For those not in the know, President Obama is currently planning a trip to India, where he will try to strengthen political ties while visiting Mumbai and Delhi. While I take great offense to his exclusion of Southern cities (Bangalore is the technological center of India guys! Come on!!), I can understand why he may have done so. After all, if the Hindi-centric Indian government ignores the importance of the South Indian states, then it's not surprising that our government would do so as well.
What really disappointed me was the government's final decision to not visit the Golden Temple, not because of time restraints, but because of the issue of head coverings. The Golden Temple is a Sikh establishment, and because of this they require that heads be covered when inside as a sign of respect and modesty in this very sacred place. Baseball caps don't work, one must tie a cloth over ones head, as the tying of the cloth is seen as important as it is not easily removed, making the sign of respect a deliberate act. Unfortunately, the modern American public is full of idiots, who are so convinced that our President is a Muslim (why is that even a problem anymore?) that any image of him wearing a turban will cause panic in the streets. It is a sad thing to say, but our society has become so moronic that it cannot realize that people other than Muslims wear turbans, and that many of them probably don't even know who Sikhs are or what they stand for.
I am very much hoping that the President will change his mind and choose to visit this holy and important Indian landmark, for the sake of all intelligent Americans and for the underrepresented Sikh diaspora around the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/world/asia/20india.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=golden%20temple&st=cse
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