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Fearful Sikhs, Muslims lobby for peace

Sukhjit Purewal in San Jose

Reports of verbal and physical violence against people of the Islamic and Sikh faiths throughout the United States have left the communities in California shaken and fearful.

Members of both communities are doing all that they can to educate the public to separate themselves from the terrorists and demonstrate their dedication to the US.

At San Francisco's Islam Centre on Wednesday, someone threw blood in the foyer and called to say he had left a package from Osama bin Laden. Later the person called back and threatened the centre.

Muslims are walking around scared, with tears in their eyes, said Samy Mohamed of the San Francisco chapter of the American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice.

"When this happened, my wife cried and said, 'please don't let this be Muslims'," Mohamed told rediff.com Now that those worst fears have been realised, Mohamed laments the long-term consequences the violent events will have.

"Aftershocks will be tremendous," said Mohamed. "We have worked tirelessly to eradicate the image of 'Islam equals terrorism' from the psyche of the American public -- an act like this shatters that hard work to pieces."

He worries that Muslim women who wear hijabs will become easy targets and that there will be harassment not just at airports but also when it comes to Muslim names on job applications.

Mohamed said he is doing all that he can to educate the public -- even by responding to hate mail. He has replied to two vicious letters, explaining that he is a Muslim American, not a terrorist.

"I tell that I am as American as anyone else," said Mohamed. "This tragedy has affected us more than anyone else because we are the secondary victims of this hatred."

What's more, Mohamed told the letter writers, as Americans, we can't fall into the trap of turning against each other.

In Northern California, Sikhs are also speaking out, using the media to explain to the public that Sikhs are not Muslims and that they stand by their country, the US.

"We are American Sikhs. We are peace-loving. We are 100 per cent behind the president. We mourn with the country," said Mohinder Sandhu, spokesman for the Sacramento Sikh Temple, at a city vigil on Thursday attended by Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante and other dignitaries.

In rural Yuba City, where Indians, mostly Sikhs, account for 9 per cent of the county's population, Sikhs are doing all that they can to educate the public.

At a press conference on Friday morning, Dr Jasbir Singh Kang, spokesman for the Yuba City gurdwara, asked for the media's help in educating the public about the differences between Sikhs and Muslims. The problem is that in America most people who wear turbans are Sikhs and therefore they are wrongly labelled Muslims, said Kang. But Sikh or Muslim -- discrimination is wrong.

"American people are very tolerant," said Kang. "It is only a small group who are trying to get their anger out."

To show that they stand by the US, the Sikh temple has already donated $11,000 and plans to give more after collecting from its patrons.

Full Coverage of the Attack on US Cities

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