Gunman Kills 6 at a Sikh Temple Near Milwaukee
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Steven Yaccino, Michael Shwirtz and Marc Santora
WISCONSIN---The priests had gathered in the lobby of the sprawling Sikh temple here in suburban Milwaukee, and lunch was being prepared as congregants were arriving for Sunday services. Instead of worshipers, though, an armed man stepped through the door and started firing. In an attack that the police said they were treating as “a domestic terrorist-type incident,” the gunman stalked through the temple around 10:30 a.m. Congregants ran for shelter and barricaded themselves in bathrooms and prayer halls, where they made desperate phone calls and sent anguished texts pleading for help as confusion and fear took hold. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and carnage. [link]
By Steven Yaccino, Michael Shwirtz and Marc Santora
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| A vigil in downtown Milwaukee for the dead and the wounded. |
Comments
As soon as news broke about the massacre in Wisconsin, my parents called me to make sure I was safe. Our conversation was eerily similar to the moments immediately after 9/11.
After making sure I was safe, they asked me to be careful walking around the streets of New York City. They pointed out that: "You never know what someone might do."
While I accepted their advice, their words crushed me.
However I continued wearing a turban during my school time.
Me & my friend Manbir Singh, we were the two Sikh students in Graduate Program of Gannon University in a small international community occupied town of Erie, PA.
I would like to inform you that Manbir (Unit Specialist Supplier) is in US army right now & his unit has been deployed to Afghanistan recently & they are supporting the US Army near Kandhar District of Afghanistan. But in order to join US army he also has to cut his long hairs & he shaved his beard.
After getting married (recently) I also came to know that my brother in law has to cut down his hairs as well as he got engaged into situations of misbehave by his schoolmates or classmates multiple times. He used to tie his hairs & wear a Patka (A small cloth to cover your head).
During my past 5 years of living in US, I never felt much confident while wearing a turban, other than in our holy place Gurdwara(Church). But after this Oak Creek event, Now I have to think that did I make the right choice of coming to US for higher education & get settled here for betterment of my family's life at the sake of demolishment of my identity as a Sikh?
I have been closely watching all the developments on this tragic event because of the fact that it is directly proportional to me as a Sikh.
Right now I live in very small town (Scott Depot) of WV & working as a Sr. RAN Engineer with AT&T. While on work I never faced any racism what so ever. But anytime when I used to go in the fields, people do look at me like a stranger. For that reason I've stopped wearing a turban while on job or it becomes not very often.
I do wear it only on some special occasions where I feel confident & where I know that there will be people who know about Sikhism or Sikhs or their identity or belief.
Since living in this small town (Scott Depot, WV) from more than a year now I didn't see/find anybody wearing a Turban. So that really separates me from common people or become easily identifiable.
At last I would only say that, being a prominent International channel, you at least have the power to spread awareness about American Sikhs among our other fellow Americans & other communities across the nation. With that being said, I believe that Americans has to become more open minded & accept people from other religions, as we all belong to ONE GOD.
Thank you very much for providing me the opportunity to express my feelings about my community believe & my culture.
God Bless America
Amrinder Singh
Scott Depot, WV.