Civil Rights in Wartime : The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience

This book shares accounts of public and private discrimination involving turbaned Sikhs in America since September 11, 2001, investigates the American legal remedies available to those affected by discriminatory conduct, and compares these remedies to those in other Western societies. It offers a sharp analysis of the legal battles fought by Sikhs in post-9/11 America, and by extension the difficulties many minority groups have faced in protecting their civil liberties in times of war.

In the days, months, and now years following the events of September 11th, 2001, discrimination against the Sikh community in America has escalated sharply, due in part to a populace that often confuses Sikhs, compelled by their faith to wear turbans, with the Muslim extremists responsible for the devastating terrorist attacks. Although Sikhs have since mobilized to spread awareness and condemn violence against themselves and Muslims, there has been a conspicuous absence of academic literature to aid scholars and commentators in understanding the effect of the backlash on the Sikh community. This volume provides a unique window onto this particular minority group''s experience in an increasingly hostile climate, and offers a sharp analysis of the legal battles fought by Sikhs in post-9/11 America. In doing so, it adds a new chapter to the ongoing national story of the difficulties minority groups have faced in protecting their civil liberties in times of war.