Sikh Man Stabbed in California

Hate crimes against Sikhs sky rocketed after September 11th, 2001. A Sikh Temple in Salem was recently vandalized, and also branded a hate crime.

Salem-News.com

(SANTA CLARA, Ca.) - Various news agencies in California are reporting that a 20-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stabbing a man in the neck in an apparent hate crime. Everett Thompson was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and a hate crime in the stabbing of 40-year-old Iqbal Singh, a Sikh. We reported last week on Salem-news.com that the Dashmesh Darbar Sikh Temple in Salem was attacked. The saffron flag with the Khanda, known as the Sri Nishaan Sahib, the symbol of the Sikh faith was set ablaze. The fire spread to a nearby grassy area and fence. Firefighters said it was fortunate that the building was not destroyed. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the day after the stabbing of the Sikh man, a 40-year old Santa Clara grandfather named Iqbal Singh, prosecutors are weighing hate crime and attempted murder charges against his neighbor, who apparently believed the man belonged to the Taliban. Mr. Singh was waiting in his carport with his 2-year-old granddaughter around 10:50 AM Sunday when police say he was approached by Everett Thompson who stabbed him in the neck with a steak knife, according to Santa Clara police Sgt. Kurt Clarke. Singh was still in the hospital Monday with serious injuries. The girl was unhurt. His brother-in-law, Gurmeet Singh told reporters that the event was terrifying, "Here he is standing outside of his home, and he is attacked." Gurmeet Singh says he isn't suprised that the crime was motivated by hate, "We Sikhs are the most targeted for hate crimes," he said. "People see us, and they don't understand who we are. They associate us with terrorists." The San Jose Mercury News report indicates that Thompson, who may suffer from mental illness, believed Singh was a member of the Taliban, officials said Monday. Singh is not. The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist movement based in Afghanistan. Sikhism is an unrelated religion and culture founded in the Indian state of Punjab. Supervising deputy district attorney Jay Boyarsky, who oversees hate-crime prosecutions in Santa Clara County, cited a case shortly after Sept. 11th, 2001, which involved two men assaulting a Sikh and setting his ice cream truck on fire. Gurmeet Singh says they are simply trying to peacefully live, earn a living and practice their religion. He says the hate is driven by ignorance. People having trouble understanding the Sikhs may want to watch The Gold Bracelet which is the first film to deal with the tragedies faced by many American Sikhs and Arabs following the Sept. 11th, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center twin towers in N.Y. It was released earlier this year. Based on actual events, the very refreshing and original story deals with the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy faced by a Sikh family. For more information on the film, visit: www.TheGoldBracelet.com