Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
International

‘First Turbaned Sikh-American Basketball Player’ Goes From Racist Meme To Internet Hero

Darpan News Desk IANS, 12 Dec, 2015 02:42 PM

    Last week a humor page on Facebook posted a racist meme about a turbaned sikh ignorantly calling “Muhammad” and “explosive”. The meme read “Nobody at school wants to guard Muhammad, he’s too explosive,” captured when he was playing basketball.

    The player in question is, however, Darsh Singh, an American born and bred Punjabi living in Dallas, and, in fact, has created history by becoming the first turbaned sikh to play NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball.

     
    The meme was not only a personal attack but also reflects how deeply the stereotype of associating bearded men with Islam and linking the religion to terrorism is ingrained in the psyche of a few.
     
    But Singh’s friend Greg Worthington didn’t brush the joke aside, he spoke out against what he thought was hateful and wrong. He took to Facebook to share his strongly-worded opinion against the hateful meme about his friend.
     
    He wrote: “I know this guy and his name’s not ‘Muhammad’. He’s not Arab, he’s Punjabi. He’s not even Muslim, he’s a Sikh. His name is Darsh Singh and he’s a US citizen, born and bred. That jersey he’s wearing in this pic, it currently sits in a Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC because he made US history as the NCAA’s first turbaned Sikh-American basketball player for Trinity University in my hometown of San Antonio.”
     
     

    Let me tell you why this shit isn't funny. I know this guy and his name's not 'Muhammad.' He's not Arab, he's Punjabi....

    Posted by Greg Worthington on Saturday, 5 December 2015
    "Knowing one or two - or even 15 people different than you - is not enough. You need to be networked with groups of people who are not like you to begin to truly understand just how much this stuff hurts people like Darsh.”
     
    Even better? The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Centre, this week, went on to launch a rather successful social media campaign called ‘I Want to #BeLikeDarsh’ in which people are being encouraged to aim high in life, no matter what their background.
     
    Darsh Singh’s response to the situation couldn’t have been more dignified as he simply thanked people for their love and support, adding: “Sikhs believe everyone and everything has the potential to embody divine love.”
     
     

    Thank you again to all of those who expressed support. Many folks have asked how they can help more than just sharing a...

    Posted by Darsh Preet Singh on Monday, 7 December 2015
    Singh is now a portfolio manager at Satori Capital and a Truman National Security Fellow.
     

    Let's build a better society by understanding our own values and then seeking out opportunities to live in congruence. I...

    Posted by Darsh Preet Singh on Friday, 11 December 2015

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Sikhs In British Town Of Northampton Feed The Poor, Dozens Queue Every Week For Free Hot Meals

    Sikhs In British Town Of Northampton Feed The Poor, Dozens Queue Every Week For Free Hot Meals
    A Sikh leader, Amarjit Atwal, was quoted as saying that the numbers queueing up for the free food had been growing each week.

    Sikhs In British Town Of Northampton Feed The Poor, Dozens Queue Every Week For Free Hot Meals

    Shweta Rathore Becomes First Indian Female Bodybuilder To Win Silver In Asian Championship

    Shweta Rathore Becomes First Indian Female Bodybuilder To Win Silver In Asian Championship
    An engineer by qualification, won silver in the Women's Fitness Physique category and qualified for the World Championship

    Shweta Rathore Becomes First Indian Female Bodybuilder To Win Silver In Asian Championship

    Princeton Professor Angus Deaton Wins Nobel Prize For Measuring Poverty In India

    Princeton Professor Angus Deaton Wins Nobel Prize For Measuring Poverty In India
    Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton's current research focuses on the determinants of health in rich and poor countries as well as on the measurement of poverty in India and around the world.

    Princeton Professor Angus Deaton Wins Nobel Prize For Measuring Poverty In India

    Top Pakistani Leaders Knew About Osama's Presence: Ex-Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar

    Top Pakistani Leaders Knew About Osama's Presence: Ex-Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar
    This is the first time a senior Pakistani leader has publicly admitted what was always suspected -- that the Pakistani establishment was aware that Bin Laden was living in Abbottabad

    Top Pakistani Leaders Knew About Osama's Presence: Ex-Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar

    Amanda Lang Leaving CBC For Another TV Opportunity

    Amanda Lang Leaving CBC For Another TV Opportunity
    Lang joined the CBC in 2009 as one half of "The Lang & O'Leary Exchange," which was renamed "The Exchange with Amanda Lang" after Kevin O'Leary left the show.

    Amanda Lang Leaving CBC For Another TV Opportunity

    From Dubai To Mumbai, Migrants Flock To Bihar To Vote

    From Dubai To Mumbai, Migrants Flock To Bihar To Vote
    Thousands of migrants are flocking to Bihar from far and wide to vote in the assembly elections, an enthusiasm not seen earlier.

    From Dubai To Mumbai, Migrants Flock To Bihar To Vote