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

Asiya Nasir on the Martyrdom of Shaheed Shahbaz Bhatti

I tend to try and use my art as a means to convey my feelings and get people to consider issues I feel are important. My art takes a long time and I will of course continue with it, but I can not stay silent, and wait for the completion of art to speak out. So I have decided to start writing about it.This persecution is not only a persecution of Christians, but all people. All the people of Pakistan are suffering the results of a concerted effort to bully the populace into not speaking out against the blasphemy laws and other injustices. Many Muslims have also been murdered under the pretext of accusations made under this law. The Governor of Punjab was himself assassinated recently for speaking out as was a Muslim man who had been aquitted in a blasphemy case a year ago. Likewise there are students, shopkeepers etc, many of whom also happen to be Muslim, being accused and summarily punished due to the weakness of the legal system and an unwillingness to speak up or act on the part of the Government. Countless Muslims and members of all minority communities are still struggling to improve the condition of human rights within Pakistan. The struggle for rights is everyone's struggle, be it those targeted for hate in Pakistan or those in the United States.So I begin with a video and translation of the speech below.MNA Asiya Nasir of Pakistan addresses the National Assembly in regards to the assassination of Minority Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a loss to Pakistan that is far beyond tragic. I have done my best to translate it from Urdu into English to help spread what I feel is an incredibly brave, truthful and vital message to the people of Pakistan as well as to the world at large. In this case it is specifically in regards to the plight of minority communities in Pakistan, but discrimination and injustice unfortunately know no boundaries all over the world.Thank you very much Speaker sahib,(Excerpt from Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem Hum jo tareek raahon mein maare gaye (We who were executed on dark highways) thanks to Fozia for finding it):As the evening of tyranny dissolved in your memoryWe walked on as far as our feet could carry usA song on our lips, a lamp of sadness in our heartOur grief bore witness to our love for your beautyLook, we remained true to that loveWe, who were executed in the dark lanes.Mr. Speaker with your permission I request this house to listen to me in silence. Mr. Speaker, with your permission today, I wish to address not the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and not these 342 assembly members, but instead Mohammad Ali Jinnah, I am addressing you, because my brother was murdered. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, you told us, come build a house together. On this pure land we will create Pakistan, and in that pure land there will be no Hindu, no Christian, no Muslim. Instead under one flag we will all be one.Quaid-e-Azam (Jinnah), today I ask you, when Pakistan was decided, and when at your request we came into this house, then how were we treated? Mr. Speaker I would like to ask this house, what was my brother's crime? Just that he wished to see this country and Quaid-e-Azam's Pakistan? Mr. Speaker when we arrived in Pakistan then our elders made the decision to join Pakistan. At that time when the Boundary Commission held a meeting, Pakistan and Hindustan (India) were being divided. Perhaps few people are aware that the leaders of that time called the Christians and wished to give them a seperate piece, but they refused it. They said they would go to Pakistan and be a part of it. We came into Pakistan by vote. What kind of people are you? What kind of humanity are you? When you needed our votes, when we were needed to create Pakistan you took us with you, but when Pakistan was formed you called us minorities and threw us against the wall. Then we were forced to face discrimination. Sometimes we were called untouchables and you seperated our dishes, or treated us as servants. Sometimes, in the name of privatization our institutions were taken away and sometimes our Messiah was taken from us.Mr. Speaker, today I wish to ask this assembly, what crime did we Christians commit. We have always been loyal to Pakistan and continue to be today and always will be because we created this land with our blood. Just yesterday my brother gave his fresh blood for this land. What was our crime that we now face this discrimination? Now there will be speeches here that minorities have their rights, then I wish to tell this house that it has been 65 years and minorities have never had rights before, nor do they have them now and nor is there an expectation that we will have them in the future. After Gojra, I said in my speech here that I am afraid that our coming generations should not regret that their elders made the decision to join Pakistan. Yesterday when my daughter embraced me and screamed "Mom, let's leave this country!", then I was convinced that our younger generations regret that we made the decision to join this country. Mr. Speaker, but we have no choice, I told my daughter, "No, don't say things like that. This land is our mother. We will go nowhere, because we are from this land. We rose from this land. We are caretakers for this land. Even if we are mixed with this dirt, and each drop of our blood mixes with this dirt, we will not leave this land dear to us, for we have sworn to be protect this garden.Mr. Speaker, Sahil Nadwani spoke very correctly that "Cruelty is cruelty. When it increases it is also erased. Blood is blood, if it drips it will dry up (clot)." The blood of my brother that has been spilt and dried is not the end, but the start of a new struggle. For now,  no matter how much the voices of minorities are suppressed, you can kill as many as you wish. Mr. Speaker, even though my brother was now killed, after today if you lay Asiya Bibi on the noose, or fill Asiya Nasir with bullet holes, you will not be able to silence this voice. This human rights struggle will continue. The level of discrimination is such that this house treats us lower than animals. Why is there only two minutes of silence for us? We are the believers of Ibrahim, Isaac and Jacob's living God. The living God who answers prayers. The God not of silence. Why are no prayers said for us here? Tell me today why the Prime Minister is not present. Yesterday when one of your own gave the sacrifice of his blood. Yesterday, when a minister of the People's Party was injustly murdered and the Prime Minister was in a meeting in his cabinet, at that very moment you should have postponed that meeting.Mr. Speaker, what kind of discrimination is this where other ministers get two bullet proof cars, this was precisely a security lapse. I personally told Rehman Malik twice that we have reservations, our nation is concerned that Shahbaz Bhatti has not been provided with security. Rehman Malik told me, he requested a bullet proof car and it has been given to him. I said there is no security at his home, and he said we have provided security. The next day I repeated this to Shahbaz and he said these are lies, he has provided nothing. For ten days he requested a home in the minister camp, and none was provided. Mr. Speaker I would like to state that in the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, the current government is also an accomplice, because Mr. Speaker, that comittee, where is it? The President announced that a committee would be created for all of this. For Asiya Bibi's case, and to review it, but no committee was created. I used to say to Shahbaz, why don't you speak to the Assembly President to make a clear statement on why there is no committee in existance?There was never a composition of any committee. No committee was created, nor was there any meeting, then why were you told it was being created and it never happened? There is no statement regarding this from the President or the Prime Minister, and no committee has been created. In fact Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that Shahbaz Bhatti, my brother had never said anything of the kind, for we know well how to care for the rights of the underprivelaged. No Christian could even consider insulting a Prophet. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also state here that (pauses). Mr. Speaker, we strongly protest this incident and we demand of the current government, as all Christians of the nation are in protest until my brother is buried, then we will decide on a path. And if you intend to make some committee after all, then I say to you, create a commitee including the leaders of all political parties and decide who is to be a resident of Pakistan and who is not. If you declare that Pakistan is an Islamic state that is only a Muslim state, for that is what your media tells. Certain extremist journalists state repeatedly that Pakistan is a country for only Muslims. I wish to let you know that Pakistan is not exclusively for Muslims.You have destroyed Pakistan's history. How many people know that many Christians sacrificed themselves for the creation of Pakistan. On 14th August 1947, 100 Christian Nurses gave their blood for Pakistan. Nobody knows, for your history has hidden these martyrs. Only within a few cabinet books will you find a record of this, that beside Quaid-e-Azam stood Christian leaders as well. Today, nobody is aware of the Christians who took part in the creation of Pakistan. Hindus had been living in this land for centuries, but Christian people came to this land by choice. So that we could be murdered here? So that our blood could be spilt upon this land? So that we could be considered inferior? So that we could be labeled? Is this what we were brought to Pakistan for?Mr. Speaker, today we Christians demand from the Prime Minister and President of Pakistan, that as soon as possible catch the criminals, the murderers and bring them to justice. For we are not of America or Europe. Our connection is only to this land of Pakistan, and yes, also decide whether you intend to give us equality then we will live in Pakistan otherwise tell us that there is no place in Pakistan for minorities so that we should make our home in some other place. Mr. Speaker, lastly I would like to say that in regards to this incident however much we condemn it is too little. Today our hearts are crying tears of blood and we have been given a clear cut message that whomsoever should raise the voice of minorities will in this way be the target of bullets. Mr. Speaker, today we need a policy statement from the government, to clearly state the policy on minorities and what steps are being taken to protect them. Now we won't listen to their lame excuses. Today the time has come to decide and for the Christians living in Pakistan there is only one phrase "To be or not to be, that is the question". Mr. Speaker, and lastly, I wish to my martyred brother Shahbaz Bhatti, perhaps your tongues have disappeared when it comes to referring to him as a martyr, but for us he is a martyr, for in Christianity there can be no greater level of martyrdom than that he sacrificed his life for the God of Christians and stayed loyal to God until his death. I salute my martyred brother. I present him with admiration for his service, and Mr. Speaker I wish to end my speech with Faiz's words which were perhaps for this very occasion. From Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem Lahu Ka Suraagh:Nowhere, nowhere at all, is any trace of the BloodNot on the murderer's hands, fingernails or sleeveNo blood reddens the tongue of the blade nor brighten the tip of the spearNo blood marks the soil or stains the rooftopNowhere, nowhere at all, is any trace of the BloodIt cried out, this helpless, orphaned BloodBut none had the ability to listen, nor the time, nor the patienceNo plaintiff stepped forward, no one bore witness and so the account was closedWhile the blood of the dirt-dwellers seeped silently into the dirtMr. Speaker, and in protest of this horrible occasion, the minority representatives now stage a token walk out of the Assembly.