Western countries have long been generous hosts, offering Indian immigrants prosperity, safety, and freedom. But this generosity is now being tested—not just by economics or legality, but by behaviour. The core issue is simple yet profound: a failure to keep religion and culture private rather than public. When cultural practices spill into the public sphere and clash with local norms, it creates friction—and sometimes, policy pushback.
Culture and Religion: Private, Not Public
Here’s a hard truth: religion and culture are personal matters. They should be observed with discretion and humility. Yet, in many Western cities, streets are blocked for religious processions, loudspeakers blare during festivals, and public spaces are turned into replicas of the homelands immigrants left behind. This isn’t integration—it’s encroachment.
This issue goes beyond festivals.
A recent executive order in the U.S., reported by The Tribune on April 29, 2025, highlights how cultural and linguistic disconnects can provoke systemic responses. President Donald Trump mandated that truck drivers in America must be proficient in English—a move aimed at ensuring safety and efficiency in the trucking industry.
The order requires drivers to read traffic signs, communicate with safety officials, and follow directions in English—the national language. While the policy emphasizes public safety, advocacy groups like the Sikh Coalition argue it disproportionately affects Sikh truck drivers who may not be fluent in English, potentially creating discriminatory barriers to their employment.
Why opposition by Sikh groups?
Very tellingly, when we speak to a Bihari labour in Punjab, we’re quick to switch from Punjabi to Hindi—even if the accent sometimes becomes meme-worthy. Why the double standard? Is this resistance in the West just for the sake of it? When opposition to every change becomes habitual, a community becomes isolated, rigid, and eventually radicalized. Every society, community, and religion must evolve—not devolve.
Multiculturalism Misunderstood
Multiculturalism doesn’t mean putting every culture on a loudspeaker. It means coexisting peacefully by respecting a shared public culture—one rooted, in Western societies, in individual liberty, secularism, cleanliness, and civic responsibility. This includes language norms that ensure public safety.
Adaption Isn’t Assimilation—It’s Respect
Nobody is asking immigrants to abandon their faith or forget their language. But adapting to your new home is not optional—it’s essential. Here's how:
Speak the local language fluently.
Respect hygiene and civic spaces.
Dress appropriately for context—not just tradition.
Celebrate religion and culture in homes, halls, and temples—not in public squares.
Don’t expect the host country to conform to your worldview.
When religion, culture, or language dominate public behaviour, it sends a message that the immigrant community considers its traditions superior to the host society’s norms. That’s not integration—it’s arrogance. Or complex of inferiority?
The Tribune article illustrates this tension well: the Sikh Coalition’s concern about the English proficiency requirement reflects a resistance to adapt, while the U.S. government’s order reflects an effort to enforce a public standard. Both sides reveal the clash that occurs when private cultural practices—like language barriers—impact public systems.
Real-World Examples Speak Volumes
Policy Pushback: As reported by The Tribune, the U.S. executive order mandating English proficiency for truck drivers has sparked debate. Sikh truck drivers, a significant community in the American trucking industry, feel targeted by the policy, which they say creates unnecessary employment barriers. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defends the order as essential for safety and standardised communication. This clash shows how failure to adapt to public norms can trigger exclusionary policies.
Hygiene Concerns: Reddit threads are full of complaints about body odor and poor sanitation among South Asian immigrants. These aren’t isolated rants—they reflect public sentiment.
Social Isolation: In parts of Europe, especially Spain and Itlay, Indian immigrants often remain socially disconnected from natives, resulting in cultural bubbles and isolation.
Religious Festivities in Public: In the UK, Hindu festivals and public pujas—complete with loudspeakers and roadblocks—have created friction in otherwise tolerant neighborhoods. Tolerance fades when taken for granted.
Workplace Conflicts: In professional settings, cultural disconnects—such as resistance to flat hierarchies or excessive deference to seniority—can hinder integration.
Immigration Is a Privilege, Not a License
When you’re a guest in someone’s home, you don’t demand they rearrange their furniture or adapt to your routines. You respect their rules, observe their decorum, and behave with gratitude. The same principle applies to countries.
Immigrating to the West is a privilege—not a licence to impose. The Tribune article on Trump’s policy shows how perceived cultural overreach can trigger broader crackdowns—like immigration restrictions or language mandates—that impact entire communities. Arrogance and entitlement by a few can damage the reputation of the whole.
Just as we respect norms when visiting a relative’s home, we should respect the host country’s systems and social order.
Final Word: Blend In, Don’t Break Away
Immigrants can enrich societies—if they carry themselves with humility. Host countries don’t owe anyone a platform for cultural exhibitionism, whether it’s public festivals or resistance to language norms. What they do offer is a chance to be treated as equals—if immigrants meet the public standard.
Policies like the one reported in The Tribune serve as reminders: adapt to the public culture, or risk alientation; which some may call “Racism”