[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 135 (Wednesday, October 10, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10451-S10452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONDEMNING BIGOTRY AND VIOLENCE AGAINST SIKH-AMERICANS

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 74, legislation that explicitly condemns the 
bigotry and violence against Sikh-Americans that has originated as a 
result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C. 
and New York City.
  Let me begin by saying that I am deeply disturbed that such a 
resolution has to be introduced in our country. For more than 200 years 
America has treasured the freedoms held in the Constitution and the 
Bill of Rights, including the right of Americans to pursue the religion 
of their choice. Throughout those years, America has attracted 
individuals from around the world who found refuge from persecution for 
their religious beliefs. Sikh-Americans have made America their home 
for over one hundred years, and in that time they have significantly 
contributed to the vitality, prosperity, and harmony of the communities 
in which they live.
  In the time that has passed since September 11, Sikh-Americans have 
been vocal in their support for Americans, both for those that lost 
their lives in the attack and those that now risk their lives in their 
attempt to bring to justice those that are responsible. But sadly, 
Sikh-Americans have been among the initial and repeated victims of hate 
crimes in the United States since the attacks, and they continue to 
suffer daily from actual violence and threats of violence. This comes 
in spite of unambiguous remarks by President Bush and Attorney General 
Ashcroft that any inappropriate activity emanating from either 
religious or ethnic intolerance would be prosecuted to the fullest 
extent of the law. It is distasteful to me that in our search for 
terrorist schemes, necessary though it is, some Americans have looked 
toward the most convenient and conspicuous available target to blame, 
that being individuals of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent whose 
appearance is considered different than the norm. As we learn more and 
more of the origins of these radical religious movements, it is 
important that we refrain from painting all religions and ethnicities 
with a very broad and indiscriminate brush. Although radical religious 
movements may share the name of a major religion, they clearly 
obfuscate the basic tenets and purposes of these religions, especially 
those related to tolerance, understanding, and peace.
  In my own State of New Mexico, I am proud to say we have a large, 
energetic, and engaged Sikh-American population. They live throughout 
my State and contribute significantly to the professional, economic, 
and spiritual vitality of the communities in which they live. The jobs 
that they hold, whether they are doctors, lawyers, engineers, 
businessmen, educators, or social service providers, are essential to 
the social and economic welfare of the people in New Mexico. They 
always have been, and always will be, an integral part of their 
communities, and, accordingly, they have been treated in a manner that 
reflects their position in my State as friends, neighbors, and 
colleagues. That treatment should continue today, tomorrow, and in the 
future.
  Over the years, Sikh-Americans have done much to make New Mexico a 
better place to live. They have created the 3HO Foundation, a non-
profit organization dedicated to the service and teaching of the 
science of Yoga and mediation. The organization has served in a 
consultative manner to the Economic and Social Council of the United 
Nations since 1994. Sikh-Americans sponsor the International Peace 
Prayer Day, part of their effort to recognize

[[Page S10452]]

all human beings as equals and to establish egalitarian and democratic 
societies across the world. They contribute to charitable organizations 
and establish businesses that have as their foremost motivation the 
distribution of products and assistance to those in need. Sikh-
Americans are an asset to New Mexico in every way.
  The resolution introduced by Senator Durbin and co-sponsored by 
myself and many other colleagues states in unequivocal terms that: 1. 
bigotry and any acts of violence or discrimination against any 
American, including Sikh-Americans should be condemned; 2. the civil 
rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Sikh-Americans, 
should be protected; 3. local and Federal law enforcement authorities 
should work to prevent hate crimes against all Americans, including 
Sikh-Americans, and; 4. local and Federal law enforcement authorities 
should prosecute to the fullest extent of the law all those who commit 
hate crimes, including those against Sikh-Americans.
  I support this legislation in the strongest possible manner and I 
state in the strongest possible terms that the kind of violence Sikh-
Americans have suffered from since the September 11 attack must stop. 
Furthermore, I ask local, State, and Federal law enforcement to re-
double their efforts to prevent these abhorrent actions and prosecute 
perpetrators of such actions to the full extent of the law. We need to 
make it clear that acts of violence against other religions and 
ethnicities as a means of exacting revenge for the recent terrorist 
attacks are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in this country.
  America has long been a beacon of freedom and tolerance in the 
international system, but it goes without saying that it suffers in 
stature when the civil rights of Sikh-Americans, as well as Americans 
of Muslim, Hindu, or other religious persuasion, come under open 
attack. In my view, these individual abuses are not indicative of the 
people we as Americans are, nor are they reflective of the society that 
we aspire to be. But they have a cost and we cannot ignore them. It is 
time that we acknowledge the contemptuous behavior that is occurring, 
unite as a country in our universal condemnation of hate crimes of any 
type, and censure it to the fullest extent of the law.
  There is no doubt that we are in a difficult moment in our country's 
history and we must take extraordinary steps to prevent further 
injuries and loss of life. But even now we need to take care to not 
abandon the principles and the spirit of our Constitution and the Bill 
of Rights. Indeed, it is my hope that we use these unfortunate 
circumstances as an opportunity to move forward with an even more 
sincere and collective commitment to the ideals that have made this 
Nation so great.

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