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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 1:08 p.m. ET: As details emerged from the scene of a shooting at a Sikh temple in southern Wisconsin, Sikhs around the country mourned the loss of their fellow believers, saying they are misunderstood minority.
"We are pretty sure that this is a hate crime because there is so much ignorance and people mistake us either being Taliban, or being part of Bin Laden’s network, or al-Qaida because of our turbans and beards," Rajwa Singh of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation in Rockville, Md., told NBCWashington.com. The center held a special prayer Sunday for those killed in Wisconsin.
In New York, Sikhs gathered Sunday evening to mourn and try to make sense of the murderous attack.
"You cannot imagine how we loss, how we suffer," Gurdev Singh Kang, president of the Sikh Cultural Society in Richmond Hill, Queens, told NBCNewYork.com.
Kang said the uncle of the society's chairman was among those killed in Wisconsin, where a gunman opened fire Sunday morning at a temple outside Milwaukee, killing six people and wounding at least three others, including a police officer.
Alleged gunman, 'Jack Boot,' led neo-Nazi punk band
A police officer called to the scene killed the gunman before he could fire on even more worshipers.
The alleged gunman was identified Monday as Wade Michael Page, 40, a military veteran who served in the Army from April 1992 through October 1998. Page is the former leader of a neo-Nazi music group called End Apathy, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Sikhism, which emerged in central India and the Punjab region of India in the 16th century, dubs itself a "progressive religion." The Sikhs stress the oneness of God, emphasize the full equality of women and reject distinctions of creed, race or sex. Community service is also an integral part of Sikhism. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, there are about 612,560 adherents in North America.
Male Sikhs grow thick beards and cover their heads with turbans. They are often misunderstood, labeled terrorists or mistaken for Muslims. Harassment against them has grown since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Jeffrey Phelps / AP
A gunman opened fire Sunday morning at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, killing six people and wounding at least three others, including a police officer, before being shot to death, authorities said.
Shortly after 9/11, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Ariz., was killed apparently because of his turban and his faith by an assailant who associated him with the terrorist attacks.
The Sikh Coalition, a community-based organization tackling discrimination, was founded in New York City on 9/11 as a response to the backlash violence experienced by Sikhs around the country. According to the organization’s website, an elderly Sikh and two teenagers were attacked in Queens that same night in “reprisal” attacks.
In a 2011 report to Congress on school bullying, the organization noted that "roughly half to over three-quarters of Sikh students" are targeted for bullying, harassment, or violence in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.
New Jersey resident Prabhujeet Singh, a software programmer, said several children have called him "Osama," NJ.com reported, and a drunk man confronted him in a grocery store, calling him the same name and growing violent.
Photoblog: Sikhs at the Golden Temple, their holiest shrine
"That turban has tragically marked us as automatically suspect, perpetually foreign and potentially terrorists," Valarie Kaur, a filmmaker who has chronicled attacks on Sikhs in the 2006 documentary "Divided We Fall," told the AP.
"We are experiencing it as a hate crime," she added. "Every Sikh American today is hurting, grieving and afraid."
Authorities said they were investigating the Wisconsin temple assault as an act of domestic terrorism. Sikh leadership condemned the attack, adding that U.S.-based adherents should consider adopting increased security measures at their places of worship, called gurdwaras.
"It is a highly unfortunate incident which has taken place in America leaving six innocent devotees dead. This is a security lapse on the part of U.S. government," Giani Gurbachan Singh, the head priest of Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, told The Times of India. A delegation was sent to the United States to investigate the attack, he added.
According to The Associated Press, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also a member of the Sikh faith, called the assault a "dastardly attack."
"That this senseless act of violence should be targeted at a place of religious worship is particularly painful," he said in a statement, according to the AP.
New York police said they would be deploying critical response vehicles as a precaution in addition to stepping up patrols at Sikh temples.
"That was miles and miles away," Gursharan Bharth said outside a temple in Flushing, Queens. "For a cop to come here and check on us to make sure we're okay, just kind of shows me that we live in New York and New York is a place where yes people rub shoulders and don't get along all the time, but we stand together still."
NBCWashington.com and NBCNewYork.com contributed to this report.
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This is a sad tragedy. Not only did the gun open fire on innocent people he apparently was to ignorant to even know who was shooting at.
However, as our society becomes ever more polarized I expect to see more stories like this. People are giving in to ignorance and violence to solve perceived issues that they have with others. Rather than using reason and discourse.
Nice how people are pointing out that he shot the "wrong" people .....sick.
"We're not Taliban" ?
We're not that other religion , you know , the bad one ............. ?
What does your religious book say about those who do not believe in a god or your god ? what does your religious book say is in store for them in their lives ?
Actually, Taliban is not a religion. I get what you're trying to say, I think, but there's nothing offensive about saying "We are not part of a violent, fundamentalist Muslim group." It doesn't denigrate Islam.
If I were a Sikh I'd shed the turban and shave!
u are a coward and would NEVER be accepted......sorry!!!
aaaahhhhh but I'd be alive.
maybe/maybe not....been to any movie theaters lately??
No that's why I'm still alive. Please look at what Road Warrior-252455 is saying. My only point. It will get a lot worse I'm sure. Just be prepared. Sort of like - When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well try not stand out no matter where you are. The whole world is not as safe as it was long ago.
Speaks The Truth, you sir speak the truth. One can be a Sikh without being a turban wearing non-shaver. Just look at the person they chose to represent their community on TV.
hey genius I hate to break this to you.....wait 4 it....wait 4 it....we aren't in Rome...we live in the USA
see here in the USA we have a constitution that.....wait 4 it......wait 4 it.... GUARANTEES US CERTAIN FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS.....so when u are ready to get rid of your crosses and bibles and menorahs and all your OTHER forms of religious expression then I'm sure the Sikhs will be happy to not wear theirs...
I use to think that was a great honor, ...well I guess it still is instead of living in some heathern country. But what I am trying to tell you if your brain is big enough to comprend this. Be as inconspicuous as possible and maybe you won't get shot or killed from some idiot and then all you have to watch out for is the cops mowing ya down! Yeah if you carry a Bible around that may make an idiot shoot you down. The world including the U.S. is going to Hell in a hand bag. If it hasn't already gotten there.
Many sikhs prefer to be conspicous and succeed like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP9zqcUn6jQ or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08F-Yubj0Do or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5mrXSelzHk&feature=related
Comments always seem to blame politics. Glad I'm not that ignorant.
Religion is terrorism / propaganda at it's finest.
I totally disagree that Christians do not endure hatred. Christians do experience hatred and persecution, all the time.
I am confused. Since they killed the wack job for shooting these folks, how do we know that he commited this heinous crime and confused them with being Muslims? If he was a neo-nazi, from my understanding of these fools, they dislike all non-Aryans, so many groups are in their crosshairs. There is a lot of hate out there and with these people filled with hate, there is no confusion. This was horrible enough without folks adding things that could possible provoke others to react violently or to simple encourage others to spew their venom. How about we just deal with the facts and if we don't have the facts, just shut up until we get them without having fillers and making real unfortunate incidents into a freaking Hollywood movie!!!!!
All immigrants who wish to become a part of the American dream should take a lesson from Asians. You notice most of them don't walk around dressed in their native garb and stick out like a sore thumb. They dress in jeans. They have left their old country behind. No turbins, no red dot on the foreheads, no veils, etc. If you don't want to get a double take from all passer-bys, don't dress like a Taliban.
OMG please educate yourself before u post again on here.....
That is the problem Queenie-everyone is educating themselves and not listening to any one that knows anything. I can tell you have.
aha ok I see ur point...well someone please point these ignorant peeps in the right direction for f00k's sake!!!
So, good news for Michelle Bachman and Glen Beck who will profit from spreading their bigotry and ignorance to their knuckle-dragging supporters. Great news for gun dealers and the NRA who, if Colorado was any indication, will be selling guns and amno like crazy for the next couple of weeks because "uh-oh, here they come! They're gonna take our guns so get 'em while you can!"
Bad news for Obama and the Democrats. This is a perfect time to talk about gun control but it is an election year.
Like you do better with Nancy Pelosi? What a poster child for early abortion.
Obama, the best gun salesman in the U.S.A.
And in the meantime he has ordered the destruction of WW2 weapons left in Korea such as the M-1 Grand, M-1 Carbine an M1911 pistols. He doesn't want the next administration to allow them to be re-imported where they were originally made.
Iran/Contra with Reagan was the best gun salesman, Chemicals given to Iraq, CIA with Afghanistan against Russia. How about the History of these.
Wait! Does this mean I have to chase after Elk with my bear knife this hunting season instead of using my rifle?
BFD. Like we need more guns in this country.
According to Giani Gurbachan Singh, the head priest of Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, told The Times of India:
"It is a highly unfortunate incident which has taken place in America leaving six innocent devotees dead. This is a security lapse on the part of U.S. government.
How is this the responsibility of the U.S. Government? We live in an open society. Blame racism, blame bigotry, blame lenient gun laws. It was not the government that created this monster. It was his upbringing.
Like Deepthroat told Mulder. Trust no one. We all live like that anyway-just admit it and be honest with yourself(hopefully you can trust him/her). What does this have anything to do with? All of it. There is One I trust-how fortunate for me.
I could have told anyone they are not the taliban!
Sikhs are certainly not Taliban or any other Muslim extremist group. The beard and religious turban (Dastar) might be confused as being a Muslim. While you find extremists in any religion, Sihks are a peaceful people and should be welcomed in any community.
not according to the post sighj or whatever his name was just posted. how can one be peaceful and be expert fighters and assains???? how can one have a long history of fighting ( for what ihave no idea) if they are peaceful? whatever wear what you want do what you want i can't help the way it makes me feel but don't tell me you are peaceful then post idel comments about no one will go one on one with them, or make no mistake bout our force. get real we are american no as stupid as the rest of you all think.maybe this crazy man knew something we all did not. based on what sighj just posted i am thinkin maybe that is what they want you to believe, thanks for adding that now i know there might be something to why he did what he did. another culture not to be trusted based on his comments.
seriously what!-3337813 get some therapy and RUN to it don't walk......thanks!!!
go back and read the feed. tell me you don't find those comment a little alarming. does not sound like such a peaceful people to me. to tell you the truth i don't ask people what religion they are but i am pretty sure he is the only one i have ever came accross that put his religion out there in a way that makes it look so much more then a religion. i personally don't even know if i know one of these people so my experience with them is right now based on his comments and i pretty much don't think they are very nice and peaceful. so ya know i base my belief of this religion on his comments and i am not so sure of not putting this on the list of not worring about them.i am done here so let the comments fly. peaceful my ass.
what -
Peaceful does not necessarily mean subservient. They will defend themselves and others if called for. Violently if need be.
These are good people and this tragedy will only make them stronger and point out the ignorance of the far right wing hate groups.
Instead of the far left wing hate groups that is. One can not survive with out the other. So you say the far left doesn't run around killing people? Too hard to prove-their victims were never born. Here we go! Thing is I am not far right or far left I just want to see both destroy each other so the rest of us can live in peace. Ironic isn't it?
I am amazed that people confuse Sikh with Muslims. I can walk through an airport, through a college campus or a store and know just by the way they are wearing their turban that they are Sikh. Sikh has nothing to do with Islam and their beliefs are not even close to that or Hinduism or even Buddhism.
The murderer was a twitt.
Twit is too kind of a word for this idiot. But using your term he is certainly the Upper Class Twit of the Year!
A senseless tragedy brought on by by a deranged perpetrator. Yet, as I noted in the words of the author nearly all the crimes against Sikhs have been due to them being mistaken for muslims and I'm certain that is the case here. It would seem that the Sikhs should demonstrate thier rage and anger toward the people who have been the root cause of this; the muslims. While there will always be in our world cases of deranged violent perpetrators there is only one group in recent history that eagerly and willingly kills for religious purposes, muslims! The Sikhs and the rest of the civilized world should unite to stamp out this hate filled, cruel backward culture.
I decided to "wait until morning" to comment anywhere. Whomever was killed or shot is THE tragedy. It is not about Sikhs being mistaken for Muslims. It is not about the race or politics of the gunman. It is not the fault of any political candidates. We learn about self-respect and respect for life, education and property at home. That includes responsible gun use and choosing to own weapons or not. Yes, we should be able to distinguish religions, ethnicities, etc. That would not have made the deaths any easier to accept, condemn or understand if there were Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, blacks, whites, et al., as victims or shooters. The human element is all that matters. Let us get to the root of what causes troubled minds to kill period. All of my life, I have been amazed at the finger-pointing that encourages prejudice which feeds bigotry and hate crimes. I am a retired schoolmarm (taught preK to college), Catholic, Registered Independent, and of free Black descent. As either, what presumptions would be made about me? Years ago, even minorities decried the requirement of the Nation of Islam to be searched before entering their temples until the late mother of MLK was killed in a church.
I have a couple of neighbors who follow this religion. They hate islamatic radicals as much as i do. Some of the nicest people I know.
Had a conversation with my brother recently who served a tour in Iraq and two tours in Afaghanistan as a Marine sniper. He completely hates Muslim's and thinks that none are redeemable and all are terrorists. I can't put myself in his shoes and I don't ask the kind of things he must have seen to make him belief this so vehemently, but it's apparantely the way that many veterans feel and think.
However, Sikhs are Sikhs and Muslims are Muslims. They do not intermarry. The religions are that different.
I know they are completely different. I merely wanted to point out a piece of information about our sons and our daughters, brother, sisters, and parents who have served over there and are re-wired somehow to believe these things. I realize the shootter was not in the military at that time. I was just pointing out a belief that is being ingrained into our military personell for years now.
The Sikhs shouldn't even speak out on being Sikh and how it's different than known terrorist religions and how they're not terrorists. Explaining anything to crazy people is just a waste of time. The trick is identifying who can be educated and who cannot. What needs to be addressed is the crazy man who shot them up and how completely ignorant he was of religions around the world. Crazy-man Page was scary enough that the army dishonorably discharged him with the caveat he could not re-enlist with any other military branch. That is the telling part. What exactly did Crazy-man Page do overseas to warrant that? I'm only guessing here that Crazy-man Page has a filter between Christian and anything "Other". Other is any religion he didn't understand, didn't want to understand, and that just needs eliminating by Page. The only reason Crazy-man Page didn’t kill certain women with distinctive head coverings was because he tell they were Catholic nuns.
"We're not Taliban"
No, you most certainly are not, but our far right "Christian" extremists are, and I'm so very sorry for that.
Hopefully, these extremists will rediscover Jesus Christ and his message and stop making us all look bad.
I love being hated. It brings me so much attention.
Beards are for bums.
Turbans are for tards.
Religion is for retards.
Are you a puppet whose strings are pulled by an imaginary god, or are you a real individual of your own making?
I have traveled out of this country 35 times and am always surprised to see how ignorant we are to other cultures and religions.. On 9-11 my co-workers bother was attacked at a gas station in Michigan, they are from the Dominican Republic and are brown but their background is Spanish conquistadors.. Shortly after, men at my local marina was talking about the Arabs that own all the Mobil gas stations locally. I told them those guys were Indian, from India and Hindu, and not Muslims..they didn't know what I was talking about.. how stupid. It hasn't gotten any better, but maybe worse thanks to the Bush/Chaney's "fears-smears-queers" campaign of that administration. How sad.
I saw some report where Wadebo just wanted a ride out of town and the Sikhs just kept on pushing him.I also heard that Wadebo could eat things that would make a billy goat puke.
You know if the Sikhs weren't wearing those colorful turbons,they wouldn't be such easy targets....just saying