Post 9/11 Asian American Religious Racialization

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Post 9/11 Asian American Religious Racialization
After reviewing this week’s reading, I am aware that the survival of a community is determined by the community's ability to express their identity freely. The minority groups fear that declaration of identity might cause hostility from dominant majority. The survival of minority groups depends on their numerical strength. The subsystems can enhance their survival because of the economic strength, the education level and their organizational skills (Sandhu 2).
Ranbir Sandhu article titled Sikhs in America: stress and survival highlights how the Sikh minority in America has changed despite the Sikh presence in America not known to many. Their composition has changed considerably over the years compared to the early years where immigrants faced hostile receptions from the host society. The Sikh community has found acceptance in the host society breaking barriers to economic and social success (Sandhu 3).
To understand the transformation of the Sikhs we need to understand the Punjab language and culture in a chronological classification into three groups. These include the early years of migration, the primary immigrant of 1960 to 1984 and the recent immigrants. These three generations offer insights of the different educational, economic levels during different periods and the host’s attitude and the different stress they faced to survive (Sandhu 6).
I believe that the emergence of strong Sikh communities, converting American and people of African ancestry is visible because it gives Sikhism a multi- racial character. Having a multi-racial character has not provided any relief for Sikhs in America, they still face several barriers.
Sikh immigration to America
The Sikh immigration started in the early 19th century whereby they faced numerous restrictions. Sikhs were mostly workers and agriculturalists in rural areas in California. They faced legal, social, economic and physical barriers, making it difficult to pass their Punjab culture and Sikh religion to the next generation (Burnett 1). According to CNN's reporter Erin Burnett, some of the barriers were lowered because of the need for sp...