Professor Satpal Singh knows first-hand the horror of religiously motivated violence:
More than 30 years ago in his native India, he was beaten unconscious and thrown off a train by an angry mob that hated him because he is a Sikh.
The near-death experience could have soured Singh’s outlook on religion’s place in the world. Instead, it did just the opposite. Singh spent years learning about other religions and developing friendships with people of other faiths, while also dedicating more time to his own faith tradition through prominent leadership posts in the World Sikh Council. His passion for interfaith harmony now has led him to a rare opportunity.
Later this month, the University at Buffalo professor and long-time Amherst resident will join Pope Francis for a special interfaith memorial service at the 9/11 memorial site in New York City.
“It’s a great honor and a great privilege,” Singh said. “I have developed a huge admiration for him, so I feel particularly honored for that opportunity.”
Singh was attacked on a train during four days of anti-Sikh genocide in 1984 that resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 Sikhs. He and his family left India and eventually settled in Western New York, where he is an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology who has won awards for his undergraduate teaching. He has been at UB since 1989, and he’s been active in the local, national and international Sikh communities, including serving as chairman of the World Sikh Council–American Region and as chairman of the organization’s interfaith committee, a role that has engaged him in a long-standing dialogue with Catholic interfaith leaders.
Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of the Diocese of Brooklyn, a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, reached out to Singh more than a month ago to see if he would be interested in participating at the 9/11 memorial event. Singh said he hopes the event highlights the positive aspects of religion and helps bring people together.
“After that incident, I have made it a mission of my life to work toward interfaith harmony and peace,” he said.
Western New York will be heavily represented when the United States introduces itself to Pope Francis for the first time.
Hundreds of area residents are travelling to Washington D.C., New York City and Philadelphia for a mere glimpse of the pontiff during his first-ever American tour, Sept. 22-27. Singh is among a few of them who will get much more than a glimpse. With 10 other faith leaders from a variety of traditions, he is scheduled to deliver a brief prayer alongside Francis at a “Multi-religious Meeting for Peace” on Sept. 25 inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
