Who are Sikhs?

People have asked me why I wear a turban and what religion do I belong to. I would tell people that I am a Sikh and wearing a turban is part of our religion. I didn't mind when people asked me these questions because I knew that I was just enlightening people about my religion.

However, after 9/11 many Sikhs were discriminated against. Someone told me to go back to Afghanistan because they thought I was a Muslim. After the War in Iraq started, Sikhs were told to go back to Iraq. On 9/15/01, a Sikh gentleman was shot dead at a gas station in Phoenix. In fact, people at the Gurdwara would tell stories of how they were harassed at places around town. These racist acts were hard to bear for myself, my family, and the whole Sikh community. Sikhs were becoming the victims of many crimes. In the educational system, students aren't taught about Sikhism while there are chapters on other religions in school books.

I am a Sikh attending 10th grade and I have decided to make this website so that people can view my site and understand who Sikhs are and what they believe in. I think society will be stronger if we will know about each other and there will be no fear of the unknown.