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‘First Turbaned Sikh-American Basketball Player’ Goes From Racist Meme To Internet Hero

Darpan News Desk IANS, 12 Dec, 2015 02:42 PM

Last week a humor page on Facebook posted a racist meme about a turbaned sikh ignorantly calling “Muhammad” and “explosive”. The meme read “Nobody at school wants to guard Muhammad, he’s too explosive,” captured when he was playing basketball.

The player in question is, however, Darsh Singh, an American born and bred Punjabi living in Dallas, and, in fact, has created history by becoming the first turbaned sikh to play NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball.

The meme was not only a personal attack but also reflects how deeply the stereotype of associating bearded men with Islam and linking the religion to terrorism is ingrained in the psyche of a few.

But Singh’s friend Greg Worthington didn’t brush the joke aside, he spoke out against what he thought was hateful and wrong. He took to Facebook to share his strongly-worded opinion against the hateful meme about his friend.

He wrote: “I know this guy and his name’s not ‘Muhammad’. He’s not Arab, he’s Punjabi. He’s not even Muslim, he’s a Sikh. His name is Darsh Singh and he’s a US citizen, born and bred. That jersey he’s wearing in this pic, it currently sits in a Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC because he made US history as the NCAA’s first turbaned Sikh-American basketball player for Trinity University in my hometown of San Antonio.”

Let me tell you why this shit isn't funny. I know this guy and his name's not 'Muhammad.' He's not Arab, he's Punjabi....
Posted by Greg Worthington on Saturday, 5 December 2015

"Knowing one or two - or even 15 people different than you - is not enough. You need to be networked with groups of people who are not like you to begin to truly understand just how much this stuff hurts people like Darsh.”

My husband @darshpreetsingh is a meme again! This time, it's positive. #BeLikeDarsh pic.twitter.com/NeCbBULzZg
— Lakhpreet Kaur (@LakhpreetK) December 9, 2015

Even better? The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Centre, this week, went on to launch a rather successful social media campaign called ‘I Want to #BeLikeDarsh’ in which people are being encouraged to aim high in life, no matter what their background.

I want to #BeLikeDarsh because his jersey was @Smithsonian @NMNH. That’s #SeriouslyAmazing. https://t.co/V7D1XmlZN8 pic.twitter.com/g2RatYgBdV
— Smithsonian APA (@SmithsonianAPA) December 8, 2015

Darsh Singh’s response to the situation couldn’t have been more dignified as he simply thanked people for their love and support, adding: “Sikhs believe everyone and everything has the potential to embody divine love.”

Thank you again to all of those who expressed support. Many folks have asked how they can help more than just sharing a...
Posted by Darsh Preet Singh on Monday, 7 December 2015

Singh is now a portfolio manager at Satori Capital and a Truman National Security Fellow.

Let's build a better society by understanding our own values and then seeking out opportunities to live in congruence. I...
Posted by Darsh Preet Singh on Friday, 11 December 2015

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