Earlier this month I published a column on what I learned teaching Islamic studies in Texas. As I've come to expect from all my columns, this one was met with quite a bit of positivity — and also with quite a bit of hate mail. Some accused me of selling out my Sikh roots, others called me a terrorist sympathizer; others, still, called me some very not nice things. Let's just say that my block button was even more active than usual on Twitter last week.
In response to the misguided messages, I would like to share some thoughts on the anti-Muslim hate Sikhs endure and why I, along with many other Sikhs I know, continue to stand as allies to our Muslim sisters and brothers.
First, I will note that although Sikhs aren't Muslim, we remain frequent targets of anti-Muslim violence. Other scholars and I refer to the process that produces the negative feelings animating this violence as "racialization." This process ties directly to how people perceive our visible identity, including our beards, turbans, and brown skin.
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