Sikhism

California Sikhs Determined to Continue Efforts of Community Involvement a Year After 9/11

September 11, 2002

Source: The Reporter

http://www.thereporter.com/Specials/9Eleven/pg01a.html

On September 11, 2002 The Reporter in Vacaville, California reported that "when local Sikh-Americans found their sacred temple sullied in July with black spray-painted profanity and the message, 'go back where you belong,' they simply removed it and went about the business of living their religion... Tolerance for their fellow men, including the ignorant, is part of being Sikh... said...

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Update: Balbir Singh Sodhi Remembered

September 11, 2002

Source: The Arizona Republic

On September 11, 2002 The Arizona Republic printed an editorial which stated, "it is fitting and important that all Americans take time today to mourn the victims of last Sept. 11 and to give sober reflection to the challenges America will face in coming years. At the same time, it's important also for residents of the East Valley to take a little time to reflect on our area's own particular additional sadness, the senseless murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi. After Sodhi was killed, there was a strong demonstration of sympathy for...

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Profile of a Washington Sikh's Experience after 9/11

September 11, 2002

Source: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/86493_history11.shtml

On September 11, 2002 The Seattle Post-Intelligencer featured the article "In Their Words: Proud Sikhs can't forget the backlash," which highlights the experiences and opinions of a Sikh-American in Washington state. "'Jathedar' Sidhu prays at Gurudwara Singh Sabah of Washington, the Renton Sikh Temple. Sidhu is a postal worker who has cried for his love for America -...

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Heroic Sikh Doctor Recalls Post-9/11 Backlash

September 10, 2002

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On September 10, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "speaking at a senior citizen center Monday, [Dr. Navinderdeep Singh] Nijher... one of the first physicians to arrive at the burning remains of the twin towers... recalled the backlash of hate he and other Sikhs faced from fellow Americans in the wake of the attacks... When he walked into the drugstore to get film developed from Ground Zero, the store clerk mistook him for a Muslim. 'When I presented the pictures to the drugstore clerk, I asked him how much it would...

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A Call for Americans to Assimilate

September 9, 2002

Source: The Satya Circle

On September 9, 2002 The Satya Circle printed an editorial which stated, "if there is to be any significant improvement in the way South Asian- or Arab-Americans are treated by other Americans, the change must take place not through a superficial adjustment on the part of the former, but through an appreciation by the latter of the fact that those of South Asian or Arab descent are Americans, and that these individuals contribute to and secure the happiness and liberty enjoyed by all. Indeed, it is only other Americans who must...

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Iowa City Muslims and Arabs Comment Positively on Local Response, but Local Universities Experience Backlash

September 8, 2002

Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen

http://www.press-citizen.com/news/090802arabs.htm

On September 8, 2002 Iowa City Press-Citizen reported that "some members of the Muslim and Arab communities in Iowa City say the local response has been overwhelmingly positive. Despite the mostly positive reaction in Iowa City, the local community was not immune from some negative backlash. A Press-Citizen survey of Big Ten schools the week after Sept. 11 found threats or incidents of...

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Educating Against Suspicion

September 8, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On September 8, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "a year after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, [Muslim, Arab, and Sikh people]... who initially aroused suspicion among some residents and law enforcement officials now find themselves - some reluctantly - in the role of educators, all the while enduring long stares and even longer searches at airport security checkpoints. Islamic leaders said their role has become more crucial as a result of the terrorist attacks, especially in the predominantly white Boston [...

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Update: Balbir Singh Sodhi Remembered

September 8, 2002

Source: The Arizona Republic

On September 8, 2002, The Arizona Republic reported that "the pain of losing a patriarch hasn't really left the Sodhi family. It's been a year since Sukhwinder Singh Sodhi's father, Balbir, was shot to death while planting flowers outside the family's convenience store near 80th Street and University Drive in Mesa. Sukhwinder, 29, wears a Diamondbacks baseball cap now instead of a turban. His dark beard is close-cropped. He says family life was starting to get better until Balbir's brother, a San Francisco cab driver, was shot...

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New England Sikh Community Encounters Curiosity

September 8, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On September 8, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "for the roughly 150 Sikhs... living at or near the ashram in Millis, [Massachusetts] life has changed since Sept. 11... Never before has a long beard and turban evoked the response it now does. Still, Sikhs in Millis, the largest community of its kind in New England, say that although they remain more vigilant, they have found the vast majority of people to be caring and curious about their religious practices... The turban represents several beliefs in Sikhism, according to...

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Many American Muslims Still Targeted and Fearful

September 3, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=49897

On September 3, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a year later [in Portland, Oregon], people who once felt harassed are now more relaxed - in part because neighbors, colleagues, and often total strangers reached out to assure them. But they say the initial fear of bodily harm has turned into a dull uneasiness, causing them to worry about their future in the United States, and in some cases strive to...

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Los Angeles Unites all Faiths to Remember September 11

August 30, 2002

Source: Copley News Service

On August 30, 2002 Copley News Service reported that Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles "announced Thursday he will mark the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with an interfaith prayer vigil designed to promote harmony between religious faiths...

���Representatives of Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Islam, Jewish, Hindu and other faiths will convene that day ... The 'Towers of Faith Prayer Vigil' event, which is open to the public, is seen as a way of celebrating the region's religious, ethnic and...

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Connecticut Sikhs Protest DMV Policy on Removing Head-Coverings

August 29, 2002

Source: The Hartford Courant

http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hc-sikhdmv0829.artaug29.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dlocal

On August 29, 2002, The Hartford Courant reported that Connecticut "Department of Motor Vehicle workers will no longer ask for written documentation when motorists want to keep their turbans and other religious headgear on while their driver's license photos are taken... The department previously required a letter...

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Muslim-Americans and Others Face Scrutiny When Flying

August 28, 2002

Source: MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/799864.asp

On August 28, 2002 MSNBC reported on the "interrogations, body searches and suspicious stares... [and other] indignities endured by air travelers of Arab, Middle Eastern, South Asian and even South American backgrounds... �The airlines deny they have engaged in racial profiling since the Sept. 11 hijack attacks, in which Islamic extremists struck at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington... �Still,...

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