20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the aftermath and its victims

Dated : September 9, 2021

New York, NY

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we remember and mourn the lives of the people who were killed in the horrifying attacks. That day continues to haunt individuals who, in the aftermath, became the targets of racism and victims of hate crimes and bullying.  Hate acts committed by fellow Americans against other Americans continue to rise even today.

In the twenty years since the attacks, the lives of Sikhs have changed.  While there had been bias incidents in the past, after September 11, Sikhs especially have been targeted by domestic terrorists, with racial slurs, discrimination, racial profiling and hate crimes. The first hate crime took place four days after the September 11 attacks.  Sikh entrepreneur Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered at his Arizona gas station by a man who declared he was “going to go out and shoot some towel-heads.”  Mr. Singh Sodhi was murdered because the assailant saw his turban and mistook him for an Arab Muslim.  After this murder, hate crime incidents against Sikhs have continued to rise.

According to FBI’s recent Hate Crime Statistics, data gathered on anti-Sikh bias crimes shows that hate crimes against Sikhs have increased by 44.9% since 2019. For example, the 2019 Hate Crime Statisticsshowed 56 reported anti-Sikh offenses.   In the 2020 FBI data, the number of anti-Sikh hate crimes jumped to 72 offenses. These numbers, however, are very likely an undercount.  Insufficient data collection, labeling and tracking and lack of law enforcement training about how to identify hate crime as a possible motive may result in biased incidents and crimes not being recorded.

Acts of hate haunt many Sikh Americans and it affects their sense of identity, their safety, their ability to practice their religion, and their well-being.  UNITED SIKHS will be releasing its Hate Crime Report in the coming days.  The Report highlights how Sikh victims of hate crimes have felt the backlash of 9/11. Interviews document how Gurinder Singh Dhaliwal (Taxi Driver from New York later shifted to Massachusetts) has been subjected to over 1,000 racist comments toward him since 9/11.  Witnesses, like Mr. Kanwaljit Singh (Convenience Store owner in Daytona beach, Florida) express that they believe that hate crimes against Sikhs are often the product of American hostility against Muslims and ignorance of Sikhism.  With the anniversary and the images of Afghan Taliban forces being shown on TV and other media, the risk to Sikhs is likely to increase even more.

Sikhs will continue to be victimized unless something is done. The UNITED SIKHS Report documents the voices of victims and makes suggestions as we continue to advocate with law enforcement and civil rights agencies on how to address the ongoing problem.

UNITED SIKHS calls upon the Department of Homeland Security  to take appropriate measures due to possible impact arising out of images of events occurring in Afghanistan on the communities of color. We provide security training to community centers and religious centers on how to protect themselves.

UNITED SIKHS asks community law enforcement agencies and all communities of color to remain vigilant and follow the guidance issued by the DHS before, during and after hate crime incidents.

UNITED SIKHS has an unyielding commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. While we will never forget the sacrifices of our countrymen on 9/11, UNITED SIKHS will always pursue opportunities to eradicate hatred and intolerance in memorial to the thousands of lives lost on that solemn day.
We continue to help advocate for victims of hate crimes. If you believe you have experienced a hate crime, contact us at contact@unitedsikhs.org.