In New Delhi, members of the National AkaliDal, a Sikh
political party in India's state of Punjab, protest the
latest massacre
at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, Aug. 6.
America Must Better Protect Sikhs and Other Religious 'Soft Targets' (The Tribune, India)
"This
attack on Sikhs at their place of worship indicates an unacceptable degree of
religious intolerance among certain individuals in that society. ... The Sikh
community is badly shaken, and much needs to be done to reassure it and instill
a sense of security among those whose place of worship became a killing ground
last Sunday."
Wade Michael Page: It is now being reported that this man, a White supremacist who was ejected by the U.S. military, is responsible for entering a Sikh temple in Wisconson and gunning down worshippers. Most likely, he was misinformed about Sikhs, and mistook them for Muslims.
A lone gunman killed seven people at a gurdwara
[Sikh temple] and injured many others, including a police officer. The gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin was filled with men and
women in prayer, when an individual walked in and went on a killing spree. While it is
too early to comment on the motives of the gunman, who was killed by a police
officer, the Sikh victims were innocent people like all others after a terrorist
act. President Obama swiftly condemned the killings, as did Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. And even as the investigation has been
launched to find out more about the man who killed so many, U.S. government
agencies are also expressing regret.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
Turban-wearing Sikhs are a visible minority in the United
States, and since the 9/11 attacks, Sikhs have been targeted due to mistaken
assumptions about their religion. This attack on people at their place of
worship indicates an unacceptable degree of religious intolerance among certain
individuals in that society. Community leaders point out that Sikh immigrants
have established themselves and won a respected place in many parts of the country.
There is no doubt that many American state governments give
their inhabitants far-too-easy access to guns. Incidents of gunmen attacking
innocent people abound. Weeks before this tragedy, there was another mass
killing in Aurora, Colorado, in which 12 people were killed in a cinema hall,
again, by a lone gunman. America, on the whole, needs to reexamine its tryst
with guns.
Even as state and federal governments investigate this
particular crime, effective steps need to be taken to monitor the places of
worship of many religious denominations and ensure that such gatherings do not
become soft targets. The Sikh community is badly shaken, and much needs to be
done to reassure it and instill a sense of security among those whose place of
worship became a killing ground last Sunday.
