Head Priest Giani Gurjit Singh recites hymns from the Sikh Holy Scripture as members of sangat (community) listen. (Courtesy of Jaspreet Singh, Community Development Director for Sikh Youth Alliance, Inc.)
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Saheba Kaur Dang said her brother was bullied in school for wearing a patka.
“It’s a bun of hair on the top of your head covered by a cloth,” she explained. “Students, when we were young in elementary school, would often call it a tomato or a potato [and] try picking at it … which would lower his self-esteem and make him feel more insecure.”
Dang, a junior at Monroe Township High School, said that is why she is glad to see the New Jersey Department of Education approve a curriculum about Sikhism for schools.
“This can prevent discrimination in future years amongst students,” she said, adding it will also make Sikh students feel more inclusive in their society while creating awareness about Sikhism. “Overall, it’ll promote inclusivity, awareness and help build a more harmonious society within schools as well. And this will make Sikh students especially feel less marginalized and safe.”
Approximately 100,000 Sikhs live in New Jersey, according to resolutions that unanimously passed the Legislature in 2023, which urged the New Jersey Department of Education to incorporate lessons on Sikhism in social studies curriculum.
Sikhism dates back to around 1500 C.E. in the Punjab area, where current day India and Pakistan are located. It was started by Guru Nanak who began teaching a faith that was distinguished from Hindu and Islam. The religion is based on the teachings of Nanak and the nine successive gurus that followed him.
One of the tenets of the faith is Kesh. It is why men and women do not cut their hair. It is viewed as a mark of holiness and submission to God. Sikh men wear facial hair and turbans as a commitment to their faith. Some Sikh women also wear a turban.
According to a 2024 study from the Sikh Coalition, Sikh students were bullied at higher rates than compared to a decade earlier.
Sikhs have particularly faced discrimination after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Saheba said her father was mocked and called “Osama bin Laden” while in college.
“Sikhs aren’t even considered as a separate religion when being talked to or looked at,” she said. “People just don’t have the acknowledgement and recognition of this.”
There have been recent efforts to push for greater visibility and awareness by Sikhs in America.
The Department of Education collaborated with the Sikh Youth Alliance as part of its professional development webinar series, titled “More than just a month,” to demonstrate how to integrate the lessons during commemorative months.
They did a presentation on integrating Sikh American history into social studies last April and made it available on their website as a resource, along with other lessons focused on integrating diversity in lessons.
Dang said she assisted putting the materials together, including designing a couple of coloring pages for elementary school students.
“This kind of education during school time would help us and our society as a whole immensely,” she said.
It will be up to the schools on whether the materials are integrated.
Michael Yaple, spokesman for the Education Department, said the department only sets the state’s academic standards that outline what students are expected to learn on each grade level in nine subject areas.
“Local school districts are responsible for determining the day-to-day curriculum that helps students meet the state standards,” he said.
The Legislature in recent years have required districts to include instruction related to diversity and inclusion.
In 2022, they specifically required schools to include Asian American and Pacific Islander history and contributions into lesson plans.
Jasleen Kaur, a Burlington County resident, said it would be “an amazing thing” to have lessons on Sikhism included in social studies when her son begins kindergarten. She said it’s “a great religion” to learn about overall, but acknowledges the inclusion comforts her personally.
“[It’s] less fear for me at the backend,” she said. “We aren’t going to be getting as many bad looks or comments or so on [and] people will finally start to understand.”