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Candlelight vigil in Thomas Township, Michigan, on August 15, 2012, after the mass murder of six Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, by a white supremacist ten days earlier. (Source: MLive)

US House Representatives call for religious diversity summit

July 18, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The targeting of religious minorities in America is reaching a crisis point and we believe your leadership is crucial to stemming this rising tide of violence. — Citing the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, almost one year ago and hate crimes against Muslims, Hindus and Jewish communities since, 37 US House Representatives signed a letter earlier this week requesting that President Barack Obama hosts a summit on religious diversity to help address these […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Barack Obama, Oak Creek, Religious Diversity Summit, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, US House Representatives, Wisconsin

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Oak Creek, WI, Sikhs to commemorate anniversary of mass shooting in August

June 27, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin last August, the Sikh community in Milwaukee is holding a six kilometer run/walk in memory of the six victims of the massacre: The “Chardhi Kala” run/walk will be six kilometers (3.7 miles), in memory of the six victims. “Chardhi Kala” refers to a sense of resilience and optimism. Participants can now register at http://www.chardhikala6k.org. The event will be held Aug. 3, two […]

Categories: Events, Hate Crimes • Tags: Chardhi Kala 6K, hate crimes, mass shootings, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

Punjab Singh was severely wounded during the mass shooting at a Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August. He has been in a long-term care facility ever since. Six other Sikhs were killed and one police officer was also severely wounded. (Photo source: Sikh Coalition)

“I have never been in the presence of someone so holy in all of my life.”

May 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Holly Sennett, a speech-language pathologist, writes about her patient Punjab Singh, who was severely wounded during the mass shooting at a Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August. He has been in a long-term care facility ever since: Punjab Singh traveled all over the world to share spiritual truths. He has taught about the oneness of all of life and the need to love and forgive. He was a visiting congregational leader on this August 5th day at the Oak […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Profiles, Reflections • Tags: Holly Sennett, Oak Creek, Punjab Singh, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

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President Barack Obama outlines future counter-terrorism efforts in a speech on May 23, 2013. (Source: The Washington Post)

What the President said, and didn’t say, about the Oak Creek, WI, shooting

May 23, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In his speech today about the US government’s counter-terrorism activities and strategy, President Barack Obama made reference to home-grown radicalized “individuals”, citing explicitly the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek last August: Finally, we face a real threat from radicalized individuals here in the United States. Whether it’s a shooter at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin; a plane flying into a building in Texas; or the extremists who killed 168 people at the Federal Building […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Politics • Tags: Barack Obama, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Terrorism, White supremacy, Wisconsin

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Lieutenant Brian Murphy (source: WISN12)

Oak Creek hero to retire from police department

May 17, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Oak Creek Police Department’s Lieutenant Brian Murphy, who was the first police officer to engage the attacker during the mass shooting last August at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, has announced his retirement next month in a letter to Police Chief John Edwards: “It took him a while to write it. And he just said it was a tough letter to write,” said Chief Edwards. Lieutenant Murphy sustained severe injuries after being shot more than a dozen […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: hate crimes, Lt. Brian Murphy, Oak Creek, retirement, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

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President Barack Obama honors the 2013 National Association of Police Organizations TOP COPS award winners during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Saturday, May 11, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oak Creek, WI, police officers honored by President Obama

May 14, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At an event at the White House on Saturday, President Barack Obama paid tribute to the country’s best police officers during 2013, including the eight who responded to the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek last August: I already talked about one of this year’s Top Cops, Brian Murphy, in my State of the Union address. When a gunman opened fire on a temple in Wisconsin and Brian was the first to arrive, he did […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Barack Obama, hate crimes, Lt. Brian Murphy, Oak Creek, Officer Sam Lenda, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Top Cops of 2013, White House, Wisconsin

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"Geography of Hate" map showing concentrations of hate-based tweets on Twitter from June 2012 to April 2013. (source: Floating Sheep)

Quote of the Day

May 14, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“FBI experts believe the Internet continues to serve as the primary radicalization instrument, used to recruit teenagers and young adults into the radical skinhead movement,” the warrant says. — A recently-released document by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reveals that Wade Michael Page was active on white supremacist websites and social media prior to his attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek last August, in which he murdered six Sikhs, severely wounding another and a police […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Quote of the Day, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wade Michael Page, White supremacy, Wisconsin

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Elderly Sikh man brutally assaulted in alleged hate attack – UPDATED

May 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last night, news broke that an elderly Sikh man in Fresno, California, was attacked and beaten severely on Sunday in an alleged hate-motivated assault. Piara Singh, 82 years old, was brutally beaten after leaving the Gurdwara Nanaksar in Fresno on Sunday morning: Piara Singh was beaten with a steel rod. He is currently admitted in the hospital undergoing treatment for severe head injuries, and his condition is said to be critical. His rib was also fractured and a lung collapsed during the […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Anup Singh, California, Florida, Fresno, Gurmej Atwal, hate crimes, Kanwaljit Singh, Oak Creek, Paramjit Kaur, Piara Singh, Port Orange, Prakash Singh and Suveg Singh Khattra, Punjab Singh, Ranjit Singh, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Sita Singh, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

A young girl holds a sign: "Chardi Kala - High Spirits". (source: Just Sikh)

Examining the limits of “chardi kala”

April 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On the blog Critical Mourning Project: Oak Creek & Beyond, Balbir Kaur Singh presents an examination the Sikh ethos of chardi kala — the maintenance of high spirits and optimism especially in difficult times — as a healing mechanism particularly after the mass murder of six Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August: To continually evolve without grieving and reflection is to depoliticize the process of mourning, and is shortsighted in its sense of self-protection. I offer then the alternative […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Balbir Kaur Singh, chardi kala, Critical Mourning Project, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Wisconsin

US House Representatives call for religious diversity summit

Oak Creek, WI, Sikhs to commemorate anniversary of mass shooting in August

“I have never been in the presence of someone so holy in all of my life.”

What the President said, and didn’t say, about the Oak Creek, WI, shooting

Oak Creek hero to retire from police department

Oak Creek, WI, police officers honored by President Obama

Quote of the Day

Elderly Sikh man brutally assaulted in alleged hate attack – UPDATED

Examining the limits of “chardi kala”