Sikhs

Immigration to North America

Sikhs migrated to North America primarily to escape British colonial practices in India. After a mutiny against the British in 1857, the British started recruiting soldiers in large numbers from Punjab, a province in northwest India in which Sikhs are the majority community. Sikh soldiers from Punjab were sent abroad on a number of missions. In the late 19th century, a contingent of Sikh soldiers went to Canada en route to England after celebrating Queen Victoria's anniversary. [Page 1941]Back home, they spread the news about the huge swaths of land in Canada, which appealed to the agrarian-minded peasants in Punjab. Soon, some of the Punjabis moved to Canada. However, the xenophobic atmosphere and the anti-immigrant stance of the Canadian government led many Punjabis to settle in the United States, mainly on the west coast.

In the United States, however, Sikh immigrants were also subject to prejudice, facing an often hostile and racist atmosphere. This led them to realize that much of this prejudice resulted from the lack of support from their home government. A group of Indians in San Francisco formed the Ghadar Party; the word ghadar literally translates as “uprising.” The Ghadar Party aimed to overthrow the British government in India and attain independence through revolutionary means. The party was inspired by the values of the American Revolution. A number of activists from the party went back to Punjab to fight British rule.

Transcript

• [Music] Meditation and remembrance. Tonight, members of Chicago’s Sikh community gathered to honor those lost in the Oak Creek Temple shooting.
• So I don’t know what is the reason why he was shot. I am very sorry.
• Hardeep Singh is one of many parents who not only has to make sense of Sunday’s killings themselves, but explain it to their children.
• It is hard to explain it to the kids, you know. They are scared; they are just so scared inside, deeply. So I think for kids, it’s not good. [Music]
• That fear tonight galvanized into resolve in the community, coming together in two services: one in west suburban Wheaton, the other in northwest suburban Palatine, where members of many faiths gathered.
• Anybody is welcome at a place of Gurdwara. Nobody can be turned back. That was the whole purpose of the Sikhism: all inclusive, including everyone.
• Everyone, including the alleged shooter, he says; if only he came in peace. Male: I pray to God that people like him have some understanding that eventually, you have to pass on, you have to die, and what have you really accomplished?

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