Ever since they arrived in the U.S. as farmers and lumber mill workers in the late 19th century, Sikhs have struggled with how little Americans knew about the faith.
In 1907, a mob in Bellingham, who called Sikhs “the Hindus,” ran them out of town. (Bellingham officials apologized formally 100 years later.)
Over time, they established themselves in the United States with major temples from Boston to California. Still, they remained a small, often misunderstood community, readily identifiable by their turbans. During the 1970s Iranian hostage crisis, Americans often mistook Sikhs for Iranians. Vandals attacked some temples after the Oklahoma City bombing, committed by white U.S. Army veteran Timothy McVeigh.
So when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred, the Sikh community immediately began organizing, working with U.S. Arabs and Muslims on domestic anti-terror policies that respect civil rights.
“When you walk out, all eyes are on you. You get used to it, but it’s tough,” said Vishavjit Singh, a Sikh software engineer from White Plains, N.Y. “I’ve had people calling me `Osama’ and saying, `Go back home.’ “
For Sikhs, the massacre Sunday at the Milwaukee Sikh temple that left six Sikhs and a gunman dead, was the latest — and worst — of a string of horrific assaults on their community.
Many of the recent attacks have been outright hate crimes. Just four days after the 2001 attacks, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Mesa, Ariz., was shot and killed by a man who mistook him for a Muslim and was seeking revenge.
Last year, a New York City subway worker and Sikh, 30-year-old Jiwan Singh, was assaulted on a train and accused of being related to Osama bin Laden. His son had been attacked two years earlier.
In Elk Grove, Calif., a Sacramento suburb, two Sikh men were fatally shot last year. No one has been charged in the case.
Sikhs leave their hair uncut and covered by a turban as demonstrations of and reminders of their faith.
“They are identifiable. Both Muslims and Sikhs are visible minorities,” said Diana Eck, a Harvard University professor and director of The Pluralism Project. “Both have been subject to misapprehension and targeting as a result of ignorance and prejudice.”
The Sikh Coalition, a New York-based civil rights group, formed about one month after the Sept. 11 attacks. The group has since reported more than 700 hate crimes and has fielded hundreds of complaints about unfair treatment at airports.
In April, the coalition unveiled a free mobile application, FlyRights, which allows travelers of all backgrounds to complain immediately to the government if they feel they’ve been treated unfairly by airport screeners.
The number of Sikhs living in America is not known. Estimates range from 200,000 to 500,000.
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