Source: Contra Costa Times
On September 16, 2002 the Contra Costa Times reported that "a year after a Sikh man became the nation's first fatal victim of a post-9/11 hate crime, fellow worshippers of his temple called on Sikhs to turn to politics to give their community more of a voice. 'There are no Sikh (city) councilmen; there are no Sikh congressmen. Nothing,' said Bhajan Singh, a member of the Gurdwara Sahib temple... Since Sodhi's killing, Bay Area and national Sikh organizations have courted attention from public officials and media in an effort to educate other Americans about Sikh religion and culture. Sikhs are neither Muslim nor Arab. Sikhs must now go beyond just gaining mainstream America's tolerance and assert themselves politically, several temple members said."