American Sikhs number nearly 500,000 people and account for 0.1% of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

population as of 2021, forming the country's seventh-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, especially in the Central Valley, followed by New York and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

is a religion originating from medieval India (predominantly from the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

region of modern-day

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

) which was introduced into the

during the 19th century. While most American Sikhs are

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

, the United States also has a number of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism. Sikh men are typically identifiable by their unshorn beards and

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promin ...

s (head coverings), articles of their faith. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and subsequent other terrorism related activities by Islamic groups, Sikhs have often been mistaken as Muslims or Arabs, and have been subject to several

hate crimes A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

, including murders. Sikh temples have also been targets of violence due to being mistaken for mosques. A 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in

Oak Creek, Wisconsin Oak Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Milwaukee County, it sits on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and is located immediately south of Milwaukee. The city is one of the fastest growing in Milwaukee County and ...

garnered national and international attention, with then President Obama ordering flags to be half-staffed at all federal buildings.

Demographics

States

Approximately half of all American Sikhs live in California.

Counties

Communities

Areas with prominent Sikh populations include the Richmond Hill neighborhood of the New York borough of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, as well as Yuba City, California, southwest

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

Stocktown Stocktown started out in the late 1990s as a collective documenting all aspects of street culture via an online magazine, documentaries, exhibitions, music- and film festivals. Stocktown was founded by Teddy Goitom, and is based in Stockholm, Swe ...

, Carteret,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American customs ...

, and Millbourne,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Richmond Hill is often referred to as "Little Punjab" due to its large Sikh population. In 2020, the stretch of 101st Avenue between 111th and 123rd streets was renamed Punjab Avenue (ਪੰਜਾਬ ਐਵੇਨਿਊ) and the stretch of 97th Avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and 117th Street was renamed Gurdwara Street. The stretch of Grant Street in Stockton between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Sixth Street was renamed Sikh Temple Street in 2012 in honor of the centennial of the founding of the

Gurdwara Sahib of Stockton Gurdwara Sahib Stockton is a gurdwara located in the city of Stockton, California. It is notable for being the first Sikh house of worship in the United States. The Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society founded the gurdwara in 1912. History J ...

, the oldest in the United States. In addition to these areas, there is a concentration of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism in Española,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

Occupations

Bhagat Singh Thind v. United States

Sikhs have served in the United States military at least as far back as the early 20th century, when one Bhagat Singh Thind, who though not a citizen joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

and served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Thind requested citizenship at the end of the war, being granted and revoked twice, before finally being naturalized in 1936. Far larger numbers of Sikhs served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and all American wars following. The ability of observant Sikhs to serve in the American military has, since 1985, been compromised by a discontinuation of exemptions to uniform standards which previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their religiously mandated beards and turbans while in uniform. As of 2010, a Sikh doctor, Kamaljeet S. Kalsi, and dentist, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the only Sikh officers to be permitted to serve in uniform with beard and turban. In addition, Simranpreet Lamba was permitted to enlist, with exemption to wear his turban and beard, in 2010 due to his knowledge of Punjabi and Hindi.

Policing

In 2016, the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...

(NYPD) began to allow turbans, subject to standards compatible with unimpeded performance of duty. In 2015, Sandeep Dhaliwal became the first Deputy Sheriff in Texas to wear a turban on duty (Harris County Sherriff's Office). He was shot and killed from behind in 2019 while conducting a routine traffic stop on the Copperbrook subdivision in Houston Texas. In 2019, the

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest ...

changed their rules to allow beards and turbans, joining 25 other law enforcement agencies.

Professionals

Many Sikhs started life in America working in lumber mills, mines, and as farm laborers, with many eventually becoming landowners. Many early Sikh immigrants were restaurant owners. In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian Indian-born person to be elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Elected officials

* Dalip Singh Saund served three terms in the

between 1957 and 1963. He was the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

and the first person of a non-Abrahamic faith to serve in congress. * Preet Didbal was elected to the position of mayor of Yuba City, California in 2017. She is the first Sikh woman to serve as a city mayor in United States history. * Balvir Singh was elected to the

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

Board of Chosen Freeholders,

on November 7, 2017. He became the first Asian-American to win a countywide election in Burlington County and the first Sikh-American to win a countywide election in New Jersey. * City planner Satyendra Huja was elected mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia in January 2012. * Amarjit Singh Buttar was elected in December 2001 to the Vernon, Connecticut Board of Education and won re-election in 2011. * United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina

Nikki Haley Nimrata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American diplomat and politician who served as the 116th and first female governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, and as the 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nat ...

was born a Sikh but later converted to Christianity. *

Ravinder Bhalla Ravinder Singh Bhalla (born January 13, 1974), often simply called Ravi Bhalla, is an American civil rights lawyer, politician, the 39th and current mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. Prior to becoming mayor, he served in the city council of Hoboken, N ...

was elected mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey in November 2017. He is also the first Sikh mayor to wear a turban. * Satwinder Kaur became the first Sikh elected to the City Council of Kent, Washington in November 2017. *

Manka Dhingra Manka Dhingra (born 1973 or 1974) is an Indian-American attorney and politician who is a Washington State senator. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected to represent the 45th legislative district, on Seattle's Eastside in King Cou ...

of Washington became the first Sikh woman elected to a state legislature in November 2017. * Pargat S. Sandhu was elected as mayor of Galt, California on Dec 3, 2019. He became the first Sikh to be elected for City Council and Mayor for the city of Galt.

History

First immigrants

The Sikh Temple in Stockton, California, 1915

Sikhs have lived in the United States for more than 130 years. The first Sikh immigrants to the United States started to arrive in the second half of the 19th century, when poor economic conditions in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

drove many Indians to emigrate elsewhere. Most Sikh immigrants to the United States came from the province of

and came to the U.S. to work on agricultural farms in California, travelling via

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

to Angel Island. In the years just after 1900, hundreds of Sikhs had arrived to work in the lumber mills of Bellingham, Washington. In 1907, 400–500 white men, predominantly members of the Asiatic Exclusion League, attacked the Sikhs’ homes in what is now known as the Bellingham riots. This quickly drove the East Indian immigrants out of the town.

Some Sikhs worked in lumber mills of
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
or in railroad construction and for some Sikhs it was on a railway line, which allowed other Sikhs who were working as migrant laborers to come into the town on festival days.

A big effect on Sikh migration to the western states occurred during

and

, where Sikhs were recruited by the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

to serve for them. Sikhs fought bravely during these wars and began to live in England after their serving period. Among the Sikhs who already lived in America prior to the wars, many Sikhs joined them, mainly during World Wars I and II. Among those who served in the US military include Bhagat Singh Thind in World War I. The first Sikh gurdwara established in the U.S. was the

Gurdwara Sahib Stockton Gurdwara Sahib Stockton is a gurdwara located in the city of Stockton, California. It is notable for being the first Sikh house of worship in the United States. The Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society founded the gurdwara in 1912. History Jawa ...

, in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after R ...

, which was established in 1912 by Baba Wasakha Singh Ji Dadehar and Baba Jawala Singh Ji.

Discrimination after the September 11 attacks

Sikh Freedom Parade and Festival SF Civic Center 2018-06-10

As a result of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, some Sikh Americans have become subject to discrimination, often from individuals who mistakenly believe that they are

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner, was killed on September 15, 2001, due to being mistaken for a Muslim. In a 2011 report to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

, the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...

reported several assaults and incidents of arson at Sikh temples after September 11. All were labeled as

hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

s that resulted from the perpetrators' misconceptions that their targets were Muslim. In August 2012, a Sikh temple in

, was the site of a shooting, leading to six Sikh individuals being killed. On May 7, 2013, an elderly Sikh man was attacked with an iron bar in Fresno, California, in a possible

. On September 21, 2013, Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh professor was attacked in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York, by a group of 20-30 men who branded him as "Osama" and Terrorist". A 2007 survey of Sikh students by the

Sikh Coalition The Sikh Coalition is a Sikh-American advocacy group that defends Sikh civil rights founded in 2001 with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Fremont, California. The Sikh Coalition, was originally named the Coalition of Sikh Organi ...

found that three out of four male students interviewed "had been teased or harassed on account of their religious identity." In 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a national report on the bullying of Sikh children in American schools. The report found that 55.8% of Sikh students surveyed in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

reported being bullied, while 54.5% of Sikh students surveyed in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, reported being bullied. According to the surveys, Sikh students wearing turbans are twice as likely to be bullied as the average American child.

Converts

In the 1960s, due to increased Indian immigration and rising interest in Indian spirituality in the American counterculture, a number of non-Punjabi Americans began to enter 3HO. Prominent in this trend was Yogi Bhajan, leader of the Sikh-related movement

3HO 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), also known as Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere or Sikh Dharma International (not the Sikh Dharm originated from Punjab region of India), is an American organization that started in 1969. It was founded ...

(Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), whose Los Angeles temple was the first to introduce non-Punjabi Americans to Sikhism.

Notable Sikh Americans

* Taegh Sokhey, created the world's first virtual reality Alzheimer's/Dementia tool, entrepreneur, medical researcher *

, Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey * Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 2009–2017 *

Gurbaksh Chahal Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (born July 17, 1982) is an Indian-American internet entrepreneur who is the founder of several internet advertising companies. Chahal founded his first advertising network at an age of 16 and two years later, became a milli ...

, entrepreneur *

Sant Singh Chatwal Sant Singh Chatwal is an Indian American businessman and founder of the Dream Hotel Group where he is chair of the board. He has founded numerous hotel brands including The Chatwal, Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, and Unscripted Hotels, which operate ...

, businessperson *

Vikram Chatwal Vikram Chatwal (born November 1, 1971) is an American hotelier and actor. Early life and education Chatwal was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and his family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the 1970s and then to New York City in the 1980 ...

, hotelier and actor *

Harmeet Dhillon Harmeet Kaur Dhillon (born 1969) is an American lawyer and Republican Party official. She is the former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, and a National Committeewoman of the Republican National Committee for California. She is t ...

, vice chairman of the California Republican Party * Gurpal Samra, Mayor of Livingston, California, 1996 to current; first Sikh elected mayor in the United States * Gurbir Grewal, Attorney General of New Jersey, and former prosecutor of Bergen County, New Jersey *

Ryan Hurst Ryan Douglas Hurst (born June 19, 1976) is an American actor, known for his roles as Gerry Bertier in '' Remember the Titans'' (2000), Sgt. Ernie Savage in '' We Were Soldiers'' (2002), Tom Clarke in '' Taken'' (2002), Opie Winston in the FX dr ...

, actor, converted to Sikhism and uses the Sikh name Gobind Seva Singh * Narinder Singh Kapany, physicist *

Snatam Kaur Snatam Kaur Khalsa ( pa, ਸਨਾਤਮ ਕੌਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, born 1972 in Trinidad, Colorado), is an American singer, songwriter and author. Kaur performs new age Indian devotional music, kirtan, and tours the world as a peace acti ...

, singer, songwriter, and author *

Dharma Singh Khalsa Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ...

, physician and medical researcher in the field of Alzheimer's disease * Harpreet Sandhu, member of the Richmond City Council (California), 2007–2008 * Dalip Singh Saund, member of United States House of Representatives from California's 29th district, 1957–1963; first Asian Pacific American member of Congress *

Arjun Singh Sethi Arjun Singh Sethi is a Sikh American civil and political rights writer, human rights lawyer, and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and Vanderbilt University Law School. Background and career Sethi grew up in Virgini ...

, civil rights writer, political rights writer, human rights lawyer, and professor of law * Balvir Singh, Freeholder,

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

G. B. Singh G. B. Singh is the author of ''Gandhi Behind the Mask of Divinity'', a biography of Mahatma Gandhi and ''Gandhi Under Cross Examination''. Career Singh, shortly after immigrating from India, applied to serve in the U.S. Army in 1979. Although th ...

, author * Bhagat Singh Thind, first turbaned soldier in United States Army; plaintiff in ''United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind'', involving an important legal battle over the rights of Indians to obtain U.S. citizenship *

Harbhajan Singh Yogi Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (born Harbhajan Singh Puri) (August 26, 1929 – October 6, 2004), also known as Yogi Bhajan and Siri Singh Sahib to his followers, was an Indian-born American entrepreneur, yoga guru, and spiritual teacher. He introduc ...

, yogi, spiritual teacher, and entrepreneur *

Waris Ahluwalia Waris Singh Ahluwalia (Hindi: वारिस सिंह अहलूवालिया, Punjabi: ਵਾਰਿਸ ਸਿੰਘ ਆਹਲੂਵਾਲੀਆ, born 1974) is an Indian-American designer and actor based in New York City. His compan ...

, actor and tastemaker * Satwinder Kaur, City council member of Kent,

Simran Jeet Singh Dr. Simran Jeet Singh (born July 25, 1984) is an American educator, writer and activist, who offers comment and analysis on religion, racism, and justice. Singh is a columnist for the Religion News Service, host of the podcast 'Spirited' and a ...

, author and civil rights activist * Satyendra Huja, city council member and mayor of Charlottesville,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

from 2012 to 2014. *

Preet Didbal Preet Didbal is the former mayor of Yuba City Yuba City (Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a city in Northern California and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal ...

, mayor of Yuba City,

; first Sikh woman mayor *

, state senator of

; first Sikh state senator *

Sandeep Dhaliwal American Sikhs number nearly 500,000 people and account for 0.1% of the United States population as of 2021, forming the country's seventh-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California, especially in ...

, First member of the Sikh community in

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...

, to be allowed to wear his turban and beard while on duty as a Harris County Sheriff's deputy. Murdered by a motorist during a traffic stop in 2019.

References

External links

Pioneering Punjabis Digital archive at the University of California, Davis

Sikh Research Institute

Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sikhism In The United States