- A hat, a head wrap, a misshapen wig.
You can tell a lot about someone
by what they wear on their head.
Or can you?
- For me, you know, when I tie my turban every day
I recite a prayer at the same time,
which is kinda like asking for protection.
From negativity, from enemies, from wrongdoers, oppressors,
it's definitely a prayer for preparedness.
- There's this idea written by Emily Style
discussing the importance of diversity in education.
The idea is this: windows and mirrors.
In this series I'm going to explore that.
I'm gonna hopefully provide a window into a new culture
that maybe you don't know that much about,
while also providing a mirror into my own identity.
To do that I left Texas, and I went to London.
I enlisted the help of friend and fellow
YouTube creator, Beleaf in Fatherhood.
- You cool with me bending that, right?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
- So am I talking to the camera or to you?
- [Hallease] I guess the camera.
I'll try to be like here, is that easier?
Or you can talk to me.
- I like talking to you, - [Hallease] Okay.
- Because you're a real person.
- [Hallease] Yeah, that makes sense.
I knew that in order to have a true candid conversation,
to build this window, I needed to ease the potential
for any tension and acknowledge my own ignorance.
I'm gonna go ahead and just say this out loud,
I do not know a lot about Sikhism, like at all.
People always come at religious tolerance from
the white perspective of like,
white people need to be more tolerant of other religions,
but I also know within the black community,
at least in America, like I'm sure they're aware of Sikhism,
but they don't really know what it's about,
you know what I mean?
So do you mind being the unofficial spokesperson
for all Sik people? (laughs)
- Ah yeah, this is the role I've been cast for,
my whole life I've been waiting for this role.
- [Hallease] Why do you, personally, cover you hair?
- I feel like I somehow need to sacrifice.
God has given me a lot of things, a lot of blessings,
like I'm healthy, I'm surrounded by a lot of awesome people,
I've got so many good opportunities
and families and everything.
And there's one thing that God told me,
there are other things,
but there's one thing that God told me you have to cover,
I mean, I can't find any reason not to.
It made me realize that the worldly stuff
is not as important.
I have to understand what to prioritize.
(hip hop music)
♪ We are not alone in this world of ours ♪
♪ A suitable sight to behold I call it home ♪
♪ Where dreams are seeds planted ♪
♪ Nourished by love and understanding ♪
♪ So a beautiful reality's grown ♪
- The first thing I'll kinda begin with
is even just the name.
People will refer to it as Sikhism,
definitely a westernized kind of labeling.
That's not even a word in our language.
For us, we refer to our faith as Sikhi.
There's three principles that ground Sikhi.
One, is to recognize and always remember and reflect on
the presence of there being one God.
What that essentially means is,
it is present within everything and everyone,
that there's no single name for it,
that God is unfathomable to the human mind.
We exist within it while being a part of it.
The second principle: work hard, earn an honest living.
And the other is to give back, and serve the community.
So, it's about being practical
and purposeful with your life.
- I moved to Germany in 2010, I took it off.
I took off my hijab.
Apparently my intention was not so straight.
I was born and raised as a Muslim,
but there was a time where I really dig in my religion
and really learn everything from zero.
Because my boyfriend was a Christian,
and he was asking me a lot of questions about Islam
I could not answer at all.
Yeah, and then I learn it, together with my boyfriend.
He ended up converted, and I ended up putting it back on.
That was like the point where I finally understood
my purpose as a human being, my purpose as a Muslim.
I finally understood that hijab is an obligation.
Because before, I thought hijab
for a Muslim woman was an option.
But actually, it said in the scripture and everything,
it is an obligation,
but at the end of the day, it is an option,
whether you want to follow that obligation or not.
- [Hallease] Yeah. - Yeah.
- So tell me a little bit about the hijab you brought.
- I just wanna tell people out there
that you can wear your hijab however you want,
and the hijab doesn't have to be only one color.
You can make it really colorful,
and this is actually one of my favorite hijabs,
because it's so colorful and it makes me happy to see it.
- [Hallease] So there's so many
different ways to wear hijab, right?
- Yeah.
- [Hallease] Why do you pick the style
that you pick specifically.
- So as for me, why I chose this.
First, because I'm from Indonesia,
So I'm so used to seeing this style.
And second, because it's simple.
I can wrap and everything but...
No, I don't bother wrapping.
(both laugh)
It takes too long.
Yeah, it's cultural.
- [Hallease] Is there a practical purpose
to your head wrap, or to your turban?
- Yeah, most definitely.
During the time Sikhi was coming about,
it was like, turban was reserved for royalty.
Sikhi has been against caste system and caste division.
So, the idea of gifting the community with,
hey, you can rock a turban,
is like, this is your crown, you are royalty.
When I tie my turban, and I keep my beard the way that I do,
I wear my kadas around my wrist.
It's one, affirming to myself that I adhere
to a discipline and set of values and principles.
My uniform enables other people to call me out,
to check me if I'm not adhering to those vows.
But also practically, if they need help.
Like emergency situation, it's like,
boom, you know a Sik is bound to help you.
My whole teenage years,
I definitely felt the minority thing.
I definitely felt detached, displacement,
and I couldn't articulate it at the time.
- [Hallease] Yeah, you don't have the vocabulary.
- Exactly, that's why hip hop resonated with me,
I was, for the first time in my life,
hearing those things in music,
but could appreciate the values
and the sentiments and the themes,
because it spoke to me more than any other style
of music that I'd ever listened to prior to that.
(hip hop music)
♪ You could do it for love ♪
♪ I could do it for peace ♪
♪ You could do it for this ♪
♪ But we do it for beats ♪
♪ We could do it for money ♪
♪ We could do it for Sik ♪
♪ We could do it for this ♪
♪ Or do it for lease ♪
♪ We could do it for change ♪
You know what I'm sayin?
♪ But if I did it for hip ♪
♪ I would do it for hop ♪
♪ You know the spot rock ♪
♪ You know the change ♪
Almost like a Slum Village type style, you know what I mean.
- That's cool.
There's a hook right there.
- [Beleaf] You know what I mean?
- There's a hook right there.
- [Beleaf] Let's run it.
♪ From southwest Sydney ♪
♪ Representing that city of Liverpool ♪
- The turban I'm wearing right now is probably like,
the second turban I ever owned,
and it was originally not this color.
I'm kind of sad that it's not the original color anymore,
but it just faded too much.
But, in terms of like-- it was a much lighter blue.
I've got pictures, like press shots and stuff,
so I reflect on that color.
Turbans feel different,
each one feels different when you tie it on.
In terms of like, the weight of the fabric,
how soft it feels.
When you've worn one over a period of time,
it's almost like you've worn it in.
My style's original, I don't want imitators.
(both laugh) You know what I mean?
- I cannot think of the favorite moment
where I wore this hijab and that hijab,
but in general, the most favorite moments,
is always to be when I was on the street in Germany,
or in Berlin, and then someone saying 'salaam' to me.
As-salamu alaykum.
Because, as a minority you feel really alone and everything.
You know that there are a lot of Muslims in Germany,
but still, you're the minority.
And then, suddenly, there is someone
acknowledging that you are a Muslim,
so I'm really happy to see the Muslim.
- [Hallease] At this point,
Beleaf and I both had a similar thought.
As the window into Gita's life became a mirror for us,
how could we make sure that Gita still felt appreciated
when she saw us?
People who weren't Muslim,
but definitely understood the feeling of being a minority.
- I mean, just that fact that you guys are very nice to me.
I feel so appreciated.
Even if you don't necessarily agree
with the whole submission and everything,
it's totally okay, you can think whatever you like.
But the fact that you understand and you let me
to be who I am, like this is my decision
to wear hijab and everything and you're okay with it,
that's enough, that's more than enough.
- What do you want people that aren't in the faith
to feel or know when they see you?
That's part of your faith maybe, and separate from it,
like just you as an individual.
- There's a saying within Sikhi, it's kind of like,
it's so difficult to walk this path,
it's kind of like walking on the edge of a blade.
I think I'm at a point in my life where,
just on a personal level, I don't have any expectations
from other people outside the community.
I don't want anything from people outside the community,
in a sense of like, I wish you would treat us better,
or I wish you weren't so ignorant.
I don't have that expectation anymore,
because I suppose there's part of me
that feels a sense of futility,
there's also a part of me that's like,
I can't control anything outside of myself,
let me focus on that.
- So what can you do?
Now that I've shown you a different way
of living through personal stories,
what can you do now to incorporate that into your life?
I think the most actionable thing you can do
is seek out the windows.
If you live in a homogeneous area,
and it's difficult for you to physically do that,
that's fine.
You're watching me on this amazing platform called YouTube,
where 72 years of content is uploaded to it every day.
Seek out the windows
of different lifestyles on this platform.
Use that search bar to your advantage,
and let the algorithm being to work in your favor.
Thank you, YouTube, and the Creators for Change program
for giving me this opportunity, it's been a real blessing.
I'll see you when I see you.
(hip hop music)