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,

Amina Rab
President, CAIR-DFW chapter
info@cair-dfw.org
arab@cair.com

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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.

SEE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/05/us/wisconsin-temple-shooting/index.html

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.

ISB-DFW
info@isb-dfw.org
(972) 652-0786

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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,

M. Basheer Ahmed, M.D.
Chairman, MCC for Human Services
www.mcc-hs.org

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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.