Death of Prominent Sikh Man

A prominent Sikh police officer from Houston, Texas was murdered Friday, September 27 during a traffic stop (Kaur & Yan, 2019). Officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was the first Sikh member of the Houston Police Department (Kaur & Yan, 2019), a testament to the growing religious diversity in America today. He also fought for a change in the Department’s policy and was allowed to wear his turban and beard, something that all Sikhs are required to wear.

Dhaliwal was a popular deputy on the force, famous for his humor and humanitarian efforts. At the time of his death he was apparently planning on starting up an emergency fund for first responders (Kaur & Yan, 2019). He also helped to coordinate disaster relief after both Hurricane Harvey and Maria, traveling to Puerto Rico to do so. (Kaur & Yan, 2019). Sikh both in Houston and nationwide as well as the public at large have poured out their support. Over $400,000 was raised for the man’s family (Kaur & Yan, 2019). Dhaliwal’s funeral will include Sikh prayers and religious services as well as a large parade from the Houston P.D.

Sikhism, as the article points out, is “the world’s fifth most popular religion, preaches equality and service to others,” (2019). A religion from India, a man like Dhaliwal is an example of the growing prominence of Indian-Americans, which includes the growing prominence of their religions. According to the Pew Research Center, while Christianity declined between 2007 and 2014, non-Christian religions, including Hinduism and others increased by over 1% (2015). While still a smaller increase than that of non-religious groups, it is still an increase and people like Deputy Dhaliwal only give these religious groups’ more prominence in the public eye.

References

(May 12, 2015). America’s Changing Religious Landscape. Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 30, 2019 from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.

Kaur, Harmeet and Yan, Holly. (September 30, 2019). Houstonians honor a Sikh deputy killed in the line of duty by spreading his legacy of philanthropy. CNN.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019 from https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/30/us/texas-sikh-deputy-killed-monday/index.html.