Post 9/11 Treatment
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the ideal image of a terrorist was wearing a turban and having a long beard to Americans. Religious profiling, bullying in school, work discrimination, and other hate crimes became an issue. Sikhs were seen as a threat due to their physical appearance. According to Sikh Coalition, in the months following the attacks of 9/11, more than 300 incidences of hate crimes against Sikhs were reported.
September 15, 2001 Mesa, Arizona: 49 year old Balbir Sigh Sodhi shot and killed outside the gas station he owned by Frank Silva Roque. The 9/11 attacks left a lasting impact on Roque and instilled hatred in him towards Arabs. According to The Huffington Post, an employee at a local Applebee’s reported that Roque sat at the restaurant bar that same evening and openly announced: “I’m going to go out and shoot some towel-heads.” His coworker also reported Roque as stating: “We should round them all up and kill them. We should kill their children, too, because they’ll grow up to be like their parents.” After leaving the bar upset, Roque drove his pickup truck to the local gas station owned by a Sikh man. Sodhi was outside the station working with his landscaper when Roque arrived. Roque aimed his handgun out the window and shot 5 bullets at Sodhi, killing him instantly.
Dec. 12, 2001 Los Angeles, California: 47 year old Surinder Singh Sidhi was attacked while preparing to close his liquor store. After the 9/11 attacks, Sidhi wore an American Flag turban out of fear of being attacked for his appearance. Two white men around the age of 23 approached him and asked if he was Osama Bin Laden. The attackers had metal poles with them and beat up Sidhi until he managed to escape.
Aug. 6, 2002 Daly City, California: Sukhpal Singh Sodhi, brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi whom is mentioned above, had planned to reunite with his family in India after receiving his green card in June 2002. It took 7 years to process his green card and now he was finally going to get the chance to see his wife and family after 7 years. He booked his flight for October 2002, leaving sometime to save up more money. Little did he know he was not destined to reunite with his loved ones ever again On August 4, 2002, Sodhi was shot and killed while driving his cab in San Francisco, California.
August 5, 2012 Oak Creek Wisconsin: A white bald male, aged around 40, open fired at a Sikh temple during a Sunday prayer. He killed 6 Sikhs and injured 4 people including a policeman. Worshippers tried to save their lives and scrambled to get out. Many locked themselves in bathrooms and other rooms around the temple. The gunman was shot and killed by policemen.
These are just a few of the hundreds of examples of people who lost their lives for following their faiths due to the ignorance of the racist atmosphere formed after 9/11. These men had children, wives, and mothers who depended on them. Would they still be alive if they didn’t wear a turban? Above is a video made by Singh Street Style. In this video he talks about the people killed after 9/11 attacks.
