Possible hate crimes against elderly Sikhs in California, USA due to them being mistaken as Muslim?
Firstly, just so that nobody misunderstands my stand on such matters, I unequivocally condemn attacks on Muslims and those who are mistakenly viewed as Muslims, in USA, simply because they are wearing a turban and have a longish beard.
Secondly, this post deals with graphic violence and so readers who do not want to read such matters may please skip reading this post.
I think the anti-Muslim feeling in the USA has grown now to a level that Indians in India (like me) come to know of it, through media reports on attacks on Sikhs in USA, who due to their turban and beard, seem to get mistaken to be Muslims. While I have not provided the links below, there are Indian mainstream media articles that I have seen on at least one of the two incidents mentioned below.
This 2 minute video is graphic stuff, but this is the reality that people who outwardly look like Muslims (turban and beard) may face in some parts of USA today.
Hate Crime Against 71 Year Old Sikh Man | Sahib Singh | Manteca, California, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7N327-fu98, published 7th Aug. 2018
The NYT article below states that the police believe the motive to be robbery but I could not see any attempt of the attacker and his accomplice to search the pockets of the old man. Now the old man did not speak English. So perhaps they demanded money of him and as he was not co-operating, beat him up. Maybe that's what the police think and maybe they are right.
Police Chief’s Son Charged in Attack on Sikh Man in California, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/us/sikh-man-attacked-california.html, 9th Aug. 2018
The NYT article refers to another earlier attack on an elderly Sikh man in California within a week of this attack, which the police categorized as a hate crime.
Here's a less than 2 min. video related to it:
'My Turban Saved Me,' Sikh Man Attacked In Stanislaus County, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfPhAskiFN0, published by KCRA News on 6th Aug. 2018.
Tragic that California is having such attacks seemingly targeted at Muslims.
Secondly, this post deals with graphic violence and so readers who do not want to read such matters may please skip reading this post.
I think the anti-Muslim feeling in the USA has grown now to a level that Indians in India (like me) come to know of it, through media reports on attacks on Sikhs in USA, who due to their turban and beard, seem to get mistaken to be Muslims. While I have not provided the links below, there are Indian mainstream media articles that I have seen on at least one of the two incidents mentioned below.
This 2 minute video is graphic stuff, but this is the reality that people who outwardly look like Muslims (turban and beard) may face in some parts of USA today.
Hate Crime Against 71 Year Old Sikh Man | Sahib Singh | Manteca, California, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7N327-fu98, published 7th Aug. 2018
The NYT article below states that the police believe the motive to be robbery but I could not see any attempt of the attacker and his accomplice to search the pockets of the old man. Now the old man did not speak English. So perhaps they demanded money of him and as he was not co-operating, beat him up. Maybe that's what the police think and maybe they are right.
Police Chief’s Son Charged in Attack on Sikh Man in California, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/us/sikh-man-attacked-california.html, 9th Aug. 2018
The NYT article refers to another earlier attack on an elderly Sikh man in California within a week of this attack, which the police categorized as a hate crime.
Here's a less than 2 min. video related to it:
'My Turban Saved Me,' Sikh Man Attacked In Stanislaus County, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfPhAskiFN0, published by KCRA News on 6th Aug. 2018.
Tragic that California is having such attacks seemingly targeted at Muslims.
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