LOS ANGELES, CA: The Sikh Gurdwara in Riverside, CA was vandalized on June 29 night in an apparent hate crime. The word ‘terrorist’ was spray painted around the complex.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has been in direct contact with Riverside County Sheriff Department, the Riverside Police Department, the FBI and Department of Justice CRS urging them to investigate the incident as a hate crime.
“It is horrible to see an attack of hate on a place of worship as we reflect on the lives lost one year ago during the attack on the Oak Creek Gurdwara. Attacks and vandalism against any of the nation’s houses of worship must be condemned by all Americans. These acts strike the very foundation of religious tolerance, a fundamental freedom this country was built upon,” said SALDEF Executive Director Jasjit Singh.
“We call upon local and federal law enforcement agencies to rightfully classify this incident as a hate crime and bring the perpetrators to justice to show that hate and violence are not tolerated in our society.”
No witnesses have come forward yet but anyone with information regarding this situation should please contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department directly.
SALDEF has urged all Sikh Americans to immediately report any incidents of harassment, bullying or assault to SALDEF and the local authorities.
SALDEF has advised Sikhs to hold emergency meetings in all gurdwaras to brainstorm about ways to keep gurdwaras safe; provide CC cameras for the boundaries of the gurdwaras to videograph the possible culprits. It also urged them to educate neighbors and adjoining communities by outreach programs like public langars and participation in American government and cultural activities and memorial parades and engaging mainstream American Media. They should also invite American friends, bosses, colleagues and neighbors to their gurdwaras.
American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) coordinator, Pritpal Singh said that some unidentified vandals had spray painted the word ‘terrist’ on the wall that surrounds the gurdwara in Jurupa Valley. “It is a very unfortunate incident. We are in touch with the federal authorities through American Sikh Congressional Caucus and hope that the culprits would soon be put behind bars,” he said.
Singh said the incident was a ‘hate crime’ as the graffiti had been painted twice on the wall. Earlier too, there had been incidents like these, when Sikhs had become the victims of ‘hate crimes’, especially after the 9/11 terror attack in the United States. He informed that the co-chair of the American Sikh Caucus, Judy Chu and David Valadao, had already initiated a major campaign to educate the public about the Sikh community.
While condemning the incident, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Gurbachan Singh said in Amritsar that every Sikh should condemn the incident and actively participate in the awareness campaign in US. “These reports are very unfortunate and international Sikh organizations should take up the issue at every level,” he said.
The president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Manjit Singh GK, said that the incident proves that not much was being done to spread awareness about Sikhs and their unique identity. “Time and again, Sikhs are being subjected to hate crime; which instills a sense of insecurity among them. It should stop now and the US government should ensure the safety of Sikhs and their religious places,” he said, adding that the incident should be used to educate people about Sikh identity.
CAIR expresses
solidarity
ANAHEIM: The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) has expressed solidarity with the Sikh community following an apparently bias-motivated attack on a Gurdwara, or Sikh house of worship.
“We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community and against the actions of a tiny minority of bigots who violate our nation’s longstanding principles of religious tolerance and inclusion,” said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. “As we have stated many times, an attack on any house of worship is an attack on all houses of worship.”
India Post News Service
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