☀️ JOIN SPN MOBILE
Forums
New posts
Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
Latest activity
Videos
New media
New comments
Library
Latest reviews
Donate
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Welcome to all New Sikh Philosophy Network Forums!
Explore Sikh Sikhi Sikhism...
Sign up
Log in
Discussions
Hard Talk
Interviews
Post 9/11 Sikhs Say They Are Mistaken Targets
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="spnadmin" data-source="post: 149290" data-attributes="member: 35"><p>Post-9/11, Sikhs say they are mistaken targets</p><p>By TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press </p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray"><em><span style="font-size: 9px">Photo: In this photo taken Thursday, May 19, 2011, Kamaljit Atwal clutches a photo of his slain father, Gurmej Atwal, in his home in Elk Grove, Calif. Gurmej Atwal, 78, and Surinder Singh, 67, where shot in March while taking their daily walk through the neighborhood. Singh died at the scene and Atwal passed away six-weeks after the shooting in what authorities are calling a hate crime. Since Sept. 11, 2001, Sikhs across the U.S. have reported a rise in harassment , assaults and even murders, all because they have been mistaken for Muslim terrorists. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli</span></em></span>)</p><p></p><p>ELK GROVE, Calif. (AP) — Kamaljit Atwal's neighborhood seems like an unlikely place for a hate crime. His street in this Sacramento suburb seems a model of diversity.</p><p></p><p>Atwal and his family are one of two Sikh families on the block from India. On Atwal's street alone, there's a Vietnamese family, a Mexican family, a black woman and a white man.</p><p></p><p>But in March, Atwal's 78-year-old father Gurmej Atwal and his 67-year-old friend Surinder Singh were shot and killed while taking an afternoon stroll in the neighborhood.</p><p></p><p>Atwal and his fellow Sikhs in the area wonder if the same ugliness that has brought violence to other Sikhs is the reason why.</p><p></p><p>The men had long beards and were wearing turbans, both traditional symbols of their religion. Police are investigating whether their killing was a hate crime.</p><p></p><p>"It's a complete case of mistaken identity," said Rajdeep Singh of the Washington, D.C.-based Sikh Coalition, which is the largest Sikh civil rights group in the U.S. "When people look at me with a turban and beard, the first thing that comes to mind is, 'That guy looks like Osama bin Laden.' "</p><p></p><p>Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Sikhs have reported a rise in bias attacks, both verbal and physical, against them. The backlash that hit Muslims across the country has expanded to include them and their faith as well, with some assuming the sight of a long beard and turbaned head can only mean one thing.</p><p></p><p>Kamajit Atwal said life used to be peaceful for him, his wife and their three children since moving to his quiet suburban block in 2003. Crime has gone down for four years in a row, in Elk Grove, where about 54 percent of its 153,000 residents are nonwhite.</p><p></p><p>Atwal keeps a framed photo of his father on the fireplace mantel, not far from where the retired Indian civil servant once enjoyed his tea. Almost every day, Gurmej Atwal and his friend drank tea together, took a walk and met with other Sikh retirees in a nearby park.</p><p></p><p>"My gut is that it was a hate crime," said Atwal. He said that other elderly Sikhs are so afraid of being out in public since the shootings that they no longer socialize in the park.</p><p></p><p>Mayor Steve Detrick said he's not convinced the double shooting is a hate crime because the area has a history of accepting others.</p><p></p><p>"Elk Grove is probably one of the most accepting about racial and religious diversity in the country," he said. "I think somebody looked at these guys as an easy target. They were gunned down by cowards."</p><p></p><p>Amar Shergill, a Sikh and Sacramento attorney who lives in Elk Grove, said the problem is not Elk Grove's. When people — including some politicians — try to stigmatize all Muslims as anti-American, Shergill said, all people who look different are targeted unfairly.</p><p></p><p>"When the process becomes radicalized, that's when the disturbed actors take out on Sikhs and Muslims and people who are perceived to be Muslims," he said.</p><p></p><p>Singh said there's just not enough awareness of Sikhism, which is 500 years old and is the world's fifth largest religion with 18 million adherents. The faith, which originated in the Indian region of Punjab, draws from Hinduism and Islamic Sufism and the faithful believe in karmic cycles of rebirth, similar to Buddhists — and adherents stress that Sikhism is a distinct and separate religion.</p><p></p><p>Prior to 2001, Sikhs say, people were merely curious about the turbans and why adherents don't cut their hair. After Sept. 11, some people felt that Sikhs were the enemy.</p><p></p><p>The Sikh Coalition said there have been at least 700 attacks or bias-related incidents against Sikhs since Sept. 11 in the U.S.</p><p></p><p>Federal officials, however, have tracked hate crimes against Sikhs in one category, along with crimes against Muslims, Arab-Americans and South Asians — groups that have experienced discrimination since 2001.</p><p></p><p>In 2000, there were 28 anti-Islamic hate crime cases reported to the FBI, Department of Justice statistics show. A year later, there were 481. Since then, the numbers of reported cases have declined to 107 in 2009, the most recent year the statistics are available.</p><p></p><p>Sikh leaders sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in January asking him to track crimes against Sikhs separately.</p><p></p><p>Federal officials said Monday they are continuing to count Sikhs in the "anti-Islamic" hate crime category if the perpetrator indicated a bias toward Muslims.</p><p></p><p>The coalition will hold meetings in New York on July 30 and in San Francisco on Aug. 27 so Sikhs can talk about bias and discrimination in the last decade. Videos of the meetings will be sent to lawmakers and police agencies. The coalition is also spearheading an effort this summer to stop bullying of Sikh children in schools after kids reported that other students tried to forcibly cut their hair, set their turbans on fire or attack them.</p><p></p><p>"Suddenly, our life has changed," said Rana Singh Sodhi, the brother of a man who was murdered outside of his Arizona gas station five days after Sept. 11. "We didn't have any issue before 9/11."</p><p></p><p>Sodhi said that he and his family have stopped going camping in isolated areas because they fear what will happen.</p><p></p><p>The man who was convicted of killing Sodhi's brother expressed anger over Sept. 11 and before the murder, had told his wife that "all Arabs should be shot."</p><p></p><p>In 2004, vandals scrawled the words "It's not your country" in blue spray paint on the wall of a Sikh temple in Fresno. No one has been arrested in that case.</p><p></p><p>In 2010, a Sikh cabdriver was beaten by two men in Sacramento — located in a region with more Sikh residents than any in the nation. During the attack, one of the men called the cabbie "Osama bin Laden," and also repeatedly told the assailants that he wasn't Muslim, authorities said. In early June, Pedro Ramirez was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the attack a second man was sentenced to a year in jail.</p><p></p><p>On Memorial Day of this year, four weeks after the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, a Sikh man who is a subway employee in New York said he was punched in the mouth by a man who called him "the brother of Osama."</p><p></p><p>No one has been arrested.</p><p></p><p>EDITOR'S NOTE — Tamara Lush is traveling the country writing about the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Follow her on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/tamaralush" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/tamaralush</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gzz-XAYwvzj_CYYReJRk_eEghlTA?docId=b22e183771724a509c5ab653f8ffbfde" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gzz-XAYwvzj_CYYReJRk_eEghlTA?docId=b22e183771724a509c5ab653f8ffbfde</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="spnadmin, post: 149290, member: 35"] Post-9/11, Sikhs say they are mistaken targets By TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press [COLOR="SlateGray"][I][SIZE="1"]Photo: In this photo taken Thursday, May 19, 2011, Kamaljit Atwal clutches a photo of his slain father, Gurmej Atwal, in his home in Elk Grove, Calif. Gurmej Atwal, 78, and Surinder Singh, 67, where shot in March while taking their daily walk through the neighborhood. Singh died at the scene and Atwal passed away six-weeks after the shooting in what authorities are calling a hate crime. Since Sept. 11, 2001, Sikhs across the U.S. have reported a rise in harassment , assaults and even murders, all because they have been mistaken for Muslim terrorists. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli[/SIZE][/I][/COLOR]) ELK GROVE, Calif. (AP) — Kamaljit Atwal's neighborhood seems like an unlikely place for a hate crime. His street in this Sacramento suburb seems a model of diversity. Atwal and his family are one of two Sikh families on the block from India. On Atwal's street alone, there's a Vietnamese family, a Mexican family, a black woman and a white man. But in March, Atwal's 78-year-old father Gurmej Atwal and his 67-year-old friend Surinder Singh were shot and killed while taking an afternoon stroll in the neighborhood. Atwal and his fellow Sikhs in the area wonder if the same ugliness that has brought violence to other Sikhs is the reason why. The men had long beards and were wearing turbans, both traditional symbols of their religion. Police are investigating whether their killing was a hate crime. "It's a complete case of mistaken identity," said Rajdeep Singh of the Washington, D.C.-based Sikh Coalition, which is the largest Sikh civil rights group in the U.S. "When people look at me with a turban and beard, the first thing that comes to mind is, 'That guy looks like Osama bin Laden.' " Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Sikhs have reported a rise in bias attacks, both verbal and physical, against them. The backlash that hit Muslims across the country has expanded to include them and their faith as well, with some assuming the sight of a long beard and turbaned head can only mean one thing. Kamajit Atwal said life used to be peaceful for him, his wife and their three children since moving to his quiet suburban block in 2003. Crime has gone down for four years in a row, in Elk Grove, where about 54 percent of its 153,000 residents are nonwhite. Atwal keeps a framed photo of his father on the fireplace mantel, not far from where the retired Indian civil servant once enjoyed his tea. Almost every day, Gurmej Atwal and his friend drank tea together, took a walk and met with other Sikh retirees in a nearby park. "My gut is that it was a hate crime," said Atwal. He said that other elderly Sikhs are so afraid of being out in public since the shootings that they no longer socialize in the park. Mayor Steve Detrick said he's not convinced the double shooting is a hate crime because the area has a history of accepting others. "Elk Grove is probably one of the most accepting about racial and religious diversity in the country," he said. "I think somebody looked at these guys as an easy target. They were gunned down by cowards." Amar Shergill, a Sikh and Sacramento attorney who lives in Elk Grove, said the problem is not Elk Grove's. When people — including some politicians — try to stigmatize all Muslims as anti-American, Shergill said, all people who look different are targeted unfairly. "When the process becomes radicalized, that's when the disturbed actors take out on Sikhs and Muslims and people who are perceived to be Muslims," he said. Singh said there's just not enough awareness of Sikhism, which is 500 years old and is the world's fifth largest religion with 18 million adherents. The faith, which originated in the Indian region of Punjab, draws from Hinduism and Islamic Sufism and the faithful believe in karmic cycles of rebirth, similar to Buddhists — and adherents stress that Sikhism is a distinct and separate religion. Prior to 2001, Sikhs say, people were merely curious about the turbans and why adherents don't cut their hair. After Sept. 11, some people felt that Sikhs were the enemy. The Sikh Coalition said there have been at least 700 attacks or bias-related incidents against Sikhs since Sept. 11 in the U.S. Federal officials, however, have tracked hate crimes against Sikhs in one category, along with crimes against Muslims, Arab-Americans and South Asians — groups that have experienced discrimination since 2001. In 2000, there were 28 anti-Islamic hate crime cases reported to the FBI, Department of Justice statistics show. A year later, there were 481. Since then, the numbers of reported cases have declined to 107 in 2009, the most recent year the statistics are available. Sikh leaders sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in January asking him to track crimes against Sikhs separately. Federal officials said Monday they are continuing to count Sikhs in the "anti-Islamic" hate crime category if the perpetrator indicated a bias toward Muslims. The coalition will hold meetings in New York on July 30 and in San Francisco on Aug. 27 so Sikhs can talk about bias and discrimination in the last decade. Videos of the meetings will be sent to lawmakers and police agencies. The coalition is also spearheading an effort this summer to stop bullying of Sikh children in schools after kids reported that other students tried to forcibly cut their hair, set their turbans on fire or attack them. "Suddenly, our life has changed," said Rana Singh Sodhi, the brother of a man who was murdered outside of his Arizona gas station five days after Sept. 11. "We didn't have any issue before 9/11." Sodhi said that he and his family have stopped going camping in isolated areas because they fear what will happen. The man who was convicted of killing Sodhi's brother expressed anger over Sept. 11 and before the murder, had told his wife that "all Arabs should be shot." In 2004, vandals scrawled the words "It's not your country" in blue spray paint on the wall of a Sikh temple in Fresno. No one has been arrested in that case. In 2010, a Sikh cabdriver was beaten by two men in Sacramento — located in a region with more Sikh residents than any in the nation. During the attack, one of the men called the cabbie "Osama bin Laden," and also repeatedly told the assailants that he wasn't Muslim, authorities said. In early June, Pedro Ramirez was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the attack a second man was sentenced to a year in jail. On Memorial Day of this year, four weeks after the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, a Sikh man who is a subway employee in New York said he was punched in the mouth by a man who called him "the brother of Osama." No one has been arrested. EDITOR'S NOTE — Tamara Lush is traveling the country writing about the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Follow her on Twitter at [url]http://twitter.com/tamaralush[/url] [url]http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gzz-XAYwvzj_CYYReJRk_eEghlTA?docId=b22e183771724a509c5ab653f8ffbfde[/url] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Discussions
Hard Talk
Interviews
Post 9/11 Sikhs Say They Are Mistaken Targets
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top