Turban Doesn’t Suit Obama
Published in Izvestia
(Russia) on 25 October 2010
by Melor Sturua (link to original)
Barack Obama is scheduled to visit India during the beginning of November. Initially, the American president's route was supposed to be Mumbai, Delhi, then Amritsar. However, after the president's office thoroughly examined this route, the trip to Amritsar was vetoed. Why?
The famous Golden Temple in Amritsar is the dream destination for every foreigner who sets foot on Indian soil. It's like visiting the Taj Mahal. The Golden Temple, a group of buildings made of glittering gold and sparkling marble, is the spiritual center of the Sikh religion. Indians of all religious affiliations revere the Golden Temple as a symbol of the diversity of India's religious beliefs.
How did this temple scare off the White House administration? To enter the temple, Obama must take off his shoes and cover his head, as required by the Sikh tradition. So what? Over the years, many heads of state have done this while visiting Amritsar. In 1997, British Queen Elizabeth II walked around the Golden Temple in stockings. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper covered his head, as required by the Sikh tradition. He drank tea from a metal bowl while sitting on the ground.* And nothing happened.
The Obama administration was not concerned that he would temporarily have to remove his shoes. However, covering his head became a stumbling block. The question, again, is why. Obama is a Christian. Nevertheless, rumors are being persistently and deliberately spread in the U.S. that he is a Muslim. Also, many ignorant people think that the Sikh religion and Islam are the same thing.
The Sikh religion originated in the sixteenth century in Punjab as an offshoot of Hinduism, but soon developed a very definite character of its own. Blinded by ignorance and fueled by anti-Islamic sentiments after the 9/11 attacks, many Americans began to take out their hatred on the Sikhs. The Sikhs became targets of discrimination and violence.
Religious Sikhs don't cut their hair. They wear turbans in public. Those who visit Sikh temples, which are called gurudwaras in India, are required to cover their heads. It must be done properly. Here, a baseball cap just won't do. The head must be tightly wrapped in a piece of cloth. By the way, these "tourist turbans" are sold in shops surrounding the Golden Temple, and are used later as souvenirs.
In the current tense political situation, which is even more heated due to midterm elections, a photo of Obama with a turban on his head is a luxury that the president and his party cannot afford. Consequently, he had to back down in the face of religious intolerance.
The decision to remove Amritsar from Obama's Indian route caused understandable resentment among Sikhs living in India and the United States. One of the representatives of the Sikh community in Delhi stated, "We have worked so hard to establish in America that Sikhs have a very different identity than Muslims. It is very unfortunate that even the White House is conveying the message that there is no difference between Muslims and Sikhs.”
Of course, this inevitably raises another, more serious question: is being a Muslim a crime? Are the half billion Muslims who inhabit our planet entirely made up of bin Ladens? Boastful and giddy confidence in an easy victory has never been considered a serious matter. But now the times have changed. A turban on his head has become a serious threat to Obama, from which even the highly praised White House Secret Service can't protect him.
*Translator's Note: Actually Rahul Ghandi drank tea from a metal bowl, not Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The famous Golden Temple in Amritsar is the dream destination for every foreigner who sets foot on Indian soil. It's like visiting the Taj Mahal. The Golden Temple, a group of buildings made of glittering gold and sparkling marble, is the spiritual center of the Sikh religion. Indians of all religious affiliations revere the Golden Temple as a symbol of the diversity of India's religious beliefs.
How did this temple scare off the White House administration? To enter the temple, Obama must take off his shoes and cover his head, as required by the Sikh tradition. So what? Over the years, many heads of state have done this while visiting Amritsar. In 1997, British Queen Elizabeth II walked around the Golden Temple in stockings. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper covered his head, as required by the Sikh tradition. He drank tea from a metal bowl while sitting on the ground.* And nothing happened.
The Obama administration was not concerned that he would temporarily have to remove his shoes. However, covering his head became a stumbling block. The question, again, is why. Obama is a Christian. Nevertheless, rumors are being persistently and deliberately spread in the U.S. that he is a Muslim. Also, many ignorant people think that the Sikh religion and Islam are the same thing.
The Sikh religion originated in the sixteenth century in Punjab as an offshoot of Hinduism, but soon developed a very definite character of its own. Blinded by ignorance and fueled by anti-Islamic sentiments after the 9/11 attacks, many Americans began to take out their hatred on the Sikhs. The Sikhs became targets of discrimination and violence.
Religious Sikhs don't cut their hair. They wear turbans in public. Those who visit Sikh temples, which are called gurudwaras in India, are required to cover their heads. It must be done properly. Here, a baseball cap just won't do. The head must be tightly wrapped in a piece of cloth. By the way, these "tourist turbans" are sold in shops surrounding the Golden Temple, and are used later as souvenirs.
In the current tense political situation, which is even more heated due to midterm elections, a photo of Obama with a turban on his head is a luxury that the president and his party cannot afford. Consequently, he had to back down in the face of religious intolerance.
The decision to remove Amritsar from Obama's Indian route caused understandable resentment among Sikhs living in India and the United States. One of the representatives of the Sikh community in Delhi stated, "We have worked so hard to establish in America that Sikhs have a very different identity than Muslims. It is very unfortunate that even the White House is conveying the message that there is no difference between Muslims and Sikhs.”
Of course, this inevitably raises another, more serious question: is being a Muslim a crime? Are the half billion Muslims who inhabit our planet entirely made up of bin Ladens? Boastful and giddy confidence in an easy victory has never been considered a serious matter. But now the times have changed. A turban on his head has become a serious threat to Obama, from which even the highly praised White House Secret Service can't protect him.
*Translator's Note: Actually Rahul Ghandi drank tea from a metal bowl, not Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
It is much ado about the “turban” story. And it is nonsense to suppose Obama to be a Muslim. Americans are pretty soon going to witness a resurgent Muslim world through a fast track transition from obscurity into the sunny first world. Americans in America are greatly outnumbered by immigrants, who are fast grabbing opportunities or advancement. Moreover Chinese skilled engineers are laying foundations of the expected transition through building sea ports, rail and road networks, factories and oil refineries throughout the world. Americans future for its economy to grow and sustain lies in similar engagements as of the Chinese. The tone and mode of “America’s self and vital interests” must be changed into bilateral ‘mutual interests.” to its future dealings. The Muslim world might eclipse America in its size and diversity. Its culture is even in the old order is much superior to America’s. Islam is deemed as the fastest growing religion and its strength is a billion-plus. The Quran declares that both Christianity and Judaism would survive and continue to interact with each other. By the way the Quran preserves the True Torah and the Book called “Injeel” bestowed on Jesus Christ.