LHS junior rises above others’ misguided hatred.
By: Jim Green
Like many Americans, Lawrenceville resident Parteek Bansal’s life was forever changed by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He just didn’t know how much his had changed until Sept. 13.
That day two days after the flights of four hijacked airliners altered the course of U.S. history Parteek’s emotions went from shock and sadness to fear for his own safety.
He was taking his normally uneventful walk home from Lawrence High School when he noticed the change: People were slowing down and staring as they drove past the LHS junior on the street.
"That’s when I made the connection," Parteek, 17, said, "that everyone had associated me and my appearance with Osama."
Parteek, of course, was referring to the infamous al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, whose face quickly came to symbolize the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Parteek, as a practitioner of Sikhism a religion of 22 million people that has roots in India is required to wear a turban at all times and is not permitted to cut any hair on his body, resulting in a lengthy beard.
Because the Sikh style of dress closely resembles that employed by bin Laden, Parteek despite being neither Arab nor Muslim has been the target of misguided rage since Sept. 11.
"Other than destroying my self-esteem, it’s kind of destroyed my faith in the people because of their ignorance," Parteek said. "I always have to keep in mind that I’m better than that. I can’t take myself down to that level."
The sad irony is that Parteek fits many of the qualities one would associate with an "all-American boy." He is an athlete, a musician, a Boy Scout and a fireman-in-training.
He hopes to study business when he attends college.
"I want to be a well-rounded person," he said. "So I have to set my priorities. Of course, education comes first."
Parteek, through his many extracurricular activities, is able to escape intolerance while spreading knowledge about his Sikh community. He expresses himself through the tabla, a classical Indian instrument, in addition to playing the trumpet for the LHS band.
He has played the tabla at concerts in Lawrence and at Princeton University.
He also practices the Sikh belief in helping others. Parteek, who is working toward becoming an Eagle Scout, is involved in community service at both the St. Lawrence Rehab Center and the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.
He said that after Sept. 11, 2001, the Sikh community realized it would have to be proactive in educating others on the stark differences between their beliefs and that of al-Qaida.
"The only way to make people more knowledgeable about our religion was to become more involved with the community and to let the word out," he said.
Parteek believes the turban is one major aspect of Sikhism people often misunderstand.
"The values (of the turban) can be seen in the (United States) Constitution," Parteek said. "They include equality, protecting the weak and remembering God."
Parteek said his religion requires him to incorporate the "five Ks" in his appearance at all times. They include the kes (unshorn hair), the kangha (comb), the kara (steel bracelet), the kachchah (underpants) and the kirpan (sword).
He wears a necklace to remind him of the sword, since carrying the actual weapon would present obvious dangers. The sword symbolizes the ability to always defend the weak and the oppressed.
"At times the sword isn’t necessary," he said. "Sometimes your presence and common sense are enough."
The unshorn hair actually symbolizes dedication and group consciousness.
Parteek hopes that, by teaching others the basics of his faith, he can help curb intolerance.
"I just hope to achieve tolerance, knowledge and understanding," he said. "I have many Christian friends, and I know the foundations of the Christian faith and the Jewish faith and the Muslim faith. I hope they can also gain an understanding about my faith."
Parteek believes one obstacle toward that understanding is the relative youth of Sikhism, which was founded 500 years ago. Another, he believes, is the media’s portrayal of Sikhs.
"The media should take some of the blame for it (the misconceptions about Sikhism)," Parteek said, "because they portray Sikhs in such a perspective that doesn’t show what the religion is about. The appearance is associated with Osama and everything else in the world."
While taking part in the community affords Parteek an opportunity to set the record straight about his beliefs, it also opens him up to potential attacks. He was particularly vulnerable when playing for the LHS varsity basketball team this past winter.
"Most of the time, it’s just racial slurs," he said. "It’s always at away games that people do it. They point, name-call. It’s drastically increased because of Sept. 11."
However, he said the Lawrence community has been supportive. While residents have gained understanding through his appearance at school, they also are familiar with his parents and his older sister, Jaspreet Kaur Bansal, a senior at Rutgers University.
"There’s hardly any at all," Parteek said when asked if he hears racial slurs in his hometown.
Like most people, though, Parteek is most comfortable when among others similar to himself. He attends a house of worship, called a Gurdwara, in Hamilton, which attracts Sikhs from throughout Mercer County.
And he plans to attend college in an area with a sizeable Sikh community.
While the Gurdwara always held an important place in Parteek’s life, its role became even more critical after Sikhs realized they might be made scapegoats for the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Since everyone was staring, I felt really awkward and scared later because I didn’t know what was going to happen," Bansal said. "The congregation made plans to talk about it to local towns.
"I didn’t feel secure. There was this sense of unpredictability."
Sikhs across the United States were the targets of vengeful attacks by ignorant Americans immediately after Sept. 11, 2001. A report in the March 10, 2002, edition of The New York Times stated that 250 attacks against South Asian immigrants occurred in the last three months of 2001.
It angered Parteek that his people were targeted because their style of dress resembled that of bin Laden.
"I thought, this is ridiculous that one community would be affected tremendously," he said.
While prejudice against Sikhs still occurs, Parteek feels headway is being made through the education of the general public.
"It (the prejudice) has waned a little bit," he said. "I think, for the most part, the worst has passed."