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Let the Word beat the
Hate
There is alarm at the continuing backlash of hate crimes against
Sikh-Americans and other minority communities. The attack on the
Seattle cab driver Sukhvir Singh has sent shock waves among the Sikh
community all over the globe. Since the horrific attacks of
September 11th, hundreds of incidents of hate crime directed at Sikh
Americans have occurred. Ever since the shooting of gas station
owner Balbir Singh Sodhi, there have been umpteen incidents of fire
to Sikh house of worship, beating with baseball bats of a sixty-six
year old grandfather (Queens, New York), three-year-old child hit by
a bottle filled with flammable liquids (San Mateo, CA), and
countless others.
The
WSN took due note of several rectifying measures, including Senator
Richard Durbin of Illinois who circulated a resolution condemning
hate crimes against the Sikh-Americans and called for the
prosecution of all those who commit such crimes.
Over 500,000 Sikh Americans reside in the United States and are a
vital part of this nation. Sikh Americans have expressed strong
condemnation of the terrorists who planned and carried out the
attacks against the United States, and stand in support of our
commitment to bring the terrorists, and those who harbor them, to
justice.
Since the attacks, Sikh Americans, whose men are recognizable by
their turbans and beards – both required articles of their faith –
have suffered both verbal and physical assaults as a result of
misguided anger toward Arab Americans and Muslim Americans.
Many Sikhs came to the United States because of the state terrorism
in India but here they are finding that their adopted country isn't
immune from intolerance. The Sikhs have always believed and desired
that there be no discrimination in America and the respect for
democratic values is much more than in their country of origin.
Unfortunately, incidents like the one in Seattle frustrate such
hopes.
Sikhs across the United States are struggling to explain to an
uncomprehending public that despite their turbans and beards, they
are not followers of the Taliban and not in any way responsible for
any terror attacks. In the US, the Sikhs have attracted a
disproportionate share of the anger. Sikhs are constantly telling
the Americans that they are not Arabs, but at the same time they
also condemn all attacks on people who look Middle Eastern and South
Asian, whatever their religion or nation of origin, simply because
of the perceived bias of locals.
Many mosques have been fired upon. Arab-owned businesses were burnt.
However, the most vulnerable remain the Sikhs because conspicuous in
turbans that resemble the head wrap of suspected terrorist Osama bin
Laden, they are suddenly the easiest way to be set upon.
The
assaulter of Sukhvir Singh did exactly that, calling him an "Iraqi
terrorist". While the Sikhs in the United States have risen to the
support of Sukhvir Singh, and a vigil has been convened on
Wednesday, we at the WSN do stress the need to continue with renewed
vigour the efforts to educate the American public about what the
Sikhs and Sikhism stands for. It is because of these that efforts
like that of Dr Rajwant Singh in getting the President of the United
States to hail the community on the gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev are
all the more appreciable.
While the WSN does appreciate the vigil, and pleads with you to do
attend it, what is also necessary is to understand that the
assaulter was fighting a man who was not only not his enemy but a
supporter of America’s war against terrorism.
28 November 2007
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