Standing up with Sikhs in their vulnerable moment
Muslims in America are overwhelmed with the tragedy that befell on the
Sikhs in Oak Creek, Michigan. Here are a few press releases from Muslims
organizations as well as the civic organizations. It will be update with
additional press releases:
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PRESS RELEASE
Mike Ghouse, President
America
Together Foundation
(214) 325-1916 / text or talk
Mike@AmericaTogetherFoundation.com
MikeGhouse@aol.com
Sunday, August
11, 11:00 AM
We pray for the innocent people who died in the senseless
shooting at the Sikh Gurudwara in Oak creek, Michigan.
We also condemn the senselessness of the murderer's attitude towards fellow
Americans, he was not alone, there are more like him and we need to find
solutions.
As an American, Muslim and an Indian, I stand by the Sikh
community and hope to find long term sustainable solutions to prevent the
shameless events like this from happening in our nation.
It is our duty to
keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one
of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our duty to
track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an
obligation to maintain peace and justice in the society.
Standing up for
others is the right thing to do, every human goes through a period of
invincibility to vulnerability, and if we don't stand up for those who are
vulnerable, then who will stand up for us when we are vulnerable?
As
Americans we need to come together to build an America where no one needs to
live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.
I appeal to individuals and organizations to speak out against bigotry and
terrorism and work on finding solutions, hating them will not solve it, pushing
them to the corner will not cut it, engaging (there is no them, it is all of us)
in a dialogue has a chance of mitigating bigotry and nurturing goodwill.
We
need to learn about each other and demystify the myths about the others.
It starts out with knowing each other, knowledge leads to understanding and
understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view. If we
can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given
uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
Mike Ghouse represents America Together Foundation, The Foundation for
Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress, all committed to nurturing pluralistic
values.
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Sat Sri Akaal,
I am the current President
of the Council on American Islamic Relations Dallas/ Fort Worth Chapter and I
wanted to extend our deepest and most sincere condolences from the entire North
Texas Muslim community. I would like to come in person so please let know when I
can come. Also, I saw that you are planning a candlelight vigil that we would
like to be a part of in expressing our sorrow and support with our sikh brothers
and sisters. Please let me know the details and I can pass it on to the muslim
community.
In support and Sorrow,
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August 6th, 2012
I am deeply
saddened and dismayed at the loss of so many innocent lives at the Oak Cree
Gurudwara over the weekend, my deepest condolences to our Sikh American
community. I join the rest of Americans in mourning this tragic incidence and I
pray to God to give patience to victim’s families .
Akram Syed
Former
President, India Association of North Texas (IANT),
American Federation of
Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI)
Co-founder, North American Society of Indian
Muslims (NASIM Foundation )
Board Member, Islamic Association of Collin
County (IACC)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
American Muslims Stand with Sikhs After Wisconsin Shootings
Islamic Speakers Bureau-DFW, joins American Muslims throughout the nation
today to express grief for the tragic incident that took place this morning,
August 5th 2012, in Wisconsin. According to reports at least seven people,
including a gunman shot by a police officer, were killed Sunday in an attack on
worshippers at a Sikh temple in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek.
While details of the attack and the motivation of the attacker are still
emerging, American Muslims stand with their Sikh brothers and sisters in this
time of crisis and loss. We condemn this senseless act of violence, pray for
those who were killed or injured and offer sincere condolences to their loved
ones.
This tragic incident appears to be a bias-motivated attack on American
Sikhs. Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often
targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.
As a minority going through our own challenges, American Muslims can
imagine what the Sikh community might be going through. ISB calls upon the local
Muslims of Wisconsin, and the rest of the United States to stand in solidarity
with the Sikh community, and reach out to assist them in whatever way they
can.
ISB also urges mosques and houses of worship of all faiths nationwide to be
vigilant and to implement procedures for the safety & security of all
worshippers.
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ISNA Offers Condolences After Tragic Shooting at Sikh Temple in
Wisconsin
(Washington, DC - August 6, 2012) The Islamic Society of North
America (ISNA) is deeply saddened by news of a shooting yesterday at the Sikh
Temple of Wisconsin. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those
who lost their lives and to those who are suffering from critical injuries.
Reports indicate that the gunman took the lives of 6 people and injured three
others before being shot himself. ISNA is grateful for the heroic police
officers who risked their lives to put an end to the shooting, and prays for the
swift recovery of the officer who was shot multiple times in the
process.
ISNA Vice President Azhar Azeez said this morning, "On behalf of
ISNA, I offer my deepest condolences for those who lost their lives yesterday in
the tragic attack. We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community during this
difficult time and pray that such a tragedy is never repeated again."
While
the attacker's motives are still unknown, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards
referred to the incident as an act of domestic terrorism, and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) is investigating.
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, ISNA National
Director for Interfaith and Community Alliances, personally conveyed ISNA's
condolences to leaders from the Sikh community. For the past several years, ISNA
has worked very closely with them to promote respect and understanding toward
minority communities in our country.
Numerous Sikhs have faced discrimination
and violence since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Swarnjit S. Arora of the
local Sikh Religious Society told the Journal Sentinel that at least four acts
of violence against Sikhs have occurred in the Milwaukee area alone.
In
April, 90 members of Congress signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder
and FBI Director Robert Mueller, asking them to record and track hate crimes
directed at members of the Sikh community. In recent years, the Department of
Justice has worked to monitor and reduce hate crimes against American Muslims,
and ISNA fully supports any efforts to track hate crimes that specifically
target members of the Sikh faith. ISNA is part of an ongoing dialogue with the
Department of Justice and other federal agencies to reduce hate crimes against
South Asians, Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs.
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ISLAMIC SHURA COUNCIL
(ANAHEIM,
August 5, 2012) - The Islamic Shura Council grieves with the Sikh community
for the senseless killing of innocent worshippers at their Milwaukee temple. "We
stand in solidarity with the Sikh community and pray for them at this time of
pain and sadness. May peace and goodness prevail here and all over the world."
said Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chairman of the Islamic Shura Council.
Earlier,
the Executive Director of the Islamic Shura Council also called on the local and
the national Sikh leadership to record Muslims' solidarity and support for the
Sikh community. In response, Dr. Gurpreet Singh Ahuja, a Los Angeles based Sikh
community leader replied, "thank you for your kind wishes. We appreciate your
prayers. As you might imagine, it is a challenging time for the Sikh community
in the US." Also, Amardeep Singh of the New York based Sikh Coalition thanked
Shura Council for its moral support.
As people of faith and conscience we
urge all people in America to work together and put an end to hate and bigotry.
Shura Council asks the community to stand together in solidarity with the Sikh
community and take action today.
Call or send flowers as a tribute to the
fallen at any of the local Gurdwaras. Click here for a list of SoCal
Gurdwaras.
We strongly urge you to take a minute and send your support and
solidarity email to info@shuracouncil.org. We will compile
all emails and forward them to the Sikh leadership.
Click here to Stand
Strong Against Hate.
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Dear Harbans,
It was indeed a very sad news about the massacre in the Sikh temple in
Wisconsin. It is beyond the imagination the grief which was experienced by the
relatives and friends of the victims in the community at large. We condemn this
senseless act of violence and pray for those who were killed or injured and
offer our sincere condolences. It is indeed very sad to see the most brutal and
inhuman behavior in this most civilized part of the world.
We all should
stand together in combating this discriminatory conduct and hateful crime.
If
we can be of any help please keep in touch.
Sinerely,
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August 6, 2012
The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)-Metropolitan
Washington Chapter, a non-partisan, secular, civic, and community service
organization for people of Indian origin, strongly condemns the shooting at the
Sikh Gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. We pray for the souls of the deceased
and extend our deepest sympathy to the relatives of victims.
We urge the authorities to fully investigate this heinous crime and provide
support to victims’ families.
We also request to law-enforcement authorities to take appropriate actions
to prevent such hate crimes against all communities.
Zafar Iqbal, Ph.D.
President, Washington Metro GOPIO
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MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India,
Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox
TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the
Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and
several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated
daily.
