By Mallory Simon
They gather to pray. They gather to celebrate a wedding, and they gather to hope for a better future because despite the hardships endured they still believe.”We always pray for the future to be better,” head priest Bhupinder Singh said through a translator.The Sikhs joined at the Gurdwara on 114th Street amd 101st Avenue to celebrate the future at a wedding last Thursday morning. The wedding gave friends and family time to celebrate the positive and forget the problems that have plagued their religious community recently.In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, Sikhs have remained vulnerable to attacks in New York City, particularly areas with large Sikh populations, such as Richmond Hill, where an incident last month left an honorary priest beaten unconscious. The Sikhs are often confused with the Taliban in Afghanistan because of their turbans and beards and sometimes assaulted because of a misconcevied association with Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.Rajinder Singh Khalsa was attacked by five men who allegedly called his turban a “dirty curtain” outside a restaurant in Richmond Hill. Inside the Gurdwara, mothers spoke of times that their children had been called “sons of Osama” and harassed at school.But faith keeps the Sikhs believing.”Our kids, this is our country, too,” Jasleen Sabharwal said. “Our holy book promotes brotherhood for all and to treat everyone equally. We pray for everyone, not just Sikhs.”Inside the Gurdwara, anyone is welcome despite faith, religion, race or creed, the priests said.”The Gurdwara is open all the time for anyone who needs it,” Sabharwal said. “In the kitchen, we will not deny anyone food. You can come here from anywhere and we will serve you. That's what our religion teaches.”Wedding guests arrived for the Anand Karaj, the marriage ceremony, full of colorful dress and high spirits, and one by one took a moment to kneel and pray.”I pray for things to get better,” one Sikh man said. “Nobody understands us, they don't even try. But we're here to celebrate the good, so it overshadows the bad.”Their congregation in the Gurdwara is frequent because to them it is a haven. With their faith, their holy book and their prayers they will always be safe.In the main area, the Darbar Hall, the bride and groom were married with their friends and family beside them in a ceremony rich with color and prayer.And while the celebration for the bride and groom continued, one room over in the kitchen, the atmosphere was distinctly different.”When our children aren't home on time, our first thought is worrying if they've been beaten up,” Sabharwal said. “That's not normal to be a parent's first thought.”Singh said he believes the attacks against Sikhs occur because of common misconceptions about the religion.”Our outfit is very similar to the Muslims, but it is very important to understand our differences,” he said. “We do not cut our beards or hair. However God makes us, that is how we want to be.”The Sikh religion calls for unshaven beards and uncut hair, which the men cover with turbans.Members of the Sikh community have rallied together over the past years to preserve the religious meaning and importance behind the turban. Two Sikh traffic officers had been denied the right by the New York Police Department to wear their turbans on the job two years ago and a Long Island City limousine company had attempted to ban its drivers from wearing turbans. In both cases, with the rallying support from this close-knit community, the Sikhs won major victories and the ability to wear their turbans on the job.The Sikhs who gathered last Thursday to pray and celebrate agreed the biggest challenge is educating people who often do not trust or understand them.Balbir Kaur, who was a professor in India, made it her duty after Sept. 11, 2001 to devote time to educating the public and giving Sikh children a better understanding of their religion and the battles ahead of them.”We've spoken at schools and created pamphlets about our principles and who we are,” she said. “We want to try to steer people away from misconceptions they have. We cannot force people to change their minds but we can make sure to give them the tools to learn.”On any given day at the Gurdwara, one family or one child might have a story of harassment or attacks, Sabharwal said. Despite the most horrific incidents, such as Khalsa's beating, the Sikhs remain optimistic.”Even though we're having to pay our dues, it gives us a chance to educate people, which we would not have otherwise,” Singh said. “We want to think of this as our county, and we hope other people will feel the same about us.”And so despite the fear of being attacked, the Sikhs continue day after day to join at the Gurdwara full of hope for a better future.”Even when other people aren't there for us,” one Sikh said as he rose from prayer, “our faith and hope always will be.”Reach editorial intern Mallory Simon by e-mail at news@timesledger.com.
