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Simran Jeet Singh

16 Apr, 6 tweets, 2 min read

Sources on the ground have confirmed that at least four of the eight people killed in the mass shooting last night identified as Sikh.

If you don't know what that means, you're not alone. But it's also not too late to learn. theconversation.com/who-are-the-si…

Sikhs make up the world's fifth largest religion with nearly 30 million followers worldwide. Yet, few people seem to know about Sikhi.

So let me offer a few basic insights as a practitioner and scholar.

Guru Nanak founded Sikhi about 500 years ago in the South Asian region of Punjab. He saw a world suffering from inequity (eg, patriarchy, casteism), much of which was institutionalized by religious leadership.

He rejected these norms and established a new path based on oneness.

Guru Nanak fiercely believed in the oneness of all creation and therefore, the interconnectedness of all beings. And he believed that enlightenment came from our awakening to this reality.

"All beings have the same Creator. Let me never forget that One." -- Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak taught that one who truly saw the creation as divine would devote their lives to serving those around them. Sikhs call this commitment to justice 'seva,' and it's a beautiful tradition that's alive and well today.
nytimes.com/2020/06/08/din…

The impulse of service (seva), in Sikhi, comes from a recognition of oneness and love. If I am you, and you are me, of course I would want to reduce your suffering however I can. We are all connected. Our happiness and liberation is intertwined.

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More from @simran

Simran Jeet Singh

@simran

26 Jan

Indian farmers are leading the biggest protest in human history.

They are demanding dignity and justice in the face of increasingly harsh policies that favor corporations.

It's inspiring to see them protest with such vigor and resolve. #HistoricTractorMarch

These protests are about farmers, the people who feed all of us. They labor everyday to serve their communities, and what do they get in return?

Instead of supporting them, their government pulls the rug out from underneath yet again? That's not right.

The protests are about the fair treatment of India's farming community, and it's also about more than that, too. The pandemic has shown us that there are two economies. essential workers across the world are suffering.

Read 6 tweets

Simran Jeet Singh

@simran

15 Dec 20

Indian farmers are leading the largest strike in human history.

They are fighting new laws that hurt the working class and decades of government abuse and neglect that has had disastrous results on their health, environment, and economy.
cnn.com/2020/12/11/opi…

Tens of thousands of farmers have marched to the Indian capital of New Delhi from neighboring states to protest this new legislation that hurts small farmers and benefits large corporations.

They have endured police brutality in response to their non-violent protests.

The current situation may feel like déjà vu to those familiar with modern Indian politics. The lives and livelihoods of Indian agricultural workers -- who make up more than half of India's workforce -- have long been secondary to the national interest of feeding the masses.

Read 33 tweets

Simran Jeet Singh

@simran

30 Nov 20

Today, Sikhs around the world are celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhi.

Here's a bit of background on who he is and why we continue to honor him today.

Born in the humble village of Talwandi, Punjab, in 1469, young Nanak found himself dissatisfied with the inequities, hypocrisies and general unhappiness he observed all around him.

He ultimately decided to establish a new religious tradition, Sikhi (in English, Sikhism), a tradition that continues to flourish more than five centuries later.

Today Guru Nanak’s followers comprise the fifth-largest world religion, numbering nearly 30 million around the globe.

Read 17 tweets

Simran Jeet Singh

@simran

23 Jun 20

Racists trashed a Sikh-owned Indian restaurant in Santa Fe, NM, scrawling hate speech like "F*CK ISIS" and "I HATE SAND N*****S"

It just breaks your heart. Immigrants come with dreams in their hearts. They work so hard. And this is how they're treated. It's just not right.

Among the items stolen or damaged include supplies that they would use to create weekly care packages for downtown’s unhoused population, including food, hygiene products, and cash out of their own pockets.
sfreporter.com/news/2020/06/2…

Unsurprisingly, the racists invoked the racist-in-chief in their vandalism of the restaurant.

Tr*mp is destroying this country. We must do everything we can to vote his ass out of office.

Read 7 tweets

Simran Jeet Singh

@simran

6 Jun 20

Look at Berlin SHOWING UP for racial justice.

The movement is truly global. #BlackLivesMatter

Sydney, Australia showing up for racial justice. #BlackLivesMatter

London SHOWED UP for racial justice #BlackLivesMatter

Read 4 tweets

Simran Jeet Singh

@simran

5 Jun 20

Officers in Buffalo, NY shove older man to ground.

His head hit the ground, he lays there bleeding.

Cops just stand around looking at one another.

Why do cops attack racial justice protestors?

religionnews.com/2020/06/04/we-…

Spokesperson for Buffalo PD says the man tripped and fell.

The video clearly shows Officer Aaron Torgalski shoving him to the ground.

Now do you get what we've been saying about the police being too violent?

Read 5 tweets

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