RELG 402 - World's Living Religions
Attitudes towards Sikhism
Background to the Video
In the 19th and early 20th centuries Sikhs started to leave their homeland in the Punjab region of India due to the economic poverty of the region.
Because of immigration laws in the USA (anti-Asian) and Canada (whites-only) in the early 20th century, Indians, including Sikhs, were not allowed to enter North America. As a result, ships' captains sometimes dumped them on the coast of South America instead. Others came to work on the Panama Canal or on railroads or sugar mills, and eventually worked their way to Argentina, where economic conditions were the most favorable in South America.
Prior to September 11, 2001, Sikhs in South America were usually regarded neutrally, but after that date their appearance and dress triggered fear and dislike in some of the local population.
Go here for the video "Life of a Sikh in South America"
At the time of the video, Sardar had lived in Chile for 10 years, and had experienced the change in attitude of people towards him following the attacks of September 11, 2001
Responses on being shown a picture of a Sikh (before September 11, 2001) :
0:22 "I don't know. Someone famous, but I don't remember his name."
0:45 "He might be a lawyer, a scientist, a doctor, or a thief."
1:27 "He looks like a nice guy, a hippie, maybe?"
1:31 "He could even be a hobo."
1:32 "A guy from the U. . . just a university student."
1:44 "It looks like he has too many problems."
Then came September 11, 2001
2:05 "Afterwards, there was the attempt on the U.S. in 2001."
2:09 "And that day my name changed completely."
2:14 "Everyone started calling me Osama, terrorist, Bin Laden"
2:19 "Everyone, even now, says the same thing to me."
2:26 "He's a fanatic, you know, there are people who are fanatics."
2:33 "Very closed-minded, maybe, in how he thinks."
2:35 "Of Arabic or Islamic heritage."
2:42 "By his dress you can tell he's from Iran or Iraq."
2:51 "Like a Fidel Castro, but younger."
2:53 "He could be, no, not a Jew . . ."
2:55 "Here he has a "bad man" face."
2:58 "These people who're politicians, all that . . . like ...like Al-Qaeda."
4:28 "A terrorist, a terrorist."
4:32 "From Iraq? Iraq?"
4:37 "You can tell right away! He only wants to throw a bomb at us!"
4:52 answer to "Would you get on a plane with him?" - "No, no way."
5:03 "Well, if I see him that way, I'd think he was in a sect."
5:05 "I don't know if it's the same guy, but it looks like Osama bin Laden."
5:13 "Those kind of people disgust me."
5:16 "It looks to me there's two options, that he's a religious Muslim . . . or from his face, he could also be a terrorist, because of all the news we hear."
5:27 "Like those who attacked the Twin Towers, what are they called?"
5:31 "Osama."
5:33 "Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden."
5:37 "With a person like that, no way I'd get on the plane. . . not even if they tied me up."
5:41 "He's a terrorist, I don't like him."
5:43 "He looks crazy! He is crazy!"
5:46 "A terrorist. . . Terrifying!"
5:50 "A terrorist."
5:51 "A terrorist."
5:52 "A terrorist."
5:53 "A terrorist."
5:54 "A terrorist."
5:55 "A terrorist."
5:56 "A Satanist."
5:56 "Murderer, murder ..."
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
