Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience

by Dawinder S. Sidhu, Neha Singh Gohil

Overview

In the days, months, and now years following the events of September 11th, 2001, discrimination against the Sikh community in America has escalated sharply, due in part to a populace that often confuses Sikhs, compelled by their faith to wear turbans, with the Muslim extremists responsible for the devastating terrorist attacks. Although Sikhs have since mobilized to spread awareness and condemn violence against themselves and Muslims, there has been a conspicuous absence of academic literature to aid scholars and commentators in understanding the effect of the backlash on the Sikh community. This volume provides a unique window onto this particular minority group's experience in an increasingly hostile climate, and offers a sharp analysis of the legal battles fought by Sikhs in post-9/11 America. In doing so, it adds a new chapter to the ongoing national story of the difficulties minority groups have faced in protecting their civil liberties in times of war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317165606
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/23/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	17 MB
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About the Author

Dawinder S. Sidhu is Founding Director of the Discrimination and National Security Initiative, Pluralism Project, at Harvard University, and an attorney whose practice focuses on individual rights and national security.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I Sikhism and the Sikh Turban; Chapter 1 Punjab: The Sikh Homeland; Chapter 2 Founding and Early Development of Sikhism; Chapter 3 Fighting Against Injustice; Chapter 4 Sikh Migration to the West; Chapter 5 Contemporary Sikh History; Chapter 6 Spiritual Significance and Physical Aspects of the Sikh Turban; Part II Targeting the Sikh Turban; Chapter 7 Harassment; Chapter 8 Bullying of Sikh Students; Chapter 9 Violence; Chapter 10 Profiling; Chapter 11 Employment Discrimination; Chapter 12 Detention; Chapter 13 Denial of Entry into Public Places; Part III Marginalization of the Sikh Turban; Chapter 14 France; Chapter 15 Britain; Chapter 16 Ireland; Chapter 17 Other Western Nations; Chapter 18 Canada; Chapter 19 United States; Part IV The Response to the Post-9/11 Climate; Chapter 20 The Human Costs; Chapter 21 The Emergence of Sikh Advocacy; Chapter 22 Non-traditional Efforts; Chapter 23 Government Appeals for Tolerance; Chapter 24 Federal Enforcement and Outreach;

Editorial Reviews

'In Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post 9/11 Sikh Experience, authors Sidhu and Gohil remind America of the need to guard closely against the human propensity to let ignorance and fear prevail against our better sensibilities, especially during wartime. They provide a much-needed and valuable contribution to our awareness of how times of war can all too often obscure even the most fundamental liberties. Raised in the Japanese-American internment camps during WWII, I second the authors’ call for increased vigilance. The Sikh-American experience must be our last, not merely our latest, breach of civil rights. We can, and must, do better.' United States Congressman Michael Honda 'After 9/11, those who were perceived to be Muslim - including turban-wearing Sikhs - suffered from discrimination around the world. This illuminating and troubling book explores the range of discrimination experienced by Sikhs and examines legal and political solutions. It should galvanize the Sikh civil rights movement - and everyone who cares about liberty and justice in an age of terror.' Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Unwanted Gaze and The Naked Crowd

From the Publisher