Mourning Victims, Sikhs Lament Being Mistaken for Radicals or Militants

[groovedaddy]

Sikhs in New York and across the country on Monday mourned the deaths in the shooting rampage at one of their temples outside Milwaukee, and some said the killings revived bitter memories of the period just after the Sept. 11 attacks when their distinctive turbans and beards seemed to trigger harassment and violence by people who wrongly assumed that they were militant Muslims.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg went to a Sikh temple in Queens and praised Sikhs for their contributions to the community. The mayor vowed to maintain security for New Yorkers of all faiths.

Nancy Powell, the American ambassador to India, where the vast majority of the world’s 25 million Sikhs live, visited a temple in New Delhi and expressed horror and solidarity. Elsewhere, Sikhs reflected on the uncomfortable fact that because their appearance sets them apart, they are sometimes mistakenly singled out as targets. Observant Sikh men often wear turbans and do not cut their hair or shave their beards.

“I have been called Osama bin Laden walking down the street, because in the popular imagination a turban is associated with bin Laden and Al Qaeda,” said Prabhjot Singh, who works in the high-tech industry near San Francisco. “But 99 percent of the people who wear turbans in the United States are Sikhs, so they face a disproportionate number of acts of discrimination.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/us/sikhs-mourn-victims-and-lament-post-9-11-targeting.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120807

[cbayer]

1. Perhaps the only silver lining here is that people will become more aware of

and sensitive to the Sikhs.

In my experience, they are a kind, strong, peaceful group of individuals. What has happened here is an unspeakable tragedy.

[groovedaddy]

2. Absolutely. This kind of thing can make one very cynical about the human race.

The first amendment is worth defending!

[dimbear]

3. Sikhs in the United States tend to be well off and not white.

Two triggers for White Power rage. Only further investigation can reveal the roots of this sad event.

[Dorian Gray]

4. It's terrible that they live with the racism and the hate that they do because they look different

It is ignorance that leads to people mistaking them for Islamic, but that does not excuse the hate that they are faced with.

This shooting was a horrific crime and a tragedy. Maybe it will lead to people opening their eyes to the Sikh community and embracing them more. But it should never have happened.

[cbayer]

6. I worked with a Sikh physician for several years.

He was impressive in so many ways. Strong, quiet, humble and scared the shit out of patients.

That this would happen to any community is horrible, but it speaks volumes about the depth of bigotry in this country right now.

Very, very sad.

[jeepnstein]

5. Idiocy knows no bounds.

I had to explain to a fellow what a Sikh was the other night. He just couldn't get it through his thick skull that their religion was not some Muslim denomination. The turbans, beards, and other items they carry set them apart from just about any religious tradition I can think of. What also sets them apart is the fact that I have yet to meet one who is not a genuinely nice and gentle soul. Who could dislike a Sikh for crying out loud?

I can't imagine how hard life is for them in the so-called "Land of the Free" some times.

[cbayer]

7. Agree with all you have said. Unspeakably tragic.

[BridgeTheGap]

8. It has been hard for them in India too, being disliked by

both Hindis and Muslims (usually of the fundamentalist variety).