Nikki Haley

[G.Subramaniam]

Islam kids: blow yourself up & receive the fruits of 72 virgins

Christian kids: bend over & receive the fruits of god's love

[G.Subramaniam]

Knotts is now questioning Haley's Christian credentials. "Have you ever asked her if she believes in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross for her sins?" he asked a reporter from WIS-TV.



Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, Nikki Haley converted from Sikhism to Christianity when she was 24, before marrying her husband. The couple were married in two separate ceremonies, one Sikh and one Christian. In 2004, she told the Charlotte Observer that her family attends "both" Sikh and Christian services. Since then, she has emphasized her Christianity.



"She claims to be a Christian but also attends a Sikh temple and was married in a Sikh ceremony, so a lot of people can't figure how you can claim both," aid Ray Popham, pastor of Oasis Church International in Aiken, SC. "I think she needs to be straight up with people, if she is both. If she believes that you can be both, then she should say that up front."



Tony Beam, host of the radio show "Christian Worldview Today" and a Christian pastor who supports Haley's opponent in the race, questioned Haley's Christianity on his program. "Once you commit to Christianity, it excludes other religions. I am not saying she is not who she says she is, but I do know those questions are being raised."



Haley's campaign has updated her website to confront these charges. After some people complained that her faith in "the power and grace of Almighty God" left it open which "God" she believed in, her website was changed to emphasize her specific "faith in Christ."



Haley has confronted similar attacks in the past. In 2004, her opponent Rep. Larry Koon mailed voters a letter pointing out her full Indian maiden name. An email campaign also falsely called Haley a Buddhist, and in some messages a Muslim.

[G.Subramaniam]

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Religion could emerge as a wedge issue in this year’s race for governor after Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts’ reference to GOP front-runner Nikki Haley as a “raghead” and voter confusion about Haley’s religious conversion to Christianity from Sikhism.





It won’t be Haley’s first tussle over religion.





Nikki Haley and Vincent Sheheen





Religion and politics





South Carolina’s governor’s race has veered from sexual allegations to, more recently, questions of religion as some have questioned the faith of GOP frontrunner Nikki Haley, who was raised a Sikh and converted to Christianity. The issue may not go away in the fall, either. Democratic nominee Vincent Sheheen may be the first Catholic to win a major party’s nomination in South Carolina.





What is Sikhism? Sikhism was founded in 16th-century India in opposition to idolatry and a caste system. Its followers, called Sikhs, believe in reincarnation, gender equality and one God, but not the Christian God. No idols or animals are worshipped. Ideally, followers are vegetarians and do not use alcohol or tobacco. In South Carolina, Sikhs have one gurdwara, or temple, built in 1995 in Newberry County. “Sikhism is very ecumenical and very positive and wants to bring about harmonious relationships with other religions and other people,” said Seshagiri Rao, a retired USC adjunct professor and expert on Sikhism. “Sikhs strive to be close to God.”



What is Catholicism? A type of Christianity that differs from Protestant denominations, such as Baptist and Methodists, in its traditions, communion and other practices, including a Rome-based pope. Catholics believe in one God and a code of living based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus, whom Catholics believe is the son of God and savior. Catholics do not believe in reincarnation. Eternal life, according to Catholics, exists in heaven or hell. Catholics make up only a small part of the S.C. population — about 3 percent — and, historically, have been discriminated against for their beliefs.



During Haley’s 2004 matchup against state Rep. Larry Koon, the 30-year House veteran mailed a letter to voters pointing out Haley’s Indian maiden name, Nimrata Nikki Randhawa. An e-mail campaign also falsely claimed she was a Buddhist.





Democratic front-runner Vincent Sheheen may be in for a dose of it, too.



Sheheen may be the only Catholic in S.C. history to win his party’s nomination in a gubernatorial race. (Jim Byrnes, governor from 1951-55, was raised a Catholic but became an Episcopalian as an adult.)





It would not be the first time religion has been used as a tool in the rough-and-tumble world of S.C. politics:



State Rep. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, and Inez Tenenbaum, who would go on to be S.C. superintendent of education, were targets of a 1988 flier that referred to the two as “anti-Christian Jewish Democrats” and urged voters to support their Christian opponents. (Tenenbaum, currently the head of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, is a Methodist; her husband is Jewish.)





In the 1978 4th District congressional race, Democrats charged that an anti-Semitic third-party candidate was enlisted by supporters of Republican Carroll Campbell to help defeat Democrat Max Heller, the Jewish mayor of Greenville. Campbell won but was hounded by the accusations. Some political observers say those accusations kept Campbell, by then a former S.C. governor, from being Bob Dole’s vice-presidential pick in 1996.



In Byrnes’ 1924 U.S. Senate race, his opponent, Coleman Blease, distributed fliers alluding to Byrnes’ time as a Catholic altar boy, though Byrnes had become an Episcopalian. Further hurt by Ku Klux Klan opposition, Byrnes lost the election, the only one he ever would lose.





In the days after the Republican primary, Haley has taken some heat in some media accounts and Christian blogs that say she has changed her tune on her religious beliefs.



After Haley’s defeat of Koon in 2004, Haley told The State that she attended both Methodist and Sikh services.





Haley’s campaign has said in recent weeks that, since her 1997 conversion to Christianity, she consistently has attended a Methodist church and occasionally attended Sikh services at her parents’ request. Haley and one of her brothers converted to Christianity as adults; her parents and two other siblings are Sikhs.



Haley’s conversion at the age of 24 was influenced by her husband, Michael, raised as a Methodist.





The two married in 1996 in two ceremonies, one Methodist and one Sikh.



“(Religion) was something (husband Michael and I) talked about a lot,” Haley said Monday. “He was brought up Methodist, Christian, and I was brought up Sikh, and so you talk about the similarities and you talk about the differences, and even more so when you’re getting married and you’re going to have kids, it becomes a very real thing on how you want to raise your kids.”





The couple now attend Mount Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington. Their two children were baptized at the church.



Still, some voters were confused by Haley’s campaign Web site, thinking she may be both Sikh and Methodist and were unclear which “Almighty God” Haley was referencing on the site. (Sikhs, like Christians, believe in one omnipotent God, but not the same God.)





Haley’s campaign changed her Web site two months ago to read, “My faith in Christ has a profound impact on my daily life and I look to Him for guidance with every decision I make. ... Being a Christian is not about words, but about living for Christ every day.”



Haley and her opponent in Tuesday’s GOP runoff for governor, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett of Westminster, also have aired television ads that include references to their Christianity.





Barrett, a nondenominational Christian who was raised a Southern Baptist, said Tuesday that Haley could best answer questions about her faith and voters will decide what they think.



“Faith is very personal for everybody … but whether it’s Nikki or Vincent, I’ll let them talk for themselves.”





Democrat Sheheen said Friday that he has been spared attacks based on his faith. His family attends a Catholic church in Kershaw County, where his great-grandfather was a founding member in the late 1800s.



Sheheen said his one brief encounter with voter angst over his faith came during his 2004 state Senate race when he stopped by a sporting-goods store in rural Kershaw County to buy a shotgun. Sheheen said the store owner pulled him aside and said a group of people recently had been in and expressed concern about Sheheen’s Catholicism, doubting his Christian credentials.





“Unquestionably, people care about the character of their elected officials and they care about their core beliefs,” Sheheen said. But, he added, voters seemingly are becoming more tolerant of differing religious views.



“It was more of an issue when my uncle (former S.C. Speaker of the House Bob Sheheen) ran in the ’70s and ’80s,” Sheheen said. “He spent a lot of time explaining to folks that he was a Christian and our family had been forever.”





Many question whether either candidate’s religion will play a major role in the election.



Oran Smith, president of the Palmetto Family Council, a self-described Christian group that has endorsed candidates in the past, said he has received a few calls about Haley’s religious beliefs, but not many.





“She’s been pretty direct about her conversion,” Smith said. The only way the issue will gain traction is if voters decide Haley’s conversion was politically driven, he said.



Smith said his group has not endorsed any candidate this year. “We have two strong candidates, possibly three when you consider Sheheen.”



Reach Smith at (803) 771-8658.

[G.Subramaniam]

Nikkie Haley nee Mimirita Randhawa is a hypocrite & wants to have the best of both the worlds. Her Father is thanking Sikhs in different Internet Groups as a Sikh for supporting his daughter

[G.Subramaniam]

Is Nikki Haley who she claims to be? Religion as an example. Nimrata ("Nikki") Randhawa Haley is a 1st generation Indian-American who was raised in the Sigh faith. As recently as 2004, Haley touted her Indian heritage/faith (even though she claimed to convert to Christianity in 1997), but now mysteriously is a "Christian" with no mention of being Indian and no mention of being raised a Sigh. http://bit.ly/crXT0Q

[G.Subramaniam]

To all you educators, you have one last chance to put a "common sense"

person in as Governor. We've had a nut for eight years who despised

public education and some want his DISCIPLE, Haley, to continue his

lunacy. If the educators vote their jobs,the race won't be close.

Also, I do know the difference in a Methodist and a Sikh, just not

sure what's in her heart. Sikhs don't acknowledge Christ, and you

can be as politically correct as you like, when people vote in the

privacy of the voting booth, it will hurt her. I will call it today.

SHEHEEN going away. Between the Dems, teachers, Baptists, and blacks, NO

CONTEST.

[G.Subramaniam]

When Haley was running for House seat 87 the first time. she said at a meeting, when asked about her Religion. "I go with my husbamd and children to the Methodist Church some and also take them to the Sikh Temple some to keep their Heritage. You can not have too many GODS protecting you."



The two married in 1996 in two ceremonies, one Methodist and one Sikh.





After Haley�s defeat of Koon in 2004, Haley told The State that she attended both Methodist and Sikh services



I have one GOD only. I have one Savior Christ who stands between me and the Rath of God which I deserve. Christians need to vote on Faith issues and not world issures. Know that God is the only one that can mess with you after death on this world. I believe all these Muslums,Sikh and all these other groups of non-belivers are having a bad problem after death standing before our Living God without Christ saying that they belong to me. Vote for the lesser of two evils and you still get the DEVIL.

[G.Subramaniam]

How convenient it is for Haley to become a Christian just in time to run for state Lgislature and NOW to get on TV tauting the idea that she is a Christian...I'll take the Catholic/Episcipalian just because it looks as if she converted to Christianity (somewhat) just to win political office in SC.

[G.Subramaniam]

I would also like to add the sis Simmie lives in a million dollar residence on Lake Murray and owns another 90+ acre plot of land in Lexington County where amazingly very little is paid in property taxes.



I fully support hard work with successful dividends, but it is pretty clear that this family is a lot more well off than the majority of citizens in SC.

[G.Subramaniam]

Lots of Haley’s supporters post on this forum from outside SC… It is no big secret now that Haley’s campaign is being programmed in foreign countries including UK, Canada, and India.

[G.Subramaniam]

Personally, I hope this apostate loses

Glad to see she is getting EJ love

[Guest]

There was a survey done by Pew few years ago, Amirkhans would elect a Muslim President before an Atheist President. GSub: Yeah, I can google, but it is easier if you post the links,no ?



One cannot blame the Sikhs much as there are several Hindus who portray Hinduism as monotheistic.

[G.Subramaniam]

My summary of Nikki Haley



Her parents probably taught her 'monotheism'



Let her marry fat bald white guy, instead of Jat Sikh

Marriage was in 1996 at both Sikh Gurudwara and Methodist church

Next year, her husband converted Nikki and one of her brothers



Nikki wants sikh money and sikh social company so she still attends gurudwara



The EJ want her to openly diss sikhism like Bobby Jindal disses Hinduism and so far she is reluctant to diss sikhism

[G.Subramaniam]

The chairman of the Pickens County Republican Party circulated an e-mail to GOP activists and party elite Friday suggesting that South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley has lied about her religious beliefs.





Pickens County GOP Chair Phillip Bowers — a co-chairman of the rival Gresham Barrett campaign — says that Haley, a Christian who was born to Sikh immigrants, “can’t seem to make up her mind about her faith.”





The e-mail comes under the subject line “Nikki Haley” and links to two news reports, one that notes how Haley converted to Christianity in her 20s and another from the Christian Broadcast Network’s David Brody that points out her 2004 campaign website for state legislature had sections highlighting her Sikh background.

[G.Subramaniam]

So Evangelical Christians are like TALIBAN?? The ego and self righteousness of these low life uneducated ignorant, bigoted, racist fools is really despicable.

I am surprised rather surprised , why Nikki Haley ever converted to Christianity which is so intolerant of other cultures and religions. In fact these fools should be ashamed of themselves because even in a third world country like India, where Christians only constitute 2% of the population, an Italian Christian women is the most powerful politicians. These people are like frogs in well who are totally ignorant of the world around them.

[G.Subramaniam]

After reading about nikki hailey and bobby jindal I am fully convinced that minorities have to give up their religion,language culture to succeed in politics.USA which consider itself champoion of religious freedom cannot accept hindu or sikh politicians who could become





governers.I don't understand with what face people criticise hindu majority of India for lack of tolerance against minorities when USA which is a country much more advanced than India cannot accept leaders from minority religions.



As far Nikki hailey is concerned when she is saying that she christian then who are we to say whether she is christian or not

[G.Subramaniam]

From this story you would think that the entire US and all of its political machinery are against minorities, from minority religions. Not the case.



I am not saying america is against minorities .It can provide them all the religious freedom

but when it comes to somethings like politics then they may not like them to rule over them even if they are better than their co religionist born politicians.



Is it not true that Obama to have to convince american public that he is christian when someone mentioned that his full name is barrack hussain Obama?

[G.Subramaniam]

christists are bigots too, esp southern bubbas in the us.



hindus with this 'vasudhaiva kudumbakam' and 'all religions are equal' business do not realize that even in this post-modern age, the semitic ideologies (including communism) are hate-filled, bigoted imperialistic death-cults. they are not religions. they do not lead to god, or good -- and are purely evil and satanic.



---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Rajiv





this is v interesting. she is going to be the new governor of south carolina, her parents are practicing sikhs but now kept in the background and no longer projecting herself as the pride of the sikh community. she had to first hide her non-christianity in public life (using the "sameness" nonsense to mask), then blend the two, and now try to convince her suport base that she converted to christianity. this tells a lot about christianity's approach to difference and also about american voters in general.

[G.Subramaniam]

why is she still wearing a karra then?

[G.Subramaniam]

"And on Thursday a state senator who is supporting one of Haley's opponents casually referred to her as a "raghead" and claimed that she is a Manchurian candidate launched by a "network of Sikhs" to take over the governorship."



"Network of Sikhs" - they are vastly overestimating the Sikh community, which has trouble unifying to elect Gurudwara committees. Because taking over such a vital economic stronghold as South Carolina will guarantee our monopoly over...rice???? Yeah...sure...



This goes to prove that "Michael Jackson" syndrome will always fail - you can try to be as white as hard as you can, but in the end, they will all call you a "raghead". I could not care less if she converted to Christianity - good luck to her and I hope she finds inner peace through it. But if any of our community are planning to convert to Christianity or another faith out of "convenience", understand that the shadow of your former faith withh follow you and be thrown in your face time and time again. So convert for true devotion, not worldly gains...it WILL become painful otherwise, as this case proves.