Gurmej Atwal and Surinder Singh

Today on my walk to work, I saw an elderly Sikh couple sitting on a stoop next to the sidewalk. I greeted them in passing with a "Sat Sri Akaal ji" to which both turned, smiled and enthusiastically replied. I walked further and said "Good morning," to another man who was staring at them a few yards further. He responded, still looking, probably just out of curiousity, before he continued into a building. I pass all kinds of people every day. There are elderly Indian couples, Latinos, African Americans, Muslim families, Latinos, Caucasions, even Caucasion Hari Krishnas around as I walk to work every day. It's a treat to pass by a Mandir and Churches, with a Mosque and several more Churches and a Synagogue down the street. I often see elderly women with their tiny footsteps, as they walk down the street in hijab, or in saris, carrying small grocery bags. There are men and women in turbans, kurtas, baseball hats, baggy jeans, suits, or a cowboy hats and boots.To me this is a treasure. The stories, a variety of languages, occupations, dreams and passions are all so rich. I need not travel the world to find it. It is right here at my doorstep and it is the most comforting, beautiful thing I can imagine. This place is not without crime and hardship, nor is it lacking in any other complications of every day life. Yet I see all manner of people up and down these streets, quite at home for this is their home. I say this without ignorance of the great economic divide that exists, where expensive restaurants line well patrolled streets in one section, and a few blocks over is an underlit forgotten neighborhood where residents are increasingly shoved out by the rising costs of rent.Despite this, I still find a diversity of culture, humanity, and not insignificantly, delicious food from Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, Mexico, El Salvador, Greece, Italy, the Southern United States, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Korea and so much more. This is my multicultural home. This is my America, where diversity is celebrated and people are not singled out for ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or any other pick of the week. Even the accused are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is my America, where I can walk down the street and enjoy the benefits of an incredible library system that gives me access to immense stores of knowledge.The extant to which this ideal is realized is due to people of all races, religions and orientations who have struggled, been villified and even murdered for demanding the most basic rights. This oppression comes almost always through the complicity of unscrupioulous public officials who build their campaigns not on how they will help their constituents, but how they will align voters through fear and hate to gain power. These greedy transgressors may get elected, but I have to question how hard they will fight for anyone’s rights when they are so willing to trample them.On the afternoon of March 4, 2011, two elderly Sikh men were gunned down while taking their daily afternoon walk in Elk Grove, California. Though hundreds of miles from where I live, it might as well have been right on my doorstep. 65 year old Surinder Singh was murdered and 78 year old Gurmej Atwal is in critical condition. There has been an increase in hate crimes since members of our society decided to target fellow citizens to an even greater degree after 9/11. Now somehow, we are supposed to answer to extremists for the crimes of other extremists? Perhaps if they cared so much about the community, they too would work, as many religious and non religious people in communities all over the country have, to seek out their fellow citizins through interfaith dialogue and events. Each hate crime is a direct attack on the diverse community of people I see every day. When an African American is stopped and harassed for walking in the "wrong" neighborhood, or when a Latino is looked at with suspicion in the land that his/her ancestors have called home long before Columbus, we are all affected. Two old men can no longer walk down the street and groups of people have their right to be here questioned, while those who spout hatred are given positions of power, and put on human rights advisory boards? Should we not speak out against them? Should we not shame these elected officials who think their constituents too feeble and stupid to make them answer for inciting hatred? Does it make sense for the Sikh community or the Muslim or African American or Latino community to be put on trial to explain the value of their existance? Or would it not be more fruitful to question the honesty of leaders who encourage divisions among us and sit with the very banking and healthcare institutions and the warmongers and the profiteers responsible for the economic hardships that have lead people to target one another?So while one group is singled out for the crimes of a few, what of the rest of you who are guilty of flagrant disregard for the sanctity of our lives? Where are your hearings on hate crimes? Where is your action to protect us from the nasty rhetoric of politicians who court hate mongers who preach death for people they could never be bothered to know? Perhaps these are the issues of a campaign worth running.

Hate in Yorba Linda

Hate Comes to Orange County from cairsocal on Vimeo.

 Hate Comes to Orange County from cairsocal on Vimeo.After watching this very disturbing protest/hate rally video edited by CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), I was prompted to make an attempt to research the people involved on all sides. On February 13th, 2011, there was afundraising dinner by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), featuring speakers Imam Siraj Wahhaj and Imam Amir Abdel Malik in Yorba Linda, an affluent city in Southern California. The presence of these two Imams prompted the South Orange County 912 Tea Party group to organize a protest. which ended up being a hate rally against Muslims.The fundraising dinner called "Our Responsibility Towards Our Neighbors, an Islamic Perspective" was to raise funds for homeless people and battered women in the United States. The protest was seen as a "Protest- Opportunity to Show Your Concern -Radical Imam Fundraiser."To many, myself included, it is horrifying to see the level of hatred directed at families and small children. There is footage of speakers at the protest, including Villa ParkCouncil woman Deborah Pauly clearly advocating violence against Muslims when she said "As a matter of fact, I know quite a few marines who will be willing to help these terrorists to an early meeting in paradise," in reference to attendees of the fundraiser, which was cheered by the protest audience. Congressman Ed Royce spoke against multiculturalism (perhaps he should take another look at the demographics of his constituency) and Representative Gary Miller expresses pride in the protest. While I would like to hear the rest of their speeches, these bits are not directed at two Imams (the stated purpose of the protest), but at Muslims as a whole and the idea of multicultralism.In the video we see protest speakers during the day, adjacent to the fundraiser venue, cut against the protesters who stayed or arrived in the evening to spout off very extreme hatred at fundraiser attendees as they arrived. I feel there is a strong connection between the outright incitement of violence in the words of our public officials during the day and the behavior of the protesters at night. If one is there to protest two Imams, then speak of them and not an entire religion and make clear points of disagreement.To speak against the Imams or Muslims on the part of the protesters is protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. I find the very political nature of drawing lines between people based on religion and ethnicity disgusting, but I do believe in free speech. Divisive and downright hateful rhetoric is common in the speech of leaders today and sadly it forms the basis for many political campaigns. It seems very effective in funding and winning elections, perhaps because those who spit hate don't need to improve the lives of the people they claim to represent. Instead they focus on marginalizing and vilifying other groups of people who do not form their power base. Those incited as well as those incited against remain without the benefit of a secure financial present or future and will find no redress for the social issues they face. This thought reminds me of Bob Dylan's song, written in response to the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, called "Only a Pawn in Their Game" back in 1963. Like most social truths, it remains quite relavant even today.The language of the Yorba Linda protest was not against the two Imams speaking at the fundraiser, but instead targeted Muslims as a whole. The rhetoric and willingness to see children and families as the enemy should make us all stop to consider how we choose to play out our politics. Do we find it acceptable to verbally assault families and children? This type of hatred does not diffrentiate between Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Latinos or anyone else for that matter. If we do not take a peaceful stand and continue to do so without hatred, people will be fooled into thinking that hate is a legitimate means to gaining political power. Do we need to prove the humanity of Muslims, Latinos, Gays, African Americans, Jews, Japanese, Russians etc every few years to decide who we deem worthy of dignity? I hope not. I truly hope that as people we know better.For this type of hatred, I feel we need a calm and peaceful response. Silent vigils at the the offices of public officials and groups who advocate hatred as a political platform can be an effective way to be heard. Let's offer a dignified response to this undignified behaviour and show the families of all communities that we don't need to shout hatred to be heard and that the strength of our presence and the power of non hateful protest can overcome.There has been an outpouring of condemnation for the hate rally and solidarity with the American Muslim community from all faiths/communities. At the same time we see escalating Islamaphobia, just the current flavor of racist politics. Let's stand together and let people know we won't accept hate fueled politics.What we can do:Here is a page devoted to responding to the hate rally:https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139107079490192Here's a fb page for the Anti-Hate Ralley for PeaceTime: Tuesday, March 22 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location:

Villa Park City Council Meeting

17855 Santiago Boulevard

Villa Park, CA