools-turban-ban/8737716">reported</a> to have commented that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think one of the real strengths of the college is that we’re blind to … everyone is blind to religious affiliations.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is similar to the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/culturally-speaking/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism">colour-blind</a> approach to racism. The difficulty with this approach is that it does not accommodate or acknowledge difference, it simply pretends it’s not there. Refusing to acknowledge Sidhak’s Sikh faith, and refusing to allow him to acknowledge it, does not mean it’s not there. </p>
<p>Similarly, the school’s claim that its policy <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2017/07/25/melbourne-sikh-family-approaches-court-against-alleged-discrimination-school">is neutral</a> is equally unhelpful. </p>
<p>The problem with neutrality is that it tends only to in fact be neutral for the majority. It is only those from minority groups that are asked to compromise. Equality does not always equal equity. </p>
<p>A policy requiring all students to take the stairs is neutral, yet has a negative impact on students who use a wheelchair. Similarly, a school uniform policy that prevents students from wearing any form of headwear is neutral – but it has a negative impact on Sikh, Muslim and Jewish students.</p>
<p>Providing some form of accommodation for Sidhak, and other students in a similar position, does not require Melton Christian College to abandon its uniform policy. The students can still be required to comply with all other aspects of it. The school could also place requirements on students’ religious dress in terms of colour and fit with the existing uniform.</p>
<p>The school could look to the example set by the Victoria and Western Australian police in finding ways to accommodate both the <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2017/03/27/turbaned-sikh-face-diversity-victoria-police">Sikh turban</a> and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/wa-police-build-trust-with-communities-diverse-recruitment/7268056">Islamic hijab</a> within their existing uniform policies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81548/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Renae Barker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A case before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal highlights the need for schools to accommodate articles of religious and cultural practice in their uniform policies.Renae Barker, Lecturer in Law, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/746782017-03-17T00:08:03Z2017-03-17T00:08:03ZEU court allows companies to ban headscarves. What will be the impact on Muslim women?<p>The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that interprets EU law issued a landmark judgment on March 14 that upheld the right of private companies in EU member countries to enact policies barring employees from wearing “<a href="http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2017-03/cp170030en.pdf">religious, political and philosophical signs</a>” in the interest of “neutrality.” </p>
<p>Such visible signs range from Jewish kippahs to Sikh turbans and Hindu bindis; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21025332">Christian crosses</a>, can, perhaps remain hidden under clothing. </p>
<p>The court decision was a response to two legal cases, one from Belgium and the other in France, where a Muslim woman was dismissed by her employer because of her headscarf. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.enar-eu.org/IMG/pdf/forgottenwomenpublication_lr_final_with_latest_corrections.pdf">Employment discrimination against Muslim women</a> and anti-headscarf legislation have impacted Muslim communities in various parts of Europe, but particularly in France. In Western Europe, France has the <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/19/5-facts-about-the-muslim-population-in-europe/">largest percentage of Muslims</a> and the <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-european-islam-9780199607976?cc=us&lang=en&#">most restrictive headscarf legislation</a>. In 2004 it <a href="http://bostonreview.net/archives/BR29.1/bowen.html">banned the headscarf</a> and all conspicuous religious “symbols” in public schools. </p>
<p>Every year, there are <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2014/01/28/la-difficile-mesure-de-l-islamophobie_4355742_3224.html">several hundred hate crimes</a> committed against French Muslims. Of these, the <a href="http://www.slate.fr/story/106363/actes-anti-musulmans-misogynie">majority of victims </a> who have been physically assaulted are women in headscarves.</p>
<p>So what will be the impact of the Court of Justice’s ruling on an already beleaguered minority of headscarf-wearing Muslim women? </p>
<h2>History of headscarf legislation</h2>
<p>It was in the 1990s and early 2000s that the headscarf started to be seen in France as a violation of secular, “neutral” space. It also became a symbol of political Islam and the oppression of women. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=20234">Debates over the issue</a> continued for years, until the Conseil d’Etat (France’s highest administrative court) recommended the ban on all conspicuous religious gear in public schools in late 2003. In 2011, the state also <a href="https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000022911670">banned the face veil</a>, worn by an extremely small minority of Muslim women, in all public spaces. </p>
<p>Efforts to have the headscarf removed expanded from public schools to workplaces. But dismissing women on the grounds of wearing the headscarf remained legally ambiguous or unchallenged. The March 14 ruling gives clarity and legal justification. With an official policy of neutrality that applies to everyone, companies can prohibit the headscarf without being considered discriminatory.</p>
<p>What about the perspectives of those who wear it? </p>
<p>As researchers have long demonstrated, women have many diverse motivations for wearing a headscarf. But for some, the headscarf is not merely a “symbol.” It is instead an <a href="http://iasc-culture.org/THR/archives/AfterSecularization/8.12IAsad.pdf">act of piety and a way of being</a>. Forcing them to remove it as a precondition for gaining work puts them, it can be argued, in an unfair and potentially harmful situation.</p>
<h2>Muslim women’s voices</h2>
<p>In the communities of French Muslims that I observed for <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/politicizing-islam-9780190225247">my book on Islam and politics in France and India</a>, the beginning of anti-headscarf legislation marked a major turning point in their hopes for integration and acceptance. </p>
<p>I began doing research in France in 2006 in the southeastern city of Lyon. Since then I have returned several times, totaling 14 months of ethnographic research in two different mosque communities. In both of these communities, most women I knew chose to wear a headscarf. </p>
<p>I had many conversations with people about the headscarf ban in public schools. Most felt demoralized when it was passed. As Ismat, a young woman of Moroccan descent, recalled, “we realized then…that Islam in France is going to remain difficult.” </p>
<p>Ismat, like almost every headscarf-wearing woman I met during my time in Lyon, had faced employment discrimination. When she went to see a lawyer for legal advice, the conversation quickly turned to his interrogating her about why she wanted to wear it in the first place.</p>
<p>According to the women I spent time with and interviewed, employers were explicit in their demands that the women take off their headscarves. There were eight women whom I knew well and who shared these stories with me. But I interacted briefly with many more who casually mentioned their experience with this kind of discrimination. Some women were willing to remove their headscarves to keep their jobs or continue their training, but many were not. Those who refused sometimes faced personally devastating consequences. </p>
<p>For example, Aisha, a lively young woman active in the mosque community, had long dreamed of becoming a psychologist and had studied hard to pursue her dream. In 2009, after moving to Paris with her husband, she found that no hospitals or clinics would accept her for clinical training in her headscarf. So she abandoned her ambition. Aisha lamented to me, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We women are psychologically exhausted.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the working-class suburbs of Lyon, where I spent time with Muslim women with much stricter forms of veiling, the situation was more dire. Some had dropped out of high school, even against the wishes of their parents, because they did not want to remove their headscarves at the door of the school. </p>
<p>Suffering both poverty and stigma, they struggled to find work as child-care and domestic-care workers. Occasionally, informal employers temporarily tolerated their veiling before eventually placing conditions on them. </p>
<p>Asma, an Afro-French woman, went back and forth with her employer over the issue until finally, her employer fired her. She warned Asma,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You will never be accepted here.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Why this will isolate women</h2>
<p>The Court of Justice’s ruling seems to validate such social and economic exclusion. </p>
<p>The ruling gives a stamp of approval to the <a href="http://www.enar-eu.org/IMG/pdf/forgottenwomenpublication_lr_final_with_latest_corrections.pdf">discriminatory atmosphere</a> that shapes the lives of women who choose to wear a headscarf as part of their faith. In my research, the women who managed to hold onto a job were those who found work only among other Muslims who tolerated or simply ignored their clothing. </p>
<p>What does this imply, then, about the ideal of integration?</p>
<p>These women will be further estranged from the formal labor market and are less likely to feel they “belong” in France – even though many come from families that have been in France for three generations. </p>
<p>Maryam, an observant Muslim who said she worked hard to reconcile her French identity with her Islamic faith, had a few years ago insisted in an interview with me,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I am just as French as ‘Jacqueline,’ even with my religion.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The question is, with yet another legal defeat, will she continue to believe this?</p>
<h2>Fueling discrimination?</h2>
<p>The court’s ruling will likely undermine religious freedom. And it will reinforce the arbitrariness of defining what practices are “political,” “philosophical” or “religious.” </p>
<p>In today’s globalized world, it is murky at best to distinguish between the religious and nonreligious. Many symbols we don’t think of as religious are, in fact, sacred in some traditions. For example, the yin-yang symbol is considered sacred in the Buddhist and Taoist traditions. Will companies prohibit employees from wearing the yin-yang on a shirt or ring? </p>
<p>There are other popular symbols we hardly notice, like the Apple logo or the Nike swoosh. In my view, these too raise a question, whether corporate logos like these could be seen as symbols of <a href="http://www.rae.com.pt/Caderno_wb_2010/Benjamin%20Capitalism-as-Religion.pdf">worshiping the market</a>. If so, should such logos be banned from employees’ clothing? </p>
<p>To be sure, the court’s ruling leaves specific matters to be decided by EU member states, who may interpret the issues differently in individual cases. Nonetheless, it is not a step forward.</p>
<p>I argue that the values and ideas of inclusion, democracy, freedom, or women’s rights, that the EU <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/atyourservice/en/displayFtu.html?ftuId=FTU_6.4.1.html">claims to uphold</a> will not be advanced through this ruling. It might, in fact, undermine these values by allowing companies to discriminate against people in the name of “neutrality.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74678/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Z. Fareen Parvez received funding from the New Directions in the Study of Prayer at the Social Science Research Council; the National Science Foundation; the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation; and the University of California at Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and Institute of International Studies.</span></em></p>For many Muslim women, wearing the headscarf is an act of piety and a way of being. Forcing them to remove it can have devastating consequences.Z. Fareen Parvez, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.