16th Sep 2021, New York, NY:
It has been 20 years since the 9/11 attacks left Americans in a shock wave. That day changed the lives of the American Sikhs, who, till date, continue to become the targets of racism and victims of hate crimes and bullying. It’s notable that 9/11 changed the global outlook and impact on the Sikh community worldwide. The report released today focuses on the domestic impact on the Sikh community in the United States after 9/11. FBI’s recent Hate Crime Statistics, data gathered on anti-Sikh bias crimes shows that hate crimes against Sikhs have increased by 44.9% since 2019.
For over 20 years, UNITED SIKHS continues to advocate for the victims of hate crimes, discrimination, bullying etc. The report released has interviews of victims and their families to better understand the emotional trauma they have gone through since 9/11. The Report highlights how Sikh victims of hate crimes have felt the backlash of 9/11. Interviews document how Gurinder Singh Dhaliwal (Taxi Driver from New York later shifted to Massachusetts) has been subjected to over 1,000 racist comments toward him since 9/11. Witnesses, like Mr. Kanwaljit Singh (Convenience Store owner in Daytona beach, Florida) express that they believe that hate crimes against Sikhs are often the product of American hostility against Muslims and ignorance of Sikhism. Both of them are impediments for the development of a nation. People rallied for social, legal, political and cultural change to prohibit discrimination and end segregation during the civil rights movement.
The 9/11 report documents the voices of victims and makes suggestions to eliminate hate crime.
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