The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Valarie Kaur and Dawinder "Dave" S. Sidhu

The Pluralism Project
Discrimination & National Security Initiative

Following the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001, several communities within the United States have experienced and continue to endure a prolonged and wanton backlash. Sikh, Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and other American communities have confronted verbal harassment, employment discrimination, physical assault, and even murder. The consequences of this violence extend beyond the targeted communities: the backlash denies the realization of a free and equal society for all Americans, and challenges the embrace of pluralism, the effectiveness of tolerance, and the existence of mutual respect. While the Pluralism Project has long documented instances of discrimination and violence against religious communities, their effects upon these communities and their members need sustained attention. The various manifestations of this backlash, together with the actual experiences of those most immediately targeted, deserve meaningful scholarly attention and the consideration of all American citizens.

In response to the new post-9/11 climate and the need to understand how discrimination, over these years, has impacted Sikhs, Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, and others in the United States, the Pluralism Project at Harvard University has today established the Discrimination & National Security Initiative (DNSI), http://www.dnsi.org. This research initiative, directed by Valarie Kaur, a graduate student and film maker, and Dawinder ("Dave") Sidhu, a civil rights attorney, has two goals: (1) to chronicle the mistreatment of minority communities during times of national crisis in an informational repository, and (2) to present the human consequences of this mistreatment from the perspective of these communities. Valarie Kaur,is currently working on a documentary film, "Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath," a close look at members of America's Sikh community in the aftermath of September 11.

Under the auspices of Dr. Diana Eck and with guidance from a respected advisory board, DNSI will focus sustained attention on issues of discrimination against America's minority religious communities. According to Ms. Kaur, "Many Americans know that hate crimes took place after 9/11. But we, as a nation, have yet to understand the far-reaching impact of such violence or how it continues to divide us. DNSI's database and reports will work to aid scholars, practitioners, and citizens who wish to respond to the problem." Mr. Sidhu noted, "DNSI will present an honest picture of the condition of the communities affected by the post-9/11 backlash, particularly Sikhs, by compiling objective information on existing incidents and more importantly by performing original research on the consequences of this backlash, as told by members of the targeted communities themselves."

DNSI was officially established on December 18, 2004, the 60^th anniversary of Korematsu v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld the forced exclusion of citizens of Japanese ancestry. The dissenting justices warned of the use of perceived race, ethnicity, or national origin as a proxy for suspect qualities, including subversion and disloyalty to the union, during wartime.

Over sixty years later, Sikhs, Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, and others in the United States have been subject to discrimination on the basis of their perceived identity. In addition, reports have surfaced of a backlash against Muslims and Sikhs just days after the July 7, 2005 bombings in London, England. DNSI is therefore cognizant of the need to examine discrimination and its social impact not only since September 11, 2001, but in historical and international contexts that implicate the tension between equality and concerns for national security.

For more information, interested parties, prospective participants and donors are asked to email Valarie Kaur at valarie@dwf-film.com, Dave Sidhu at sidhu@dnsi.org, or visit http://www.dnsi.org.

• Website (www.dwf-film.com)
• Pluralism Project sponsored screenings, May 6-7, 2006
  • Flyer (PDF)
  • Photographs
• Boston Premiere, September 25, 2006

Project Research

On September 11, 2006, DNSI released a report, entitled “We are Americans Too: A Comparative Study of the Effects of 9/11 on South Asian Communities,” which addresses the impact of and the responses to the discrimination that South Asians faced since 9/11, focusing specifically on Indian Hindus, Pakistani Muslims, and Sikhs in the Washington, DC area.

In the Spring of 2008, DNSI issued a report, entitled, “The Sikh Turban: Post-911 Challenges to this Article of Faith,” which examines the tangible and intangible discrimination faced by turbaned Sikhs in the wake of the 9/11, terrorist attacks. It provides an overview of Sikhism, incidents of discrimination, broader challenges to Sikh identity, and legal remedies available to victims. The report was published in the Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion. The authors of the report, Dave Sidhu and Neha Singh Gohil, are currently adapting the report into an academic text for Ashgate Publishing.

DNSI has prepared a third report on the chilling effect of government surveillance measures on the use of technology, principally the Internet, by Muslim-Americans. It will appear in a forthcoming volume of the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class.

DNSI’s research is available at: http://www.dnsi.org/research.