Darsh Singh Research Paper

First Turbaned NCAA Basketball Player Receives Racist Meme

Darsh Singh played NCAA basketball at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He was co-captain of the team from 2004-2008, and his jersey is on display at the Smithsonian Museum. Singh even has his own Twitter tag #belikedarsh. This all sounds pretty amazing, but like most stories, there's a sordid underside to this tale.

Darsh Singh is a Sikh, and in the Sikh religion men do not cut their hair, but wrap it in a turban. Darsh Singh was the first player in NCAA history to wear a turban on the basketball court. As with most athletes, especially those of some fame, Singh has had his share of pictures taken, and some of them are on the internet. One picture of Singh on the court dribbling the ball while wearing his turban was turned into a meme with the caption "Nobody at school wants to guard Muhammad, he's too explosive."

"Let me tell you why this is sh*t isn't funny." His post starts. He goes on to explain that his name isn't Muhammad, he isn't Arab, he isn't Muslim (and it wouldn't be okay even if he was), he's a U.S. citizen by birth, and he has worked for U.S. Intelligence and the National Security Agency as well as managing hedge fund portfolios. He then adds the kicker, "What you may not know is that Sikhs have a history in the U.S. and abroad of being mistaken for being Muslim and thus being accused of terrorism. This usually leads to them being attacked and even killed because someone stupid thought they deserved to be beaten, injured, or killed because of their