Turbanology: Guide to Sikh Identity

Issues of mistaken identity have led to race hate crimes, such as the innocent shootings of Sikh worshippers in Wisconsin last August which left six people dead and three people critically injured.  

This important issue is at the centre of a new book entitled Turbanology:Guide to Sikh Identity.  The newly published book unravels the meaning of identity for Sikhs and chronicles the significance of their symbols of faith at a time when they have become misunderstood.

It aims to tackle ignorance by providing a narrative history of the turban, which has been an integral element of Sikh identity since the founding of the faith by the first Guru Nanak Dev ji in 1469.

The issues affecting Sikhs worldwide today have been researched and written by journalist Jay Singh-Sohal who has spent the past three years working on raising awareness of Sikh identity through the Turbanology' Arts Council project. 

“Over the past decade there’s been a decline in how much people understand about why Sikhs look different and it’s manifested itself in horrific ways.  Sikhs have been verbally and physically abused, called names such a ‘terrorist’ and ‘bin Laden’ and suffered because of it.  There’s been a rise in racially motivated hate crimes in Britain, Europe and the United States – most recently in the shocking killings in Wisconsin at a Sikh place of worship.  Even in India, young people are turning away from the physical essence of their faith in order be less conspicuous.”

‘Turbanology: Guide to Sikh Identity’ seeks to raise awareness of the Sikh identity for a non-Sikh audience as well as helps young Sikhs take pride in the ways they look different.

The book also addresses increasing issues of human rights breaches in relation to the observance of Sikh customs. For example, keeping hair is an important part of Sikh observance as it shows submission to the will of God. However, in 2010 EU regulations were introduced which enabled the manual searching of turbans resulting in Sikhs travelling through Europe being harassed and disrespected. Eminent scientist Shaminder Singh Puri is cited in the book, who is currently fighting a case against the Polish Border Guard Service for a breach of his human rights after he was made to remove his turban and place it on a security scanner.  He will hear on 21st December 2012 whether he has won his case.

He  has welcomed the book saying,

"This book is a much awaited resource of very useful information that needs to be made accessible to the general public, but more importantly to those in responsible positions who need to make decisions concerning the well-being of diverse communities."

The book will be released on mobile devices next week and the print edition will be available from 1st January 2013.

Francine Fernandes