Local Sikhs attend a religious ceremony at a temple in Fresno. Local members say they have seen an increase in attendance since the shooting in Oak Creek, Wis. Michael Price / The Collegian
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.”