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The Daily Illini Online
published Friday, September 14, 2001
The Sikh Student Association on campus would like to join our fellow Americans in condemning the horrific acts that took place Tuesday morning. We are saddened by the tremendous loss of life from these actions, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. We pray that the United States government is able to swiftly bring those responsible for these atrocities to justice.
Since many commonly mistake Sikhs for associates of Osama bin Laden, we want to make it clear that Sikhs everywhere condemn the suspected actions of bin Laden and are in no way associated with him or his followers. The Sikh religion condemns terrorism in all its forms and promotes the brotherhood of all mankind.
Sikh males are easily distinguished by their turbans and untrimmed beards. Because of this unique appearance, Sikhs have been victims of hate crimes across the country. There are already multiple confirmed assaults on innocent Sikhs in New York City. Sikh businesses have been stoned and cars destroyed by angry mobs. Most recently, two Sikhs have been murdered in New York. We hope that all Americans display compassion and good judgment to help heal the wounds that have been inflicted.
Jasjit Singh
on behalf of the Sikh Student Association