Dear friends,
My guess is that the following, more horror, is what holds some of us
back from embracing the "at war" patriotism. FYI...
-------- Original Message --------
Foreign newspapers are giving extensive coverage to attacks in America
on immigrants. What follows is one of the saddest stories I've heard yet
this week - Americans sinking to the level of those they say they hate.
All of us need to do our part to stop this.
=================================
The Times Of India
09-16-01
http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=50046512
Sikh shot dead in Arizona
NEW YORK: A 52-year-old Sikh and a Pakistani were shot dead in Arizona
and Texas in continuing attacks on ethnic immigrants following last
week's terrorist strikes in the U.S.
Four unidentified gunmen drove up in two pick-up trucks to the gas
filling station owned by Balbir Singh Sodhi at Mesa in Arizona and shot
him dead Saturday night, possibly mistaking him for an Arab, Rajwant
Singh, President of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, said.
However, Mesa police spokesman Sgt Mike Goulet said Sodhi was killed by
a lone gunman who later went to a second station and opened fire
repeatedly. The assailant also went to a house and fired several shots.
In a separate attack, Pakistani immigrant Waquer Hasan, 46, was shot
dead in his grocery store in Dallas, Texas.
"We don't deserve this kind of treatment," said Sodhi's younger brother
Lakhwinder Singh Sodhi. "He wouldn't have any enemies," said Balbir's
cousin Harjit Singh.
The owners of the second gas station said the first rounds fired by the
gunman hit a tobacco rack inside the store. The clerk then dropped to
the ground.
The owners, brothers Ali Saad and Saad Saad, would not identify the
clerk.
Latwinder Singh said "since we wear turban and beard, 99 per cent
Americans think we belong to bin Laden. They come to our store, tell us
we are terrorists and ask us to go back to our country", Latwinder Singh
said.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, according to Rajwant Singh, had received numerous
death threats just as "many thousands of Sikhs are receiving throughout
the nation."
Dr Singh is closely associated with a major Gurdwara and various Sikh
associations in Washington and was on the White House all religious
advisory body during the Clinton Administration.
Police are not yet branding the latest killing as backlash but say all
evidence now point in that direction.
Several Sikhs and Muslims have been harassed, abused and beaten up
across the US and most of Muslim institutions closed after being
targeted by hate-groups in the wake of terrorist attacks on New York and
Washington on Sept 11.
Gurdwaras, Hindu temples and mosques have been fired at or damaged.
Police are now keeping a watch on several of them as community leaders
appear on television networks and take out advertisements to explain
that Sikhs having beards and wearing turban are not followers of Osama
bin Laden.
President George W Bush himself has appealed several times that all
Muslims should not be held responsible for an act of terrorism.
But with the television networks repeatedly showing Taliban leaders and
Osama bin Laden with flowing beards and headgear the attacks on Sikhs
have not stopped.
A leading Sikh Community leader in New York Dr Surinder Malhtora denied
reports a Sikh was beaten to death in the Queens area of the city where
Richmond Gurdwara was attacked and fired at with rubber bullets a few
days ago.
The Indian community held a candlelight vigil last night and Malhotra
said what is needed is educating the people that Sikhs are not followers
of bin Laden.
( PTI )
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Oct 10 2001 - 15:49:17 PDT