Articles of Faith
To fight racism, we need to confront religion’s racist past
By Simran Jeet Singh — July 9, 2020
(RNS) — There’s nothing ‘past’ about American racism — it is our present, and will be our future unless we abandon the triumphalism of the country's founding faith.
An outsider’s encounter with the Psalms
By Simran Jeet Singh — July 5, 2020
(RNS) — Instead of trying to contextualize it as a scholar, I decided to approach Psalm 133 as a reader and see how it might speak to me.
Valarie Kaur: ‘Revolutionary love is showing up in the labor for justice’
By Simran Jeet Singh — June 30, 2020
(RNS) — The filmmaker, lawyer and civil rights activist talks about her debut book, ‘See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.’
Jacqui Lewis fills the virtual house to talk about anti-racism
By Simran Jeet Singh — June 22, 2020
(RNS) — The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, the first woman to serve as a senior minister at New York's historic Middle Collegiate Church, has shown how to use diversity to expand the size and reach of her congregation.
Sikhs and policing — the tension between freedom and justice
By Simran Jeet Singh — June 12, 2020
RNS — In a moment when so much is at stake, it feels critical that we make space for diverse approaches that move us in the right direction.
Why cops attack racial justice protesters
By Simran Jeet Singh — June 4, 2020
(RNS) — Racism infects policing on every level, from policy to personal biases.
Before reopening, houses of worship should consider what their faith holds most dear
By Simran Jeet Singh — May 28, 2020
(RNS) — What makes the rush to reopen more curious is that it seems to go against the very notions of mutual care that our faith traditions teach us.
Muslim generosity in Ramadan is more than a feel-good story
By Simran Jeet Singh — May 22, 2020
(RNS) — Stories of Muslims helping people during the pandemic imply that their generosity is anomalous. In fact, it's part of the foundation of Islam.
What I learned from the coronavirus
By Simran Jeet Singh — May 20, 2020
(RNS) — When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit New York City, I wanted to leave town quickly. Why risk being infected?
The false choice presented to Sikh doctors serving COVID patients
By Simran Jeet Singh — May 13, 2020
(RNS) — The news that two Sikh brothers shaved their beards to serve patients is not the feel-good story that some suggest.
How Islamophobia changed politics for Muslim America
By Simran Jeet Singh — April 23, 2020
(RNS) — Nazita Lajevardi’s new book, ‘Outsiders at Home,’ takes stock of the political toll two decades of Islamophobia has had on American Muslims.
Fighting anxiety and isolation the Sikh way: service
By Simran Jeet Singh — April 15, 2020
(RNS) — Hundreds of Sikh communities are risking their lives to serve those affected by COVID-19, based on their tradition of seva.
Afghanistan can’t protect its Sikhs from terror. It’s time for America to step up.
By Simran Jeet Singh — March 27, 2020
(RNS) — How do we make sense of violent extremists who come into our sacred spaces with hate in their hearts? And how do we keep ourselves from being victims of their anger?
Let’s take enforced social distancing for what it is: A life intervention
By Simran Jeet Singh — March 20, 2020
(RNS) — If you asked me a week ago how my life aligned with my priorities, I would have responded with a small shrug, saying that I tried to keep these things aligned and felt like I was doing a pretty good job.
Why I joined Elizabeth Warren’s interfaith advisory council
By Simran Jeet Singh — February 27, 2020
(RNS) — My involvement began, ironically, with my decision not to publicly flame the senator online for the initial composition of her council, as others did, noting in particular the lack of Muslims or Catholics.
Simran Jeet Singh
Articles of Faith
Simran Jeet Singh is a scholar and historian of religion currently based at Union Seminary. He is a Senior Adviser for Diversity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting, a 2020 Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, and a Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition.