ken hunter

Personally I am considering moving to Vancouver, but I was chatting to my neighbour, Mr Singh about moving abroad. He said he would love to move near some family in Virginia, USA, where they have a large business.

However he said the only thing stopping him, is that he is a practising Sikh, with a beard and turban. He has the impression as a Sikh, he and his family will be mistaken to be muslims, and will get alot of backlash in USA. A mistaken identity situation.

I disageed with him, and said USA is probably like UK, where he feels perfectly safe. But while on this messageboard, i remembered that conversation.

I was just wondering do you really think he would have a hard time??

Or do Americans know the difference between Sikhs, Hindus & Muslims?

robousy

Well, I wouldn't bank on them knowing the difference but its like anywhere.

Go to a big city and it will be cosmopolitan with many different cultures so probably not too much agro.

If they go to a small town then try and stay in the wealthier parts.

Its mostly stupid people who are ignorant and violent and stupid people don't generally have much money so stay away from the poorer places, places which would be considered 'white trash'.

Its like that in england too.

btw college towns are usually pretty peaceful places.

fatbrit

This happened in Mesa, AZ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balbir_Singh_Sodhi

Unfortunately, there are ignorant idiots everywhere.

syllk

And unfortunately, it would appear that that will always be the case.

robousy

Thats so sad, I hate reading about things like that.

India and the surrounding nations have such a rich culture and history, I hate reading about western ignorance and pointless intolerance.

They should punish the perpetrators with a fate worse than death.

anotherlimey

I'm sure it happens elsewhere in the world. For example, I heard of a French journalist who was beaten to death in N. Africa because someone thought he was American - because he had white skin.

britvic

I'v yet to see a Sikh in Virginia! Grow up with a few in Ealing never once had any problem's, nice people Have met the odd few Asians mainly working in a garage and found they like chatting because of my Brit accent, mostly because they have been or know a member of there family in England.

NC Penguin

There are ignorant people everywhere in the world who can't distinguish between the Sikh and Muslim way of dress.

I live one state south of Virginia in NC and in my part of NC, the Triangle, there is a large South East Asian popluation, mostly drawn to the IT and high tech industries in the area. This includes Sikhs. I've seen them in Durham, the city where I live.

There are numerous Indian and SE Asisan grocery stores and many Indian restaurants in Durham, Research Triangle Park (RTP), Raleigh and Chapel Hill. There is a SE Asian magazine named Sathee that I've found in the area and there is a Sikh Gurudwara in Durham.



NC Penguin

Just Jenney

Where in Virginia does his family live?? Surely they would be able to give him an idea about how he would fare living here.

As with anyplace, it really depends on where you live. Some places are more exposed to, and thus more tolerant of, people of races and religions different from the majority.

I grew up in Northern Virginia, about 20 minutes outside Washington, DC. My high school had 1,200 students (the smallest in the county) and there were about 60 nationalities represented in the student population. It was not unusual at all to walk down the hallway and hear conversations in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Farsi, just to name a few. This was a normal part of life that no one gave any particular attention to.

I have now lived in Richmond for the past five years, and have noticed it becoming more diverse practically every year. It's definitely more diverse than it was ten years ago when I was attending the University of Richmond.

Now, if you were go to to a less metropolitan area, you are less likely to see people of different nationalities, races and religions. That doesn't mean that there would necessarily be racism and/or bigotry toward you if you're not white, but the chances are higher than it would be. But that's not restricted to Virginia, nor even to the United States.

~ Jenney