There’s More to Anti-Sikh Sentiments than Ignorance
Guest blogged by Simran Jeet Singh
This past week, I visited a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania to introduce undergraduate students to the Sikh experience in America. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the professor had assigned Naunihal Singh’s piece from the New Yorker – “An American Tragedy” – one of the most insightful and well-written pieces published in the immediate aftermath of Oak Creek.
The professor had asked the students to submit short reflections on the shooting, and in reviewing their essays, I was struck by the consistent refrain that we have heard all too often: “If Wade Michael Page had only known that he was attacking Sikhs instead of Muslims…”
In other forums, I have discussed some problems with the framework of “mistaken identity,” including the implication of a “correct identity” to be targeted, the displacement of accountability, and the freezing of hate-violence within particular moments of time.
While I still stand by these arguments, I think there is a much more fundamental problem in our application of this idea to the shooting at the gurdwara in Oak Creek. We do not yet know Page’s specific intentions, yet we continue to assume that he actually intended to attack Muslims. For some reason, we have not seriously entertained the possibility that Page entered the gurdwara fully intending to kill Sikhs.
8 Responses to “There’s More to Anti-Sikh Sentiments than Ignorance”
I am one of those who hates Islam and its true followers like Hell. I have always known that Michael Wade attacked Sikhs because he was a white supremacist. The fact that he lived fairly close to the wisconsin Gurdwara was the first strong clue that made me realize that his attack against Sikhs was race based, rather than religion based.
But whenever I debate with Muslims and tell them how I don't like their evil religion, they always bring up the Wisconsin Gurdwara shooting and try to convince me that Wade attacked Sikhs because he mistook them for Muslims, and it is my hatred of Islam that fueled it. So far I have been countering their arguments by pointing out that Wade lived close to the Gurdwara and that there was a big sign outside that says "Sikh Temple of Wisconsin", and that even the most ignorant Islam haters know that a Muslim place cannot have the word 'Temple' in its name.
Thanks to this article I have one more item in my arsenal to counter their propaganda. Thank you again 🙂
knowTheEnemy you speak of debating with Muslims. I'm Sikh and I say your hatred fuels all types of hatred including that against Sikhs.
um.. once you study what Islam teaches, you too will hate it like people hate Nazism, and you will hates its true followers like people hate Nazis.
The news coming from Islamic countries and societies should give strong clues that something is rotten in Islam. Here is the latest news from the world of Islam-
Oct 23 – IDF Nabs PA Terrorist with 8 Pipe Bombs
Oct 24 – Taliban leader says insider attacks that have killed 52 coalition troops this year, will increase
Does my hatred fuel hatred against India too? against Hindus??
Chill, all will be burn to ash who oppose the Khalsa (pure) as in what is truthful and just. No matter what, or who.
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