Sikh Americans Fight for Civil Rights in Donald Trump's America

[Rebkeh]

Murtaza Hussain
March 14, 2016

(Cross posted from Good Reads)

snip

(The Intercept_)“In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Sikh Americans saw a 200 percent increase in hate incidents,” says Arjun Sethi, Director of Law and Policy at the Sikh Coalition, which has noted that anti-Sikh incidents rose from 5 in December 2013 to 7 in December 2014 to 18 or more in December 2015. Sethi said bullying, assaults, threats and vandalism against Sikhs have all risen, with the Sikh Coalition receiving double the number of legal cases this December than it had the previous month.

“Recent events and political rhetoric are legitimizing bigotry and hate towards anyone who looks different,” he said. “Although political figures may not be inciting against Sikhs directly, because of their appearance, they still end up becoming a target.”

There are estimated to be between 200,000-500,000 Sikhs living in the United States today. The community dates back to the late 19th century, when Sikhs suffering under British colonialism in India began arriving as immigrants to the United States. Many of those early arrivals were also members of radical political movements seeking to liberate India from imperial control.

https://theintercept.com/2016/03/14/sikh-americans-fight-for-civil-rights-in-donald-trumps-america/