The attack on the Twin Towers 11 years ago left the United States in shock, and some of the outrage about the terrorism has been misdirected at the Sikh community in America.
There are about 100,000 Sikhs in central and northern California, and many feel they have been misunderstood and are discriminated against daily.
That discrimination reached a crescendo last month when a former U.S. soldier attacked a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six people before turning the gun on himself. Investigations indicated that he had served in the Middle East and may have thought he was attacking Muslims.
Members of the local Sikh community say they have faced misguided aggression, taunting and even physical abuse, as well.
A team of multimedia journalists from The Collegian Online has spent several weeks interviewing local Sikhs, attending Sikh services, learning the basics of their religion and getting their stories.
The results of the team’s work have just been posted on the website. The seven-minute documentary is titled “Sikhs Plagued by Ignorance.”
Singh • Sep 13, 2012 at 3:16 pm
How is this helping Muslims or Discrimination in general? Our 9th Guru sacrificed his life on the principle of freedom of religion. The Turban & the other 4Ks were established knowing we would be persecuted. It is a sign of strength & courage it seems to me this video is only trying to distance Sikhs from Muslims. That the hate/discrimination is simply aimed at the wrong people. The 5Ks should never be used to symbolize that we are “NOT MUSLIMS” it would seem this is counter productive to everything our Gurus stood for especially Guru Teg Bahadur ji. Maybe I’m simply over analyzing it but that’s just how it seems.
Aaron Dhaliwal • Sep 12, 2012 at 10:07 pm
wonderful!! as a fellow Sikh and Fresno State student, i felt proud that a video like this was being made. There are people out there who don’t even know what Sikhism is, and i feel like watching this will help people get a greater understanding about what Sikhism is all about and what we believe in.
I loved how it was so personal. i recognize the gurdwara (Sikh temples) in the video and felt very connected to the video.
Thank You for making this!!
AdMan08 • Sep 12, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Great Documentary! Eye Opening.