Darsh Singh was born and raised in San Antonio.
More than a decade ago, he spent four years playing basketball for Trinity University.
It was during those years, a photo was taken of Singh in his basketball jersey.
Last week, someone posted the photo to Facebook with the text: โNobody at school wants to guard Muhammad, heโs too explosive.โ
For two very different reasons, the post went viral.
Some thought it was funny. Others were offended by it. Darsh is indifferent.
โIt's difficult to look like I do and then go and challenge somebody because people would assume I'm coming from a place of hate,โ he said. โThey don't know me. They don't know who I am. They donโt know my character. It doesnโt affect me.โ
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The photo refers to him as Muhammad, implying that he is a Muslim, with a negative connotation.
Singh is not a Muslim. Heโs Sikh, a prominent Indian religion.
โWhat's challenging now is that as more and more people are getting riled up, America is struggling with its identity," said Singh. "Itโs in this fight or flight mode and we're losing our value system a little bit."
Sikh is the fifth largest religion in the world. (Judaism is sixth.)
Singh is the first NCAA player to ever wear a turban in game play. His jersey is now in the Smithsonian museum.
After college, Singh worked for U.S. Intelligence as an engineer.
โItโs extremely important to understand that love and compassion are the most powerful forces in the world,โ he said. โIf we can embody those, we can move past some of the challenges that are dividing us and come together to face the real challenges."