Attacks on Sikh Family in CA and SALDEF

Going further on the racist attacks on the Sikhs, here is how the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) helped prosecute 4 youth assailants who attacked a Sikh family. [sent by Ms S. Sahni]

In October 2007, SALDEF was contacted by a Sikh family in San Jose who was concerned with the increase in the number of attacks on their home. For months, the Singh residence was the site of numerous hate-motivated attacks on their property. Their home was spray painted with vulgar language such as “Osama,” “Al Qaida,” and “Nigger.” Their home was toilet-papered on numerous occasions and the family frequently received vulgar and threatening phone calls in the middle of the night.

Through their perseverance, the family was able to catch the assailants — 4 Southeast Asian and 1 South Asian teenagers — by identifying the vehicle and license plate number that they saw in front of their house.

As I had said earlier, despite its unique spiritual and religious character, Sikhism has not gotten its due in the broader American spiritual framework.  I think the broader Indian community should endeavor to educate the public in general of Sikhism.  Of course, in every human being, there is a Sikh – over and above the ritualistic sense of the word – in all of us.. and the blossoming of Sikh spiritual message is a collective blossoming of all of us!