Sikhs across the United States mourned the deaths in the Wisconsin shooting, and some said that the incident “revived bitter memories of the period just after the Sept. 11 attacks†when their “distinctive turbans and beards†seemed to trigger violence by people who mistook them for Muslims militants, Ethan Bronner wrote in The New York Times.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg went to a Sikh temple in Queens and “praised Sikhs for their contributions to the community†and “vowed to maintain security for New Yorkers of all faiths,†Mr. Bronner wrote.
In collecting data about “post-Sept. 11 hate crimes, the Justice Department does not draw a distinction between Sikhs and Muslims, an entirely separate religion,†he wrote. A report from October said, “In the first six years after 9/11, the department investigated more than 800 incidents involving violence, threats, vandalism and arson against persons perceived to be Muslim or Sikh, or of Arab, Middle Eastern or South Asian origin.â€
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