ABSTRACT
The American legal system is unlikely to protect Sikhs from the common form of discrimination verbal insults such as 'bin Laden', 'raghead', and 'terrorist' though the nation's laws may protect Sikhs from a drastic and wide-reaching policy of prohibiting Sikhs from wearing turbans in public schools. Navnit Singh developed a turbaned cartoon character in the hopes that turbans would be seen as something cool. Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia rose in popularity around the same time. He recognized the need to use his position to educate the public about Sikhs. Another Sikh American, filmmaker Valarie Kaur, chose to chronicle Sikh stories. She made a documentary film. Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath, on the backlash against Sikh Americans after 9/11. As Sikhs continue to work to counter the ignorance about Sikh turbans and the apparent link between turbans and terrorism, they will be prudent to explore and expand non-traditional avenues to inform others about their identity and religious teachings.
