Washington, D.C: A press release by the National Sikh Campaign (NSC) says the NSC arranged a briefing for a report on Sikhs in America for members of the United States Congress at Capitol Hill. Geoff Garin, head of the Hart Research Associates, presented the report for staffers and congress members at the Rayburn House Office Building. Hart Research, which is one of the leading survey firms in the country, conducted a nationwide polling and focus group to understand how Sikhs are perceived in America and what strategies would be helpful to change perceptions. This report was a result of a six-month long, nationwide, data collection operation commissioned by NSC and it was released this January. The report, which has received widespread attention in the media and in academic circles, lists specific messaging techniques which Sikhs could use in their media strategies resonating with American public .
Members of American Sikh Congressional Caucus attended this briefing at the Hill to facilitate a full understanding of the significance of this report and how it would be helpful to the Sikh community to communicate with Americans across the nation.
Geoff Garin, former political strategist for Hillay Clinton and whose current clients include the World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Harvard University, presented the findings on Sikhs. One of the main points taken from the findings, Garin said, was that “Sikhs have to explain to American people what [the] turban means because that is the immediate source of identification. [Sikhs] have to explain what is symbolizes and what values it represents. This will have a very powerful impact [on the broader American public].”
He added, “the study shows that when [people] see Sikhs on the streets anywhere, people are very confused about what [Sikh] faith is and that confusion leads to tragic consequences. They also feel that [they] will not have very much in common with [Sikhs].”
Speaking on the methodology of data collection, he said, “We conducted 1,144 interviews which lasted over 18 minutes. When asked a question whether [a participant] knows a great deal about Sikhs, the number is zero and if you ask them if they know something about Sikhs that number jumps to 40% and when you probe deeper among the 40% respondents, it turns out that they know virtually nothing about Sikhs and Sikhism. 6 out 10 Americans acknowledge that they know nothing at all about Sikhs and Sikhism.” He added “better educated Americans are likely to come in contact with Sikhs. Younger Americans are likely to have some information about Sikhs.”
“Once you show pictures and one out 10 Americans only have some contact with Sikhs or have heard about Sikh faith and that is also mostly in the Eastern United States than in the West. This lack of knowledge leads to suspicion in America and then people act on that,” Garin said.
Congressowomen Judy Chu, founder and vice chair of the Congressional American Sikh Caucus, spoke at the briefing and expressed her support for the Sikh community.
She said, “I’m so glad to see this Hart research report and this certainly is a very significant report about the American perceptions of the Sikh community. Despite the fact that Sikhs have been woven into the fabric of this country for more than a century, this report covers so much of a need to educate our community. And the most significant finding here is that most Americans do not know much about the Sikh community. Though it’s disappointing, it can also be a positive because it can be a way to educate people about Sikhs. It’s an opportunity to tell your neighbors about why Sikhs wear turbans and have long beards and that these are articles of a loving and peaceful Faith. But there’re also some things in this report that show there are issues that need some serious attention. In particular it has to do with the fact that more than half the Sikh children endure bullying in school and this number is worse for children who where turbans…It is important for us to be able to communicate what is happening to Sikh children with regards to bullying, and communicate to a wider audience.”
She further added, “Those are the reasons that I founded this caucus is that I felt that here the voice of the Sikh community really needed to be here in Congress, especially considering the number of things that have happened to the Sikh community post-9/11.”
Congressman John Garamendi, co-chair of the Sikh Caucus, said, “It’s extremely important that the people of the United States and beyond learn and understand the multiple cultures that we have in the United States and in their understanding and their learning about the cultures, we will become much better and much stronger neighbors. The Sikh community has faced some very difficult traumas and troubles and the discrimination that the community…is unfortunately time to time very dangerous. We’ve seen this in our communities in California overtime. Recently two gentlemen were walking down the street and were killed. Why? Probably because they had turbans on. Lack of knowledge and a significant amount of hatred are the reasons why we have to overcome. Your efforts and the efforts of other parts of your community and in other communities are very important.”
He added, “Here in Congress those of us who are members of the caucus we will do as much as we can. What you’re doing here and what you’re doing back there in your communities is where the real strength comes from so we will work as best as we can. We will work with legislation, some of which has been successful.”
He stated, “For me this is a very important issue and I have the determination to address all the issues that you have.”
Dr. Rajwant Singh, Senior advisor to NSC, said, “The ball is our court. This study shows that when we explain Sikhism and the Sikh identity to Americans is closely tied with the values of social equality, gender equity, and has an emphasis on caring for the underprivileged, people warm up to the community. That is what NSC plans to do with a media ad campaign based specifically on this study and the various intricate details input collected from common Americans. This is a treasure trove for Sikhs to communicate with American people in a strategic manner. NSC’s goal is to engage the entire community in this journey.”
Gurwin Ahuja, the co-founder of the campaign said, “Sikh-Americans are proud Americans but have to live a paradoxical reality in which our faith teaches us values that are at the heart of the American ethic — gender equality, racial equality, and religious tolerance — however we are unfairly characterized as “un-American” due to a lack of understanding of our appearance and our practice of maintaining turbans and beards.”
The event highlighted findings from a NSC report, which was conducted to see the specific messages Sikhs need to convey about their faith to be better understood in American society.