Hate Hits Home: When My Friend Became A Target
Guest blogged by Simran Jeet Singh
Last night, I received the kind of phone call that everyone dreads: a close friend was hurt, and on his way to the hospital. But the news got worse, as I learned that my friend, Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a young Sikh American professor at Columbia University, had been...
Remembering Oak Creek: One Year On
Last August, a gunman walked into a Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, leaving six dead and several injured. Â It was a day that is etched into the minds of Sikhs around the globe. Â While we would like to think that this tragedy is seen as an American tragedy, the mass shooting in Oak Creek did not...
Update on search for killer(s) of Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal
(photo: Shergill Law Firm)
You may recall the murders of Elk Grove, California residents Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, two senior citizens and turban-wearing Sikhs who, while on their daily walk, were shot down in a drive-by last year. Despite last October’s Day of Action by the community...
Anti-Muslim Bigotry Strikes Michigan Gurdwara
It’s sobering (and depressing) to hear about another hate attack in the United States fueled by Islamophobia, this one in the form of racist graffiti on a gurdwara under construction in Sterling Heights, Michigan. SALDEF‘s recent statement about the incident states:
…the vandalism...
RIP Gurmej Singh Atwal
While Sikhs around the world were celebrating Vaisakhi last week, 78-year-old Gurmej Singh Atwal, one of the two men who were shot in what was likely a hate attack in Elk Grove, California in March, died on Friday. The Sacramento Bee reports:
“He’s no more,” his son said. “First...
Sikh men gunned down in possible hate crime in Sacramento
The Sacramento Bee is reporting that two elderly Sikh men were shot while going on an afternoon walk in their suburban neighborhood on Friday. One of the men, 67-year-old Surinder Singh died from the attack on Friday, and 78-year-old Gurmej Atwal is in critical condition, suffering from two gunshot...
Hate Crimes Heat Up in Oz
A Sikh exchange student from Punjab became the 20th victim, this year, of a hate crime in Australia. His attackers attempted to rip off his turban and forcibly cut his hair. According to the AFP, this is the latest in a wave of attacks against desis in Australia.
These attacks have been the subject of...
