Sikhism originated in India in 1469. Although Sikhs are a minority in largely Hindu India, the country elected its first Sikh Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. J.J. Singh, the Indian Army Chief, also is a Sikh.
Sikhs believe in absolute equality for all people without regard to gender, race, caste or religion. They believe in one God common to all. They do not believe in war based on religion, proselytism or fasting.
Men wear turbans to cover long, uncut hair. It is a mandatory part of the Sikh faith and not a social custom. It is not a hat and should never be removed in public.
Due to the turbans Sikhs wear and the relative scarcity of Sikhs, there have been incidents of mistaking Sikhs in Western countries for Middle Eastern men and/or Muslims. This has negatively affected Sikhs living in the west especially with respect to the 9/11 terrorist attack and recent Iraq War conflict.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, some people associated Sikhs with terrorists or members of the Taliban. A few days after the attack Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was gunned down by Frank Roque, who thought that the victim had ties to Al-Qaeda.
CNN suggests that there has been an increase in hate-crimes against Sikh men in the United States and the UK.
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