WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden, during his meeting with with leaders from the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community at the White House, called upon Americans to stand up against hate and bigotry, while standing for the freedom of individuals to practice their faith without fear or danger. The president noted it was the ninth anniversary of the shooting of ten worshipers at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
Seven people lost their lives in "a hateful act of bigotry at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin," he said. "Today, we honor everyone impacted by this tragedy. And we think about all the pain during this pandemic, with the rise of hate crimes, harassment, bullying, and other forms of bias against Asian Americans. It seems not to stop," President Biden asserted.
Referring to the shooting at the Oak Creek Gurudwara on Aug. 5, 2012, the executive director of the Sikh Coalition, Satjeet Kaur, said that "it's the ninth anniversary of the shooting at the Oak Creek Gurudwara and all these years, there is a rise of hate crimes in this country against many communities." Kaur, who was present for the meeting with Biden at the White House, said, "We are here to talk about it and undertake steps that could reduce these numbers of crime."
Dr Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, 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 is still concerned about the hate-filled rhetoric being condoned by some political interest groups." Wisconsin’s governor also released a statement of remembrance in a tweet as well.
Nine years ago on Aug. 5, a gunman identified as a white supremacist, walked into the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and opened fire, killing six people, wounding many, and terrorized an entire community before turning the gun on himself. The temple in Oak Creek, one of two large Sikh congregations in the Milwaukee area, was founded in 1997 and has over 400 members. There are close to 650,000 Sikhs in America.
