Discussion on the Importance of Religious Studies Based on Sikhism Religion Discrimination

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I recently read a story of a young man struggling to live in the post 9/11 world as someone who identifies with the Sikhism religion. People around him were always skeptical about his religion. For instance, he always felt out of place from how his peers treated him. His friends and neighbors were always stereotypical about his religion and thought of him and his family as terrorists. The assumptions preceding the turban on his head made it worse. In his words, they thought of it as disgusting and cumbersome to wear.

This story intrigued me and made me realize how demoralizing it can be to be a victim of a religious stereotype. I understood the importance of respecting people’s choice of religion and not attaching theories and assumptions based on what I thought was factual. Furthermore, this story enlightened me on how each religion is unique in its ways, beliefs, and practices. Through religious studies, I learned that all religions have unique guidelines for carrying out their practices. It doesn’t mean that they are wrong because I do not share in them. This understanding helped me embrace different religions positively and learn from them.

Religious studies enable us to acknowledge that it is not okay to alienate people just because we do not have similar practices in terms of religion. It can be traumatizing and depressing to the victim. We should not be quick to pass judgment on people who we term as different. Instead, we should try and empathize with them and understand how it feels to be on that marginalized side of society.

References

Singh, S. (2021). Fighting for Identity: Stories from Sikh Americans. Sojourners. Retrieved 25 October 2021, from https://sojo.net/interactive/fighting-identity-stories-sikh-americans.