Killing provokes outrage among Sikhs, Muslims
Associated Press corrrespondent Lien Hoang reports:
The daily stroll had become routine for two elderly Sikh men in a Sacramento suburb, as well as for neighbors and friends accustomed to seeing the men walk by with their long beards and turbans.
But the traditional headwear might have singled them out late last week when they were gunned down, one fatally, in what police are investigating as a suspected hate crime. On Monday, local religious leaders pleaded for the community to come forward with leads but also said they will not be deterred by violence.
"Our community will continue to wear our turbans proudly," said Navi Kaur (NA'vee Kar), the granddaughter of Surinder Singh, 65, who died from his wounds.
His friend, 78-year-old Gurmej Atwal, remains in critical condition.
They were walking through their neighborhood in Elk Grove, just south of the capital, Friday afternoon when someone in what witnesses described as a pickup truck opened fire. Police said they have no suspects nor evidence the shooting was a hate crime, but said the turbans could have made the elderly men a target of extremists.
During a news conference Monday at a Sikh temple, a spokesman said the recent violence has scared some temple-goers into concealing any indicators of their religion.
Sikhs often are mistaken for Muslims and have been the subject of occasional violence across the country since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"The enemies of the United States don't wear turbans in the United States," said Amar Shergill, a Sikh leader and attorney. "They don't want to be singled out. The result is that Sikh Americans since 9-11 have borne the brunt of violent hate crimes."
Sikhs draw particular attention because of their traditional beards and turbans, which are mistakenly associated with Islamic terrorists.
Shergill said Monday also marked the start of a trial involving a confirmed hate crime against a Sikh.
He is the attorney for a Sikh cab driver beaten four months ago by passengers who shouted anti-Islamic slurs at him in West Sacramento, which sits across the Sacramento River from the state capital. The two defendants pleaded no contest Monday to felony assault.
As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, several people at Monday's news conference drew links between the Sacramento-area crimes and national and international developments. From unrest in North Africa to congressional hearings on radicalization of Muslims in the U.S., speakers warned of an increasingly hostile climate.
"It is getting ugly," said Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "And like I said, who suffers the most is the Sikh community because of unfortunately people's ignorance."
The Elk Grove police department said last week's shooting would be the first targeting Sikhs in the city if it turns out to be a hate crime. Police also said they would meet with FBI officials, a routine move when a hate crime is suspected.
On Monday, they said they are looking for a tan or beige Ford F150 pickup truck made between 1999 and 2003. Meanwhile, a dozen groups have collected nearly $30,000 in reward money for information about the shooting.
Singh, a truck driver, had worked in India and Libya before moving to the United States about five years ago, The Sacramento Bee reported. Atwal, the other victim, is a retired civil servant who worked in the revenue department of northwest India's Punjab state before moving to the U.S. in 2001.
The two were neighbors who became friends when Singh moved to Elk Grove three years ago. They would have tea in the morning, set out for a walk, return for lunch, and then go out again. They knew just enough English to say, "Hi," to passersby and met other retired Sikhs at a nearby park.
"They were total gentlemen," said Lakhvinder Singh, a family friend.
Comments
I totally disagree with the comments and parades in the streets saying that Sikhs need to show that we are 'Americans'. No we're not! We share some ideas with American culture but much of our ideas are totally different. The most blatant part of this is feminism. In Sikhism men and women are both equal but none of the Gurus would condone the Western's woman idea of equality. The latter is an affront to God. We also don't drink or smoke tobacco or do drugs. In the USA everyone does.
American culture is a great threat to the civilised world and unfortunately it always has been. Only difference is that now it's showing its true colours to the world after the 911 thing. Earlier it was restricted to killing Red Indians and Chinese in USA. Also with the internet, its commercial facet is like a cancer that left unchecked will swallow up all that is holy and normal.
We have already spent 200 years out of the last 250 under the yoke of the West, in the form of Great Britain ruling us. Let us not spend another 200 under them by succumbing to blind imitation of everything western. I find that Islam is much more balanced in this regard. While Sikhism and Islam have been enemies and lot of tenets are dissimilar, we still share much in common, particularly on the role of chastity for females and respect for elders.
I have on 3 occasions the last 2 years told Americans that I will beat the life out of them, in front of 15 witnesses and I live in one of the most rural places in USA. I am not a singularly brave man but as our tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh wrote in the Zafarnama to Aurangzeb, "Not one hair on my head could be touched". I believe that when one is standing up for what is morally correct, even the meekest are imbued with the power of the creator. The Muslims are being oppressed and it's our duty as Sikhs to protect them, for we will always have much more in common with them than we ever will with the true nature of American culture.
A Proud Indian Sikh
Posted by: Keldon03 | March 9, 2011 11:47 AM
Keldon03:
Thanks for posing as a Sikh however you don't sound remotely close to one. More of either a redneck trying to fan flames, a muslim attempting an ill-thought out 'union' of radical Islam and Sikhism in the readers eye, or some shady hindu nationalist. Either way, your 'definition' of Sikhism and 'Being American' is both lame and inflammatory.
Posted by: Jim | March 9, 2011 2:32 PM
California is a failed state all the way around.
R Anon
Posted by: Anonymous | March 19, 2011 11:35 PM