I wanted to write a short post on a topic that is highly personal and important to me. In light of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there has been a wave of Islamophobia in the United States, stemming from fear, ignorance, and sometimes just plain racism. Muslims have been the targets of harassment, ridicule, and many times, violence. However, many Americans are so ignorant, that they cannot distinguish between members of Islam, and other turban wearing men, and as a result, members of the Sikh religion have also been victims of vigilante violence, stemming from Islamophobia.
Sikhism is a religion that was founded in northern India, in the late 17th century. Sikhism is most easily understood as a blend of Hinduism and Islam, as it is monotheistic, but does not recognize the anyone as special in the eyes of God, including Jesus and any prophets. It requires religious tolerance, social equality, and the holy text mandates complete gender equality. There are approximately 300,000 Sikhs in the United States, as of 2012. One of the tenants of the religion requires both men and women to grow their hair long, and therefore many men wear long beards, and keep their hair tucked in a turban. Because of their distinctive appearance, Sikh men are often the targets of ridicule, racist slurs, and so called “randomly selected searches” by the TSA. My dad recalls the 9/11 terrorist attacks with complete clarity, as the next day he was harassed by a group of bikers at a gas station, who told him to “go back to his country,” and “take off that filthy towel.”
In December of 2012, a young Indian immigrant was shoved onto the tracks of an oncoming New York subway, by a woman who later confessed to the crime. “I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims… Ever since 2001 when they put down the Twin Towers, I've been beating them up." The violence against anyone who looks remotely Middle Eastern is abundant, and sadly this is only one of many cases of individual attacks. Four days after the 9/11 attacks, Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot in Arizona, by a man who claimed patriotism as his reason for the attacks. Several years later, Sodhi’s brother would be shot in San Francisco for the same reason, by a completely different man. This past September, Colombia Professor Prabhjot Singh was attacked by a group of teenagers in New York City, who beat him while yelling that he was “Osama.” However, the most devastating attack yet, was August 5th, 2012, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. An ex-military, neo-nazi entered the local “Gurdwara,” or temple, and opened fire during the Sunday prayer; six people were killed, and several others were wounded.
While it is horrifying that so many Americans do not understand the differences between Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims, it is far worse that such violence has been directed at the South Asian and Middle Eastern communities in the first place. Many Sikh activists become caught up in their disgust that many Americans are so ignorant of Sikhism, that they forget that it is equally terrible that Muslims are targeted at all.
I wish I could say that my dad, and other Sikh men, have only faced harassment from small town rednecks, however just on Wednesday this past week, a group of middle school boys shouted “Osama” at him, while he met with a colleague for breakfast at Brian’s Cafe in Rancho Shopping Plaza.
A list of hate crimes against Sikhs since 9/11:
Other sources:
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