Biden, Harris commemorate 2012 gurdwara mass killing
Darpan News Desk IANS, 06 Aug, 2021 02:05 PM
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have commemorated the ninth anniversary of the 2012 mass shooting at the gurdwara in Oak Creek that claimed the lives of seven Sikhs, according to the White House.
The commemoration took place on Thursday during a meeting with representatives of the Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community during which they discussed combating hate crimes against Asians, the White House said.
Six Sikhs were killed in the August 5, 2012, attack in which four people, including a police officer, were injured and one person died last year from the wounds sustained in the shooting.
The shooter, described as a White supremacist, committed suicide by shooting himself when police responded.
Sikh community leaders have welcomed an earlier tweet by Biden on the anniversary of the Oak Tree gurdwara attack.
Biden said in his tweet: "Nine years ago today, we witnessed an act of unspeakable hate as a white supremacist shot 10 people at a Sikh Temple. As we remember those we lost in Oak Creek, we must continue to stand up to hate and bigotry and ensure that all are able to practice their faith without fear."
Sikh Council on Religion and Education Chairman, Rajwant Singh said: "We are thankful to President Biden for his compassion and a strong stand against hate and violence. The Sikh community was shaken by this tragedy and our community still is concerned about the hate-filled rhetoric being condoned by some political interest groups."
Gurwin Singh Ahuja, the co-founder and the executive director of the National Sikh Campaign, said: "Violence against Sikhs had been on the rise for several years. After 9/11 many Americans associated a turban and beard with terrorism and an alarming number of people turned to racism and violence against our community."
The "National Sikh Campaign is committed to creating positive awareness about Sikhs in this country", he added.
With Barelvi religious leaders opposing the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl's (JUI-F) proposed 'Azadi march', the religious and political differences between different sects in Pakistan have resurfaced.
This is for the first time that the Walled City of Lahore Authority has planned to give a tour of religious places, Gurudwaras and other monuments of the Sikh community in Pakistan to the tourists.
Even before its inauguration, the Kartarpur Corridor has got mired in a dispute with Pakistan unrelenting on making the pilgrimage to one of the holiest Sikh shrines free of any charges.
A group of British Sikhs has appealed to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) leader Fazal-ur Rahman to stop his proposed march and October 31 sit in at Islamabad.
Salahuddin Ayubi, who was mentally challenged, died in police custody last month due to alleged torture after his arrest on charges of stealing money from an ATM. His death sparked outrage across the country.
