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Remembering Guru Nanak: Articulations of Faith and Ethics by Sikh Activists in Post 9/11 America

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Remembering Guru Nanak: Articulations of Faith and Ethics by Sikh Activists in Post 9/11 America religions Article Remembering Guru Nanak: Articulations of Faith and Ethics by Sikh Activists in Post 9/11 America Sangeeta Kaur Luthra Independent Scholar, Los Altos, CA 94024, USA; [email protected] Abstract: This paper explores the role of activism as an inflection point for engagement with religious and cultural identity by younger generations of Sikhs in the US. The response of young Sikh activists and the effects on the community are examined in the context of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. The paper begins with the reflections of a Sikh activist about her personal journey learning about Sikh faith and history, and her activism and personal interests. Important themes that reflect the attitudes of contemporary Sikh activists and organizations are discussed. The effects of the post-9/11 backlash against Sikhs in the US are compared to Guru Nanak’s experiences of and response to violence, strife, and injustice. The social, psychological, and spiritual benefits of service for those who provide service and care are explored in relation to Sikh philosophy, and from the point of view of contemporary cultural and historical studies of Sikh seva (selfless service) and humanitarianism. The paper concludes that many Sikhs, particularly those coming of age in the late 20th and early 21st century, often referred to as millennial and Generation Z, view social justice activism, humanitarianism and Sikh seva as central and equal to other pillars of Sikhism like worship and devotional practices. Keywords: Sikhism; activism; humanitarianism; ethics; faith; millennials; Gen Z; civil society Citation: Kaur Luthra, Sangeeta. 2021. Remembering Guru Nanak: 1. Introduction Articulations of Faith and Ethics by Sikh Activists in Post 9/11 America. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001, commonly referred to as 9/11, Religions 12: 113. https://doi.org/ sent shock waves throughout the US and the world. For Sikh Americans the attacks 10.3390/rel12020113 led to years of backlash against the community leaving many feeling vulnerable and vigilant about the future (Goodstein and Lewin 2001; SALDEF 2019; Sikh Coalition 2009; Academic Editor: Knut Axel Jacobsen Sikh Coalition 2019). In response, the Sikh community, primarily led by younger activists, Received: 28 December 2020 invested in institution-building, community-organizing, humanitarian work, and expand- Accepted: 3 February 2021 ing Sikh participation in American civil and political life (Singh 2008, 2013; Singh 2003, Published: 10 February 2021 p. 211). In addition, the Sikh practice of seva (selfless service) is often used interchangeably with “humanitarianism” as Sikhs increasingly engage in seva around the world (Murphy Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral 2004; Nippoldt 2018). This paper seeks to explore the significance of Guru Nanak’s legacy with regard to jurisdictional claims in of seva and social justice efforts for the current generation of Sikh American activists. The published maps and institutional affil- first part of the paper discusses the reflections of a Sikh activist on her evolving Sikh iations. spirituality, identity, and commitment to social justice activism. This is followed by a discussion of Guru Nanak’s evolving theology within the context of social and political upheaval he witnessed. The dialectic between faith and ethical practice that Guru Nanak articulated becomes the foundation for the development of later Sikh traditions and beliefs, Copyright: © 2021 by the author. and in particular provides a model for Sikh American activists who tend to be part of the Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. millennial and Generation Z cohorts. Ethical practice for many young Sikhs is viewed as This article is an open access article an essential step towards a deeper understanding of and connection with Sikh spiritual distributed under the terms and practices and faith. In addition, contemporary Sikh activists in the US and in the global conditions of the Creative Commons Sikh community tend to support a cosmopolitan or globalist vision, which they believe Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// was also Guru Nanak’s perspective. Finally, in a discussion of recent ethnographic studies, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ one on Sikh seva in India and the US (Nippoldt 2018), one on Sikh seva in the diaspora 4.0/). Religions 2021, 12, 113. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12020113 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2021, 12, 113 2 of 14 ReligionsReligions 2021 2021, 12, 12, x, xFOR FOR PEER PEER REVIEW REVIEW 3 3of of 14 15 (Murphy 2004), and another on Finnish humanitarianism (Malkki 2015), the psycholog- ical, social, political, and spiritual benefits described by study participants are explored prayer in the gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) or at home, and through the celebration of holistically.through prayer in the gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) or at home, and through the the important Sikh holidays like the birth anniversaries of the 10 Sikh gurus, the martyr- celebrationIn order of to the understand important the Sikh dynamics holidays of Sikhlike the philosophy birth anniversar and ethicalies traditionsof the 10 overSikh dom of two Sikh gurus, and other significant milestones like the establishment of the timegurus, and the space, martyrdom we can lookof two to “revitalizationSikh gurus, and movements” other significant theory of milestones social and culturallike the Khalsa (Sikh baptism) tradition. However, millennial and Generation Z Sikh activists view changeestablishment articulated of bythe AmericanKhalsa (Sikh anthropologist, baptism) Anthonytradition. Wallace However,(1956 ).millennial Wallace sum-and ethicalmarizedGeneration practice revitalization Z toSikh be aactivists central in five principleview phases ethical of which their practice reflectedfaith andto be many the a central movement see it principleas equal from to o “a ftraditional their period faith of formsgenerallyand many of worship. satisfactorysee it as equal adaption” to traditional to “a periodforms of individual worship. stress,” “a period of cultural dis- tortion,”InIn 2015, 2015, “a perioda Sikha Sikh activist, of activist, revitalization” R Kaur,R Kaur, spoke that spoke included with with me “cultural aboutme about her reformulation,” faith her journeyfaith journey and and the finallyand prin- the a 3 ciples“newprinciples that period guidedthat of guided generally her personal her satisfactory personal and professionaland adaptation” professional development (Kehoe development 1989 ,( p.Kaur 122). (Kaur 2015b These 2015b).). fiveKaur3 phasesKaur’s’s re- flectionoutlinereflection on a heuristic onher he ownr own foractivism activism understanding and and the the growing how growing cultures number number adapt of of Sikh and Sikh organizations survive organizations through in in the periods the US US workingofworking stress, on violence,on social social and acculturationand political political issues and/orissues is is culturalhelpful helpful genocide.for for understanding understanding Wallace proposedhow how Sikh Sikh that activists activists while thinkallthink cultures about about faith, adaptfaith, ethics, andethics, and change, and identity. identity. they When often When we preserve spoke, we spoke, muchR Kaur R of had Kaur their graduated historyhad graduated andfrom defining college from aculturalcollege few years a narratives fewearlier yea andrs (Kehoe earlier had an1989 andinterest, pp. had 121–22). in an working interest Furthermore, in in the working areas holism, of inpoverty the the areas principle alleviation of poverty that and all socialinstitutionsalleviation justice. and of a social community justice. are interdependent, is an important feature of the theory of revitalization.WhileWhile in in high high Sikh school, school, Americans, R R Kaur Kaur responding began began attending attending to post the 9/11the Sunday Sunday backlash, school school embarked classes classes at on at her buildingher local local gurdwaranewgurdwara institutions to to learn learn andmore more embraced about about Sikh activism, Sikh history, history, civil philosophy, and philosophy, political and engagement, andPunjabi, Punjabi, herseva ancestralherand a humani-ncestral lan- guagetarianismlanguage. While. (MurphyWhile her family her 2004 family regularly, pp. 359–60)regularly attended. Given attended worship the retaliatory worship in their in murderlocal their gurdwara oflocal Balbir gurdwara, Kaur Singh wanted, SodhiKaur toonwanted engage 15 September to more. engage Below 2001 more. (sheAnwar Below describes and she Jenkins describeshow her 2018 perspective how), the her bullying perspective was different of Sikh was children fromdifferent her (Sidhu parents.from andher Gohilparents. 2009 , pp. 69–74; Verma 2008, p. 39), the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wiscon- My parents didn’t force a lot on me, other than go to the gurdwara and “keep sin (Yaccino et al. 2012), numerous hate crimes, and persistent discrimination Sikhs have yourMy parentshair and didn’t understand force a wholot on your me, gurusother thanare and go towhat the Babajigurdwara (one and of many “keep experienced in the last 20 years (Sikh Coalition 2009, 2019), and the community’s response, namesyour hairfor Godand understandin Sikh tradition) who youris.” Igurus found are myself and whatalways Babaji wanting (one to of know many it is appropriate to characterize this period as one of revitalization for Sikh Americans. In additionmore,names to so institutionfor I found God inmyself building,
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