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Sukhjinder Singh, practicing Sikh and have lived in the US for almost 20 years. He has spoken at High Schools and Colleges in the Portland area introducing the students to Sikh Religion. He has also gave a presentation to the representatives of various State Agencies as part of Governor Kate Brown’s diversity training initiative, a couple of years ago. By profession, He is an Engineering Manager in the Semiconductor field.
Sikhism is a monolithic religion founded in Punjab in the 15th century.
Sikhs have sometimes been targeted for how they look, particularly after the events of Sept 11, 2001. They are easily identified by the turbans, and beards that they wear. The first person gunned down by a fanatic after 9/11 was a Sikh gas station owner in Phoenix, AZ. His name was Balbir Singh Sodhi. Years later the Balbir Singh’s brother reached out to his brother’s killer in prison and told him that his family had forgiven him!
2012, there was a shooting in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin by a white supremacist, in which 6 Sikhs were killed. The son of one of the persons killed in the temple reached out to another white supremacist to understand what drove their hatefulness and they together founded an organization to understand the causes of violence.
Despite these unfortunate incidents, Sikhs think of themselves as an integral part of the American social fabric and stand against injustice done to any community.