 Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. These are the South Asian countries, and their people and customs are a valued part of Chicago's cultural kaleidoscope. Hello, I'm Chaplain Dean with the Chicago Police Department. This is another in a series of videos to expand your knowledge and understanding of the many diverse communities within our city. Having even a basic knowledge of a person's customs and culture enables police officers to conduct their duties in a more efficient and respectful manner. Today, we look at Chicago's South Asian community. When you say South Asian, you're mostly referring to people from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and so forth. More or less, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh have the same culture, same kind of people and most of them are either Muslim or Hindus. And due to a long history, they intermingle well together. India is the largest South Asian country and not surprisingly represents the largest South Asian community in Chicago. The Indian American community is probably the largest South Asian population here in Illinois and that of the United States according to the 2000 census. And while South Asians are spread throughout the Chicago area, there is a large concentration in the West Ridge and Rogers Park communities near Devon Avenue. In the 60s when the Golden Door opened, most of the immigrants from South Asia were professionals, physicians, engineers, scientists, professors. In 80s immigrants, the wave that we saw that was mostly on the basis of Family Reunification Act. So these people were mostly sponsored by someone who lived here. You'll have two to three generations living in one home, from the grandchild to the parents to the grandparents. In both Indian and Pakistani, even Sri Lankan communities as well. Some South Asian men prefer the light, comfortable clothing, common in their homelands. That long shirt and that baggy pant, which we call a shirt, is a camise and the pant is a chalvar. It is just a regular normal dress of Pakistani. Saris are traditional dress for women from India, or countries such as Nepal, which has a large Indian influence. Others may wear more westernized clothing, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are more westernized in their customs. You will see more modern dress during the daytime and then during the cultural events, you will see a lot more of the traditional clothing and so forth. The use of henna to create body art is called Mahindi. These intricate designs last anywhere from one to three weeks and are of cosmetic rather than religious value. The three major religions of South Asia are Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Country like India, we have religions from all different parts of the world. The majority of the population in India is Hindu. Then the rest, Muslim, Buddhist, you even have Christians, especially down further south, and some Jewish religious communities as well. And in India, there are people of the Sikh faith. Sikh men wear a distinctive head covering over their uncut hair. They carry a small religious sword called a Kirpan. The South Asian countries of Nepal and Sri Lanka have a mix of Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Pakistan and Bangladesh are overwhelmingly Muslim. Both people are Muslim, but the language is different, the culture is different. Bangladesh people speak Bengali and Pakistan people speak Urdu. That's the basic two languages. And while the language and culture may be different in each country, the basic tenets of the individual religions are the same. That means most Muslim women wear a head covering called a hijab. The hijab is not something they remove in public. They also avoid physical contact with any male who is not related. Some people if they want to shake hands, some women will do it, some people will not do it. If the woman, men is okay, every man. We usually shake hands man to man and woman to woman. We do not do that, men to woman, we do not do that. That applies to South Asian women of other religions too. Definitely I would say a very large percentage of Indian women, South Asian women, are not very comfortable shaking hands with men. Bodily involvement, bodily touch isn't something that they are very comfortable with. When in doubt, officers may greet with a simple hello. In all South Asian, Southeast Asian cultures, the greeting of choice is Namaste. You'll find that I think in Thailand, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, everywhere. That's basically the greeting. When entering a South Asian home, it is polite to remove your shoes. The same show of respect is expected at Buddhist and Hindu temples and Muslim mosques. In Chicago, South Asians from all countries worship together. There are maybe 14 different Indian temples around the city and the Nepalis go to many of the temples and there are some slight differences in ritual but the deity is the same and the way in which the deity is perceived is the same. Muslims, they don't discriminate by color or race or religion, nothing. Anybody who says they are Muslim or non-Muslim or they just want to get in, if they are clean and properly they can come and join them. Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist homes may have areas set aside for worship. These areas and the items within them must be treated respectfully, especially the holy books. I know in the Pakistani community the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita as well and certainly neither should be placed on the floor or should be handled in a disrespectful manner. South Asian women may defer to their husbands in police matters. The police should not be unduly alarmed that the men in the family tend to talk for the women and if the woman has to be interviewed, if the police make that clear, that will not be a problem. Women may also be hesitant to report domestic violence. They are not aggressive, most of them are not and definitely the husband will scare them that if you call police you will be deported, immigration is a big issue. Fear of police on the part of both men and women is real. Police culture in South Asia is far different from what we find here in the United States. It's a fearful one. There is no friendly relationship at all. They are very afraid of police and there is a lot of corruption in the police over there too. That's why they do not have enough trust in the police. By and large the immigrants would consider the police as a figure of authority that meets out more punishment than gives help. So therefore I think in dealing with Nepalese and a lot of other South Asians the police should keep that in mind. And though some South Asians may fear police that doesn't mean police need to fear them. We're very pacifistic and we don't want to get in trouble. I think that's the concept that is held. We are good people and I think to trust us if anything happens please go and find out really what happened and then make a decision on what to do. They are really law abiding, peaceful, hardworking, family people that they should be treated equally like any American citizen. Keep these things in mind when dealing with members of the South Asian community. Immigrants may have a fear of police because of a past history in their homeland. Fear and cultural factors may prevent people from reporting crimes to police. Police are often associated with a fear of deportation. Women may defer to their husbands on police matters. Physical contact during a greeting or in the course of a discussion may be considered inappropriate unless there is an emergency. It is respectful to remove shoes when entering a temple or mosque or South Asian home. Members of some religious groups should not be asked to remove head coverings in public. All of the people we encounter on a daily basis expect to be treated with dignity and respect. It is our hope that this video will serve to enlighten and foster a new awareness and understanding. Thanks for watching and as always, stay safe.