[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 2, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1766-E1767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           VIOLENCE AGAINST SIKHS EXPOSED--ATTACKS MUST STOP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 2, 2001

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I spoke previously about the 
violence against

[[Page E1767]]

Sikh Americans in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and 
the Pentagon. I have said previously that these attacks must stop. Now 
efforts are underway to expose them through the media and to collect 
information to catalogue these incidents. I applaud those efforts.
  Last weekend, a Sikh gasoline station owner in Mesa, Arizona, Balbir 
Singh Sodhi was shot to death at his gas station by someone, who 
apparently thought the gas station owner was a supporter of Osama bin 
Laden because of his turban and beard. It should be noted that 99.9 
percent of the people who wear turbans and beards in this country are 
Sikhs.
  Mr. Speaker, this kind of crime must be condemned. The Sodhi killing 
was just one of over one hundred incidents of harassment or violence 
against Sikhs. All of these crimes are catalogued on the internet at 
http://www.sikh.org/hatecrime for the information of the public.
  This past Tuesday, September 18, the Council of Khalistan held a 
press conference to expose the violence against Sikh Americans. They 
called for an investigation by Attorney General Ashcroft. One of the 
Sikhs, who created the website I mentioned above, Amardeep Singh 
Bhalla, was there to announce it. The news conference was attended by 
reporters from IBN Radio, News Channel 8, and a Chicago TV station, 
WMAQ. News Channel 8 broadcast it in the evening of the 18th and IBN 
Radio broadcast it on the 19th.
  The Council of Khalistan has put out a press release about the press 
conference. I would like to place this in the Record at this time for 
the information of my colleagues.

      Dr. Aulakh, Sikh Leaders Condemn Murders of Sikhs and Others


       Sikhs Are Not Moslems--Ask Attorney General to Investigate

       Washington, D.C., Sept. 18, 2001.--Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, 
     President of the Council of Khalistan, today condemned the 
     murders of Sikhs and other Americans in the wake of the World 
     Trade Center attack. Dr. Aulakh an other Sikh leaders spoke 
     at the National Press Club. The press conference was attended 
     by reporters from NewsChannel 8, NBC, the Japanese newspaper 
     Sankei Shimbun, India Globe, and others.
       ``I call on Attorney General John Ashcroft to look into 
     this nationwide pattern of violence and I urge the victims 
     these attacks to call their police departments and their 
     local prosecutors,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``This is the best way 
     I ensure that those who perpetrate this violence are 
     appropriately punished.''
       ``I condemn the violence against Muslim Americans and I 
     condemn the attacks on Sikh Americans,'' Dr. Aulakh said. 
     There have been over 100 acts of harassment or violence 
     against Sikhs. Since the World Trade Center and Pentagon 
     bombings on Tuesday, there has been a wave of violent 
     incidents aimed at Sikhs and other individuals. Over the 
     weekend, a Sikh gasoline station owner was murdered at his 
     business in Mesa, Arizona. The Granthi of the Sri Guru Singh 
     Sabha Gurdwara in Fairfax, Virginia was attacked while 
     walking with his wife. Attackers threw a brick through the 
     window of a local Sikh, Ranjit Singh of Fairfax, Virginia. 
     They were in attendance at the press conference.
       Another local Sikh, Sher Singh, was arrested by police in 
     Rhode Island after the attack, but was released the next day. 
     A couple of young Sikhs were attacked in Brooklyn, New York. 
     Sikh businesses have been stoned and cars have been burned. 
     An Egyptian Christian man was shot in San Gabriel, 
     California. A Pakistani Muslim who owned a grocery store was 
     shot in Dallas.
       ``Sikh Americans, Muslim Americans, Christian Americans, 
     our neighbors and countrymen, are being harassed and acts of 
     violence are being committed against them merely because of 
     their religious or ethnic heritage,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``All 
     Americans should join together to condemn these cowardly 
     acts.''
       ``What a group of terrorists did Tuesday was a terrible 
     crime and an act of war against America, but it was done by 
     group of individuals who are no more typical of their 
     religion than Timothy McVeigh is typical of Christianity,'' 
     said Dr. Aulakh. ``Members of minority religious communities 
     are being targeted for violence, and this is unacceptable 
     especially in America.''
       ``Sikhism is an independent, divinely revealed, 
     monotheistic religion with our own symbols and has no 
     relation to other religions like Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, or 
     Christianity, but we respect all religions'' Dr. Aulakh said. 
     He noted that Sikhism has its own symbols. ``Among those 
     symbols are a turban and beard. That does not make us 
     supporters or associates of Osama bin Laden, yet we are being 
     targeted for violence in the wake of the atrocities last 
     Tuesday.'' I said.
       Two young Sikh activists announced the creation of a 
     website for information about hate crimes against Sikhs. It 
     can be found at http://www.sikh.org/hatecrime. They noted 
     that ``99.9 percent'' of the people who wear turbans in 
     America, are Sikhs.
       ``Let's not let America descend to the level of those who 
     attacked it,'' Dr. Aulakh said.

     

                          ____________________