Current Events
Of Bandages & Baseball Caps: Obama At The Crossroads
by PREETI KAUR
In the far northern tundra of America, also known as Minnesota, our Gurdwara is housed in the immortal remains of a 1980's McDonald's building. Us Sikhs, we're everywhere, and everywhere we go, we establish our gurdwara, a place of spiritual learning for each disciple of the faith, and literally, the door to the Guru.
When I go to the Gurdwara here in Minnesota on cold crispy Sunday mornings, bow before the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. I do so under the window ceiling originally meant to shine light on the toddlers and tired mothers seeking refuge in Happy Meals. We sit, chaunkrri maar ke - in Punjabi style, if you will - in the same space where hockey teams (hey, it's Minnesota!) would cheer their victories with milkshakes. Our strictly vegetarian langar is made in the same kitchen space which once gave life to french fries and steaming apple pies (and burgers, but sh-hh-hh!) The door where customers would enter this esteemed American enterprise now wears a large American flag - a covert message to the bigoted world: "Please Don't Shoot Us! We May Look Like YOUR Idea of Osama & Co, But We REALLY, Truly Love America!"
I like to imagine this flag pasted on the entry way as a bandage for the real and imagined wounds of Sikhs post 9/11. I will not spend the time here to melodramatically review the horrific actualization of Islamophobia taken out on the bodies of Sikh men with turbans and beards across America, post 9/11 and still today, on taxi drivers, students, and every stripe of turban. I will not dwell on the name, Balbir Singh Sodhi, and implore you to decry his murder, the first hate crime after 9/11, his life amazing in its toil, his death tragic in the mistaken rage. I will not implore you to reach beyond whatever walls you live in and cross into the walls which I live in. I will not declare this a piece on peace.
This is not another bandage.
This may, however, be a baseball-cap-esque, quick cover up.
The recent news that President Obama has decided not to visit the Sikh spiritual heritage site, Harmandar Sahib (or 'Golden Temple' for you purely firangi types) because he does not want any pictures next to brown-turbaned, bearded men, has charged my Sikh-American emotions. The main-stream media says Obama's people claim that America's far right could use these photos as ambush in their collection of data that our secularly Christian President, with Hussain as his middle name, is, in fact, Muslim and therefore a member of America's imagined enemy. The networks report that Obama's handlers were concerned about him wearing a rumaal to cover his head if he were to visit Harmandar Sahib; that he could be confused as a member of the most politically convenient hated-breed in America - Muslims.
There was talk of some corrected baseball cap head covering being arranged for Obama, but even that was too foreign, too risky an ostentation. And so he's apparently cancelled his stop.
To my dear kulchey shop owners in Amritsar, stop the kulchey presses!
Our very earnest Sikh-American organizations have responded with a very earnest request to invite Obama, beg him in fact, to please reconsider and visit our most famous spiritual center. Get us Sikh-Americans a little press on the side, yo! The world must know our deepest pains, as only you can bring forth with a suitable picture of your most handsome presidential self next to our most, turbannest, most beardiest of Sikh representatives in our native Poonjab. We can only explain ourselves with you, O Emperor in a Baseball Cap!
Harmandar Sahib means many things to every Sikh. Something different, but something always special. Under the marble stone where our Fifth Master, Guru Arjan Dev Ji used to sit and give direction on the construction of the Harmandar, is a marble engraving which may touch many American hearts, maybe even President Obama's. It is an etched memorial to Specialist Uday Singh, a 21-year old Sikh-American killed in our most recent war in Iraq. Elsewhere around the Harmandar Sahib compound are other historical tributes to Sikh bravery - the spot where Baba Deep Singh valiantly lay down his head after a prolonged battle; the great Sikh Reference Library, still burnt since the 1984 Indian government onslaught; the hundreds of marble floor etchings with the names of Sikh soldiers who gave their lives to help the Allies in the two World Wars.
Surely all this would charm any Commander-in-Chief. And there is, of course, the most exquisite shine of the actual Harmandar Sahib building, gilded in gold, bathed in prayer for hundreds of years. The first bricks set down for this building were at the hands of a Muslim, Mian Mir, a contemporary Sufi saint and a respected friend of Guru Arjan. In short, Harmandir Sahib is a deeply symbolic representative of true Cosmopolitanism.
America today could learn from the interfaith lessons of Harmandar Sahib.
The gold, the most enamoring aspect of Harmandar Sahib, was not an original part of the building. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Emperor of Punjab during the Nineteenth Century Sikh empire, personally began the gilding of Harmandar Sahib, a full two centuries after it was completed. It was revered even before the gold. In fact, the gold is not Harmandar Sahib's magic. It is just a diversion of the eye, the building's physical allure. The true attraction is the recitation and singing of the Sikh divine scripture within its walls, cleaning the souls which have a chance to take part in the congregation.
The true attraction is the four doors, open to the world. As its name translates, it is the Temple of Everything - Mandar is a temple, and while the colloquial meaning of Har is given as God, this most special word derives from 'hari' meaning green, meaning life, meaning everything.
Anyone who enters this building is a most revered guest, be she the common village woman or the President of the Free World. All are equal, all are lucky guests of the Eternal's walls, to the Temple of Everything. It is not the privilege of Harmandar Sahib or the Sikhs en masse to have anyone visit - king, president, or pauper; rather it is the privilege of every soul who visits Harmandar Sahib.
The rules of respect and deference in Harmandar Sahib do call for one to cover one's head (a hat will not do! the Queen and her demanding colonial pomposity be damned!), and to be barefoot. And what of this? These are traditions of respect which have spanned centuries.
Is our democratically elected president so stuck in the patriarchal traditions of yesteryear, with an American twist, that a baseball cap type of covering is necessary? Are our Sikh selves too embarrassed to ask for our rules of protocol and decorum to be followed? Do we feel like we're asking too many favors, already, for letting us exist as we do? If President Obama were to visit the little gurdwara in Minnesota, with no gold gilding except the skeleton of America's dear McDonald's, he would be requested to cover his head in the exact same way as we request all guests. It would be his privilege to hear the words of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It would not be the privilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji to have his presence.
I can say this confidently as a Sikh and as an American.
As Americans, do the outer-shells matter so much in this day and age, that we cannot pull ourselves to accept the traditions of respect practiced for centuries by faiths far removed from Christianity? As Sikhs and Sikh-Americans, do we use bandages to cover all our wounds, tape-shut our mouths in case we may demand too much understanding in this world?
I hope President Obama visits Harmandar Sahib if he himself wishes to, if it fits within his packed itinerary, if his safety is secure, and if he is able to keep with the basic etiquette established centuries ago. He will still have my vote in 2012 either way, and I will still vehemently try to convince my Republican relatives to vote otherwise, but as we all know, love is thicker than politics. I hope that politics though is thicker than bandages and baseball caps.
[Preeti Kaur is a poet currently living in Minnesota, U.S.A., thougfh she is a Californian at heart. She has previously been published on sikhchic.com here: http://www.sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=773&cat=21]
October 26, 2010Conversation about this article
1: Raju Singh (Madison), October 26, 2010, 2:35 PM.
No matter what Obama does or doesn't do, the right wing will always call him a Muslim, every single action he commits will be described as one step closer to a communist country. Why is Obama more sensitive about the Right's feelings than the Left's? After all, it was us who voted him into the White House.
2: Mai Harinder Kaur (Seattle, U.S.A.), October 26, 2010, 3:08 PM.
I am in the minority of the Sikh community on this. Harmandar Sahib is first and foremost a gurdwara, a place of worship. It is not a tourist trap. I have never supported visits by celebrities, whether president or queen or movie star. Any person entering any gurdwara anywhere is a private citizen, an individual, all titles and privileges shed with the shoes at the door. Our protocol is very simple and sensible, easy to understand and practice. Everyone, of course, is welcome in the gurdwara as long as he behaves himself - and follows these rules. If not, there are other places to go and other things to see. We should not lower our standards to accommodate anyone, including President Obama - whom, incidentally, I like and admire.
3: N. Singh (Canada), October 26, 2010, 5:24 PM.
Mai Harinder Kaur ji: Sikhi is built on the Miri and Piri concept which includes the political as well as spiritual arena. A visit by the Head of State from any country, including the U.S., is a significant event and would have provided Sikhs with much recognition as a separate and distinct religion. This is vital to the survival and health of any religious minority. No standards or rules were being 'disobeyed'. It is customary to cover the head and take off one's shoes, however Sikh protocol does not demand a particular 'head-dress' and the concession of a cap or hat for a Head of State is acceptable. I am very disappointed to hear that President Obama will not be visiting Harmandar Sahib. This is not in line with Martin Luther King's vision and his speech "I have a dream". I would have expected President Obama to have displayed the values of courage, integrity and equality which he so openly espoused during his election.
4: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), October 26, 2010, 5:53 PM.
I stand with Mai Harinder Kaur!
5: Kanwarjeet Singh (Franklin Park, New Jersey, U.S.A.), October 26, 2010, 8:19 PM.
Obama, like other politicians, is going to India to bag a deal re jet aircraft - a visit to Harmandar Sahib does not benefit him or his upcoming election. Why do we need politicians and confirmations by heads of state or any so-called VIPs? Did the Guru's ever invite Mughal rulers or Hindu rajas for promoting Sikhi? The way to promote Sikhi is to (a) maintain your identity, and (b) do good deeds without need of recognition, i.e., become a gursikh and the world will know who you are. On a side note, this incident reveals Obama's character - a great leader would have stood up to any such criticism and would have done the right thing, i.e., go to the Gurdwara if he had decided to do so in the first place. Alas, that breed of true leaders does not exist anymore. If you want to follow a true leader, do not forget the one who gave you Sikhi - he never looked for anyone's confirmation or recognition to spread the faith. Do not get carried away by today's politicians and politics - we have been burned many times before due to our naivety.
6: Harman Singh (California, U.S.A.), October 26, 2010, 8:55 PM.
What eloquent prose! I hope you write more. I do not believe Mai Harinder Kaur is in the minority. No concessions need to be made. The Harmandar is an oasis of peace. If he chooses to wander the desert instead of reveling in blissful joy, the loss is his.
7: G.C. Singh (U.S.A.), October 26, 2010, 9:10 PM.
Preeti Kaur has very well articulated the controversy which has erupted in the international media due to cancellation of President Obama's planned visit to the Darbar Sahib. Obama's visit could have provided lot of exposure to Sikhs who are victims of mistaken identity. However, the Darbar Sahib does not need any politician to visit this place of miracles and legends, except as a simple individual. It should be Obama's own decision if he want to go there as a humble pilgrim, pay his obeisance and be blessed at this spiritual center for the entire humanity. Some news reports have also cast aspersions on the role of the Indian government agencies controlled by anti-Sikh elements, who may have raised bogus terrorism and security concerns. We all remember how, on the eve of President Clinton's visit, the Indian government killed 36 innocent Sikhs in Chhitisingpura, Kashmir, to make a political statement against Pakistan. It is well known that these same forces had earlier tried to obstruct the visit of Canadian prime Minister Chretien and Queen Elizabeth to Harmandar Sahib.
8: Pavneet Kaur (Delhi , India), October 27, 2010, 1:39 AM.
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely article. I am disappointed that he would not visit the Darbar Sahib, but then it would be his loss, not anyone else's.
9: I. Singh (London, United Kingdom), October 27, 2010, 6:07 AM.
Mai Harinder Kaur di jai!
10: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), October 27, 2010, 8:56 AM.
Nice Article. I believe that most of the Sikhs and Sikh leaders want President Obama at the Darbar Sahib so that the Sikh turban can be recognized in the world, including U.S.A. where they suffer after 9/11 by being mistaken as Muslim. I would like to request all the Sikhs and Sikh leaders and Sikhs organizations mainly in the U.S., please come together and start teaching the American public and media through arranging talk shows on TV, ads, etc I believe collectively Sikhs have a lot of resources to meet this challenge.
11: Kanwal Prakash Singh (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.), October 27, 2010, 8:58 AM.
How sad that in the media reports that the covering of one's head to honor a faith tradition is being confused with somehow misreading or diminishing one's embraced spirituality and humanity. I cannot help but wonder if the Vatican ever tries to persuade Heads of State, Kings and Potentates, leaders of various religious traditions to visit the holiest center of Christian faith, or do the world's most powerful and ordinary come there for blessings from the moral authority represented by the Holy Father who guards the Throne of St. Peter. I pray that that day will arrive in the near future for the St Peter's of the Sikhs and The Wailing Wall of the Sikhs: The Darbar Sahib at Amritsar where the world leaders as pilgrims would visit the magnificent Golden Temple for what this spiritual heart and soul of the Sikh faith symbolizes: an all-embracing foundation, deeply anchored in unity, universality, equality, justice, human dignity, and service to others without distinction; a place that nurtures the body, mind and spirit of countless millions who come each year to visit or for blessings and leave in humility at the celestial aura of the place. This place is sanctified by their prayers and of many who sacrificed their lives in righteous defiance to uphold the sanctity of the Shrine and Divine mandate of the faith. This is hallowed ground for all humanity. This sacred space under the heavens reverberates with prayers for peace and well-being of all who inhabit the universe; this is a place that embodies and manifests a message of unbound love that the world could use in the incredibly challenging times that humanity is passing through during our watch. May be this hope is a dream but I am hopeful. The power of imagination lies in each of us doing something about it.
12: Mehervaan Kaur (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), October 27, 2010, 7:18 PM.
Preeti Kaur, your writing and thoughts are superb. Enjoyed reading this piece - please keep up the great work. With all due respect, hats off to you, Mr. President! Our future Republican Leader will be honored to visit Harmandar Sahib.
13: G.C. Singh (U.S.A.), October 28, 2010, 12:31 PM.
The "Hope-monger" seems to have succumbed before the "Fear-mongers".
14: R Singh (San Francisco, California, U.S.A.), October 28, 2010, 5:04 PM.
Thank you for this refreshing and thought provoking piece, Preeti Kaur. It is indeed a sad day when even great men like Obama are compelled to bow to fear. Even so, I hope that one day, when he is free from these political games, he does have darshan of Darbar Sahib. There is no other place like it in this world.
15: Savinder Kaur (Puchong Jaya, Malaysia), November 09, 2010, 12:29 AM.
Mai Harinder and Inni Kaur ji: I am with you all. Very well said.