(Compiled by Kulwant Singh)

"Experiences of Different Religions in North America", is a semester course offered by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA. The course is offered by Charles Mabee, who invites distinguished representatives from different religious communities to teach his students. There are fourteen students in this class - all Americans. This course focuses on a different religion every semester. This semester (Winter of 2002), the focus is on "Sikhism". In the previous semester, it focussed on the religion of Islam. The memories of the 11^th Sept 2001 attack on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon are fresh in the minds of the students. They are keen in having a better understanding of the two religions (people looking similar in some ways because of their beards and turbans, yet different in their basic religious beliefs). The lectures are being delivered by Sr. Kuldeep Singh, a well-known Gursikh of North America, and the former president of "World Sikh Council of North America". Students are required to submit reports on various aspects of the religion or culture (e.g. baptism, history, etc.) at the end of the semester. To the students on that day, he also distibuted an article on the Business Ethics in Sikh Tradition, specially written for them.

On the evening of March 7^th, 2002, the topic of his lecture was "The Sikh Diaspora of North America", which was subdivided into two sections - "The Sikh Diaspora in Canada" and "The Sikh Diaspora in USA". The information presented in this lecture is not only valuable to the students taking this course, but equally important for the North American Sikh community, which is still trying to make adjustments in settling down with frequent challenges by customs and laws of the land. A thorough knowledge about the history and relevant statistics concerning their community in USA and Canada will go a long way to help them in their settlement.

The following excerpts from the lecture shed light on the history of Sikh immigrants in both these North American countries, with elaborate citations of records and the information on significant political interventions.

Start of Lecture:

Sikh Diaspora In Canada

The Government of India sent Sikhs Lancers and Infantry Regiment to London, to attend Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. These Sikh Soldiers returned to India by way of Canada. They traveled from Montreal to Vancouver by train. On the way they saw fertile land, great rivers and lakes, open skies, mountains, forests and wild life. These beautiful sceneries attracted them. These land hungry sons of Punjab, who were also fond of hunting wild animals, decided to settle here to fulfill their dreams. Some of these soldiers deserted the army and stayed behind. Others went back and later, returned to Canada in small batches. Listed below are some interesting facts, which were demonstrated to the students, by showing the old recorded pictures and statistical records, through a slide-projector :-

• The first East Indian Immigrants in Canada went to Port Moody, east of Vancouver in 1904
   
• And from 1905-1908, about 5000 Immigrants entered Canada
   
• First Sikh died in Vancouver in 1907; Cremation was not allowed; Sikhs took the dead body in the middle of night to a distant forest and cremated it there
   
• First Sikh Place of Worship was inaugurated on January 19, 1908
   
• First Sikh Amrit (Baptism) Ceremony was held on April 4, 1909 when 8 Sikhs and 2 Canadian ladies took Amrit. The following officiated as the Five beloved ones (Panj Pyarey) with Professor Teja Singh (M.A.L.L.B.) as the head priest:-

• Bhai Amar Singh
• Bhai Gurdial Singh
• Bhai Dharam Singh
• Bhai Hira Singh
• Bhai Waryam Singh

Following people took Amrit:-

• First Sikh Wedding Ceremony was held in Vancouver when Bhai Gayan Singh (Ex Munsha Singh) married to Bibi Labb Kor (Ex Annie Wright) on April 4, 1909 in the afternoon. This was also the first Sikh, who got married to a white Canadian.
   
• Legislation was passed in 1908 & 1910, which virtually put a stop to East Indian Immigration.
   
• In 1914, a Sikh named Baba Gurdit Singh chartered a Japanese ship, the "Komagata Maru" and brought a group of 376 east Indians to Canada. All except 30 were Sikhs.
   
• On April 4, 1914, the chief secretary, Mr. Steven of the British Governor of Hong Kong gave Gurdit Singh permission to leave for Canada.
   
• The ship left with 165 passengers. On April 8, 111 passengers boarded the ship at Shanghai. On April 14, 86 passengers boarded at the port of Moji. And at Yokohama, another 14 passengers boarded, totaling 376 passengers.
   
• The news was published in the British Press. The Vancouver daily ‘Province’ published the inflammatory news under the heading " Boat Load of Hindus on way to Vancouver". The British Columbia Press began giving such headings to their articles as "Hindu Invasion Of Canada."
   
• On May 21 (Tuesday) 1914 Komagata Maru anchored at the Port of Victoria. There were seven Sikhs who wanted to board the ship to talk to the passengers. An immigration guard chased them away. These seven Sikhs were:

1. Bhai Bhag Singh, President of Khalsa Diwan Society.
2. Bhai Balwant Singh, Priest of Gurdwara
3. Bhai Mit Singh, Secretary, Khalsa Diwan Society
4. Hassan Rahim, United India League
5. Baboo Harnam Singh, Director of Guru Nanak Mining & Trust Company
6. Bhai Rattan Singh
7. Bhai Uttam Singh Hans

Naval guards surrounded the ship. Chief Inspector Malcolm Reid and Inspector Hopkinson were inspecting the boat. They allowed the pilot of the ship Captain Yammato and Dr. Raghunath to land but no one else. After some time, 22 men were allowed to land who could claim Canadian domicile. Deportation orders were given to the rest of the passengers. Malcolm Reid threatened Gurdit Singh to pay the charter dues immediately otherwise the ship will be impounded. He also told, that the passengers do not fulfill the following two conditions:

1. They were without the money to qualify them to land.
2. They did not come directly from the port of their country. Because the direct passage rule applies.

Inspector Reid would not allow passengers to land. All were imprisoned in the ship. He would not allow the coal cargo to unload also. That would have brought them some revenue. Passengers were starving without food and water. The Mayor of Vancouver, the government of Canada and that of BC, Local MP Steven all were on the side of Malcolm Reid. Everyday the song, " White Canada Forever" was sung by the people at the seashore. Sikhs of Vancouver collected $20,000 and the shore committee gave 10,000 Hong Kong Dollars to pay the charter dues, but of no avail.

The Premier of British Columbia, Sir Richard MacBride, stated categorically: " To admit Orientals in large numbers would mean in the end the extinction of the white peoples and we have always in mind the necessity of keeping this a white man’s country. " - The Times, London May 23, 1914

Mr. J. Edward Bird, the attorney of Khalsa Diwan Society representing the Kamagat Maru and shore committee was not allowed to see his client Gurdit Singh.

A board of inquiry was set up with Mr. Reid as Chairman and four of his assistants as members. Bird called this board "PROSECUTORS ARE THE JUDGES"

Kamagata Maru began the return voyage on July 24, 1914 at 4:30 A.M.

After this, violence broke out in Vancouver. Bela Singh Jain an informer and agent of Hopkinson pulled out two guns and started shooting at the Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara. He murdered Bhai Bhag Singh, President of the Society and Battan Singh on Sunday September 6, 1914. Bela Singh was charged with murder, but Hopkinson decided to appear as witness in his case. On October 21, 1914, Mewa Singh, Granthi of Khalsa Diwan Society shot William Hopkinson in the Assize court corridor with two revolvers. Mewa Singh was hanged on January 11, 1915. In the court of Judge Morrison, Mr. Wood the attorney of Mewa Singh in his statement said, " The Sikh community felt that Hopkinson was in part responsible for the failure of the plans to land the Sikhs aboard the Komagata Maru. He was born in India (English Father and East Indian mother). He could speak Indian languages fluently. He established a ring of informers to report about the activities of the Sikh community. Bela Singh Jain was his chief informer and an employee of Immigration department. He acted as a victorious lord over his community and was backed by his boss Hopkinson". Mewa Singh made a historical statement in the Court:

" My religion does not teach me to bear enmity with anybody, nor had I any enmity with Mr. Hopkinson. He was oppressing poor people very much. I, being a staunch Sikh, could no longer bear to see the wrong done both to my countrymen and Dominion of Canada. This is what led me to take Hopkinson’s life and sacrifice my own life. And I, performing the duty of a true Sikh and remembering the name of God, will proceed towards the scaffold with the same amount of pleasure as a hungry babe goes towards his mother. I am sure God will take me into His blissful arms."

None of the passengers, who were from Hong Kong and Singapore, were allowed to land in Hong Kong or Singapore. The ship finally arrived at the Budge Budge harbor about 27 Kilometers downstream from Calcutta on September 29, 1914 at 11:00 A.M. The passengers were ordered to board the train that would take them to Punjab. The Sikhs refused to obey, as they wanted to stay in Calcutta to pay back the funds that they owed the owner of the ship. They left the ship in procession with Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in their midst. The Police and some army fired at them killing 18 men and wounding 25. Gurdit Singh and 28 more people escaped. The rest were rounded up and sent to Punjab.

In the meantime the Government of Canada decided to acquit Bela Singh. It was a political decision. In the words of Justice Morrison: " They threatened and killed Inspector Hopkinson…..therefore, justice must acquit a murderer like Bela Singh because he was a stooge of Hopkinson". What a justice!

IMMIGRATION:

• In the 26 years from 1920 to 1945 inclusive, only 675 East Indian Immigrants entered Canada.
   
• By the late 1940’s Canada had fewer than 2000 Sikh residents mostly in British Columbia.
   
• In 1951, authorization from Ottawa allowed a quota of 150-immigrants/year plus spouses and children upto the age of 21 years. In 1957 this quota increased to 300 persons/year.
   
• In the 1960’s ranging from more than 500 in 1962 to well over 2,000 in 1965.
   
• In the beginning, Sikhs who came to British Columbia worked at railway construction and heavy labor projects, in lumbering, on dairy farms, fruit farms, in logging operation and small businesses of retail nature. 75% have been occupied in production and processing of forest products. Others have become merchants, teachers, nurses, civil servants, engineers, lawyers and doctors.
   
• The official 1961 Census showed 6,774 people of East Indian origin in Canada with 4,526 residing in British Columbia. About 95% of the East Indians in Canada are Sikhs.
   
• A million-dollar community center was built on Marine Drive in Vancouver in 1967. There were nearly 10 Gurdwaras in Vancouver by the end of 1967, which have risen to nearly fifty Gurdwaras and Sikh societies now. The total number of Sikh societies and Gurdwaras in Canada has grown to be approximately 110.
   
• Sikhs have contributed a lot to the industrial and professional life in Canada. Mayo family in Vancouver, owner of a large lumbering complex has participated in many British Columbia activities. They have encouraged east Indians to improve their knowledge of English.
   
• The late Kapoor Singh Sidhu shared the philanthropies between Canada and India. He provided two scholarships to the University of B.C. and two hospitals for his native Punjab province. He established a Foundation with dividends to be equally divided between B.C. and Punjab.
   
• Dr. Sadhu Singh Dhami, Sikh scholar from the Punjab, came to Canada as an immigrant at the age of 15. He earned a Ph.D. degree in philosophy from the University of Toronto. He wrote "The Sikhs and their religion: A struggle for Democracy"
   
• Dr. Jarnail Singh of Toronto has translated Guru Granth Sahib in French.
   
• Sardar Pritpal Singh Bindra of Toronto translated many of Guru Nanak Dev ji’s hymns into English.
   
• Sikhs are very active politically. There are a number of Canadian of Sikh origin in political field.
   
• Gurbax Singh Malhi is an MP from Bramlea-Gore-Malton area for the past two terms;
   
• Mr. Harbans (Herb) Singh Dhaliwal, MP from Vancouver south area and a cabinet minister for the past term;
   
• Ujall Singh Dosanjh, Premier of British Columbia;
   
• Manmohan (Moe)Singh Sahota is Minister of Environments land and parks in the province of British Columbia;
   
• Harbhajan (Harry) Singh Lalli is a member of Parliament from Vancouver

AND NOW IN CANADA

[Not a part of Lecture]

[With courtesy: http://www.centennialfoundation.org/]

Celebrating a Century of Sikh Accomplishments

"The Centennial Foundation was formed in 1997 in commemoration of the centenary of Sikh settlement in Canada. The history of Sikhs during that century has been a largely forgotten episode in the epic that is the story of the evolution of Canada. Yet, the story of Sikhs in Canada has been a testament to the heroic contributions of all immigrants to nation building. In   the face of colossal adversity, anti-immigration laws and riots aimed at keeping Sikhs out; disenfranchised and unable to join most professions and to own land in most areas until 1947; prevented from wearing their articles of faith - Sikhs have produced premiers, formidable entrepreneurs, athletes, poets, artists and everyday Canadian citizens proud to brandish the maple leaf and display their love of their faith.

It is this spirit that the Centennial Foundation celebrates every year at Vaisakhi. Every year Centennial honours individuals who have truly excelled in all walks of love. These individuals have reached their pinnacle of success because of the daily excellence of each Sikh- of the community without whose support and toil the "achievers" would be lesser people. This is their story and our triumph."

Mission Statement

• Promote an awareness and understanding of Sikh milestones and organize the celebration of major Sikh events.
• Make Sikh heritage and history accessible to Sikh youth, in particular, and to the Canadian community at large.
• Promote an understanding of the Sikh way of life among the Canadian community at large.
• Foment leadership training within the Sikh community that is based on core Sikh tenets of democracy, mutual respect and selfless community service.
• Create and foster a positive and accurate image of Sikhs in the media.
• Celebrate the participation and excellence achieved by Sikhs in all aspects of civil, social and cultural life, and to honour non-Sikhs as well who have lived their lives in accordance with Sikh ideals.
• Foster an appreciation and patronage of and support the development of Sikh art and culture.
• Produce and disseminate high caliber educational resources to promote knowledge and appreciation of Sikh history and tradition.

Saturday March 30, 2002 6:00pm
Airport Marriott Hotel
901 Dixon Road, Toronto
$125 per person

The Centennial Foundation seeks to showcase the achievements of Sikh-Canadians-a dynamic community of 300,000 individuals. The Banquet will be attended by approximately 700 people.

The Banquet will celebrate the music and poetry of the Sikh tradition. Sikhs are beneficiaries of a 6,000 year old culture that resonates with its own distinct sounds. Many young artists are establishing a renaissance of this tradition-embellished by a contemporary world beat sound.

In the tradition of the five previous highly successful events, the Banquet will feature art exhibits and entertainment by the new generation of Sikh-Canadians. In addition, individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Canadian society will be honoured. In the past, honorees have included Chief Justice Roy McMurtry, Justice Wally Oppal, the Honorable Herb Dhaliwal- Federal Fisheries Minister, humanitarian June Callwood, academic- Dr. Nikki Singh, artist- Surinder Kaur Dhaliwal, banker Sarbjit Singh Marwah, CFO, the Bank of Nova Scotia, athlete-Emanuel Sandhu and award winning authors- Michael Ondatjee and Shauna Singh Baldwin; just to name a few.

The imperative of maintaining the distinct form of the Khalsa has always played a key role in the history of Sikhs in the Diaspora. Indeed, there has not been a single year since the first settlement of Sikhs in Canada in 1897 that Sikhs have not been asked to stand amidst the lions and prove again their commitment to their faith. The battle at first was for the basic right of recognition. It was only in 1947 that Sikhs were granted the right to vote. With the modern immigration wave, came the quest for recognition as full-fledged Canadians. In the 1970's and 1980's, court challenges became a right of passage in Canada even though the issue had been debated ad nauseum in the courts and legislatures of England and the United States. The usual arguments-tradition, safety and lowering of standards- were rebutted by reference to the newly enacted Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, as quickly as one jurisdiction recognized the right of a Sikh to wear a kirpan or the turban, another would deny the same rights elsewhere.

A lightning rod for the visceral battles fought by Sikh-Canadians to define, in essence, the freedoms associated with being a Canadian, was the turban issue in the RCMP. Baltej Singh Dhillon (Centennial Award recipient in 1999), a Sikh raised in Malaysia, was denied entry into the RCMP because of his refusal to remove his turban. Despite a hostile reception, including death threats, constable Baltej Singh Dhillon held his ground with great aplomb. His conviction was buttressed by a legal victory in the Federal Court of Canada.

SIKH DIASPORA IN USA

• According to the Report of the Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census – 1890, 2000 "Foreign born person" claimed India as their place of birth. Pre- 1907 most of the immigrants were urban, educated Hindus from India
   
• Beginning 1907, most of the immigrants were Sikhs and Muslims from rural areas.
  - Some Demographic and Social Aspects of Early East Indian Life in the United States by Harold Jacoby
   
• Except for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (and perhaps the quasi-statutory "Gentlemen’s Agreement" of 1908 with Japan) the United States had no immigration laws directed against specific national or racial populations. But its immigration laws did spell out a number of physical, psychological, economic and philosophical characteristics which rendered individuals as individuals unwelcome in this country.
  - Sidney Kansas, US immigration, Exclusion, and Deportation, New York: Washington Pub. Co., 1928, 5-14
   
• Prior to 1907 rejection rate of applicants from East India was 10%
   
• From 1907 –1914 inclusive rejections rate rose to 33%
   
• In the years 1909, 1911, and 1913 the rejection rate went up to 50% or higher.
   
• Far from it being a secretly employed operation, the Bureau openly boasted of its methods and the high degree of success attained. In his annual report of 1910, for instance, the District Commissioner at Seattle reported:
   
• "A number of Hindus have applied for admission to the United States through this district during the year just passed. Every Hindu has been rejected by a board of special inquiry on the grounds of belief in polygamy, likely to become a public charge, doctor’s certificate, or as an assisted immigrant."
  - Some Demographic and Social Aspects of Early East Indian Life in the United States by Harold Jacoby
   
• Between 1920-1930 as many as 3000 Sikhs entered United States.
   
• From 1933-1945 only 17 East Indians were officially admitted to United States
   
• Census of 1950 identified 2649 East Indians living in the United States.
   
• In 1910, overwhelming majority of immigrants from India were Sikhs (nearly 90%); whereas in 1950 they were not much more than 50%
   
• First Sikh Organization was The Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society organized in the spring of 1912. Later in that year they purchased a house in Stockton to serve as a Gurdwara. A second Gurdwara was established in El Centro in 1948. They participated fully in the revolution to free India from British along with the Ghadar (Revolution) party.
   
• Early Sikh immigrants had to face legal, social, economic and even physical barriers to material success. They were not allowed to bring their spouses from Punjab, and if they married an American citizen, she would loose her citizenship by such marriage. The Aliens ineligible for citizenship could not buy, own, or lease agriculture land.
   
• Chakravorti drew this conclusion in his Ph.D. thesis in 1968: "Sikh community in El Centro is "dying" in cultural sense, since the hold of its ethnic subsystems is slipping from the second generation."
  - Chakravorti, Robindra Chandra, "The Sikhs of El Centro: A Study in Social Integration", Ph.D. thesis, University of Minnesota, 1968.
   
• They battled for citizenship and lost. Men and women applying to the county clerk for marriage licenses had to be of the same race, had to look alike, and most often it was Hispanic women who satisfied that requirement. Their offshoots were called Mexican-Hindus.

  California’s South Asian population was 1,873 in 1930 Census, 1,476 in 1940, 815 in 1950. Karen Leonard, Professor at University of California analyzed 378 couples. She found that 80.4% were married to Hispanic girls; 12.7% to American Whites; 4% to Blacks; 2.4% to Indians; and 0.5% to American Indians. i.e. Only 74 out of 378 wives were non-Hispanics. The first recorded marriage was in Imperial County in 1916; most Punjabi (or Sikh)-Hispanic marriages took place in 1920’s. The prevalence of the term ragheads led almost all of them to take off their turbans. Many wives preferred them to be turban-less (Sekhon 1983; Garewal 1982; Shine 1983). "Those Hindus learned – one of them stood there and talked Hindu to his brother, Mexican to his wife and English to me." No one used the term Sikh to describe them. They were known as Hindus.

• A common question at job interviews has been: " Are you prepared to adopt the American dress?"
  The real question is: "Are you prepared to cut your hair?"
   
• In 1978 an American Sikh citizen accompanying his wife at her naturalization was ordered by the US District Court Judge to remove his turban or leave the court.
  - Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio Volume 108, No. 138, November 15, 1978, Page 1
   
• In 1982 an American Sikh was told by his employer to comply with a new safety policy by getting himself clean-shaven.
  - San Francisco Examiner, California, August 13, 1982
   
• In 1990 a Sikh child in Ohio was not allowed to play basketball in his middle school just because he wears a turban.

Most of the Sikhs started life in America as farm laborers, many of them finally became landowners and successful farmers. In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund became the first East Indian born person to be elected to the US House of Representatives. At present Amarjit Singh Buttar is perhaps the only turbaned Sikh who holds elected public office. He got elected in December 2001 to the Vernon, Connecticut Board of Education for a four-year term. He has also been recently selected as the Chairman of the Board. A number of Sikhs, who came in 1960’s, got higher education at various Universities in USA. Many of them are now Department Heads or Deans at various Universities. A number of Sikhs are physicians of high repute in almost all specialty fields of medicine. Hundreds of Sikhs hold managerial positions in engineering fields in various engineering firms including the technology and automobile industry. Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany is known as the father of fiber optics because of his exceptional research in this field. He also established a Kapany Chair of Sikh Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998.

End of Lecture.

The wonderful part of "An Evening at the Oakland University" was that, the following Sunday (10th March '02), the class was invited to the Sikh Gurdwara, Rochester Hills, Michigan, where a special diwan was held to acquaint the students with our Sikh system of congregation and langer. The students, along with Charles Mabee and a couple of guests, were present in the Diwan. They listened to a number of specially selected hymns from Gurbani, with their translations rendered by Sr. Kuldeep Singh. After the langer, the visitors commented that this was a very rich and enlightening experience which enhanced their understanding of the Sikh religion and culture. But for us, these students are going to contribute, through their educational programmes and writings, towards building the future image of the Sikh Community in North America.

In his speech at the Rochester Hills Gurdwara, Sr. Kuldeep Singh also acquainted the students with the teachings of Guru Nanak, which opposed the concept of slavery, racial discrimination and inequality amongst either sex, five hundred years ago. America has strived in the past century (but limpingly) to become successful initially in some states earlier, and recently in the entire country. According to the Statistics, he showed that the three amendments to the Constitution of America, which were proposed at a particular time, took many many years for all the states to ratify. In fact, the slow process indicates how reluctantly these laws must have been accepted. Therefore the "Sikh Philosophy", if taught as an alternative media on these issues, will enlighten the public mind of the country, which will hasten up the freedom from the slavery of every sort.

Amendment XIII -- Slavery Abolished

• Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction..

This amendment was proposed on January 31, 1865. It was ratified in most states in  Feb, 1865, but ratfied in Texas on Feb 18, 1870, in Delaware on Feb 12, 1901, and in Kentucky on Mar, 18 1976, to mention a few states.

Amendment XV -- Race no bar to vote

• The right of citizens of the United States to vot shall not be denied or abridged by the United Staes or by any State on account of race. color, or previous condition of servitude.

This amendment was proposed on Feb 26, 1869, but ratified in most states in March 1869, in New Jersy on Feb 15, 1871, in Delaware on Feb 12, 1901, in Oregon on Feb 24, 1959, in California on Apr 3, 1962 and in Kentucky on Mar 18, 1976, to mention a few states.

Amendment XIX -- Women's sufferage

• The right of citizens of United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

This amendment was proposed on June 4, 1919, but ratified in most states from June 10, 1919 thru Jan, 1920, in Georgia on Feb 20, 1970, in Louisiana on Jun 11, 1970, in North Carolina on May 6, 1971 and in Mississipi on Mar 22, 1984, to mention a few states.