Post 9/11 Hate Crimes
We are all one, created by the one creator of all creation. No enemy, no animosity. Love for one, love for all. – Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion
September 11th, 2001 was a day of great tragedy for everyone in this country, regardless of skin color, nationality, or religious beliefs. Unfortunately, a select few felt that retaliating against innocent people would, in some way, provide them with the satisfaction of revenge for the tragic events that had occurred. The victims shared in the national grief, outrage and horror, but, because of their appearance, they also became targets of violence. Right after the events of September 11th, Arab Americans, Muslims Americans, Sikh Americans, and Asian-Pacific Americans, all became targets of backlash violence.
"With respect to the investigation and prosecution of alleged incidents involving violence or threats, the Civil Rights Division, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices have investigated approximately 380 such incidents since September 11. The incidents have consisted of telephone, internet, mail, and face-to-face threats; minor assaults as well as assaults with dangerous weapons and assaults resulting in serious injury and death; and vandalism, shooting, and bombings directed at homes, businesses, and places of worship."
1 The NAPALC, a coalition of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Asian Law Caucus and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, has tracked violence against Asian-Pacific Americans for the past eight years. Before September 11, there were about 400 to 500 hate crimes that were reported each year. After only three months following September 11, 250 incidents of violence against Asian-Pacific Americans and South Asians were reported.2 One month after the attacks, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), received more than 700 reports of hate crimes. The Council on American-Islamic Relations had received 785 reports. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ hate-crime hotlines received 70 calls per hour. The police and sheriff’s departments of Los Angeles reported 167 hate crime incidents in the first four weeks of the backlash.3Sikhs, because of their resemblance to the stereotypical image of Muslims, have become victims of harassments, assaults and murder. Mary Gilbert, Social Action Coordinator from the Desert Southwest Conference, provided us with information regarding the death of a Sikh gentleman in her community. Balbir Singh Sodhi, a local business man in Mesa, Arizona, a family man and an individual very admired by the local community, was shot and killed in front of his gas station by a man who, after killing him, shot and injured a Lebanese-American clerk at another gas station. When the man was arrested, he yelled, "I stand for America all the way!" Unfortunately, because of the ignorance of one person, the Mesa community is morning a great loss.
Some other incidences of backlash violence include: a man driving his pick-up truck into the door of the Islamic Center Mosque in Tallahassee, Florida, threatening phone calls to the president of the Arab American Institute, and other local business owners and families of Middle Eastern and Asian descent, conspiracy to damage and destroy, by means of explosives, the King Fahd mosque in California, assaults committed against two people of Indian descent who managed a hotel in Tennessee, and two jars filled with cotton and gasoline were set on fire in front of a local restaurant owned by a Pakistani-American in Utah.
4 These are only some of the numerous hate crimes committed around the country after September 11.Post September 11, many innocent people have become the victims of misguided hate because of their appearances and beliefs. The U.S. government and local communities have come together to support these victims and to prove that the perpetrators of such violence are in the minority. The Ameri-Dream Charity, Inc., along with the Arab American Institute Foundation, established the Arab
American Rebuilding Fund to assist victims of backlash violence. Local communities hosted diversity workshops, set-up "control centers" to monitor the needs of the community, held press conferences and condemned all forms of hate crimes. In Indiana, Pennsylvania, posters and flyers in several languages were distributed stating: "Our community is a hate-free zone. Every language on this poster is spoken by members of the Indiana County community, as are many other languages. We have posted this sign to show our commitment to keeping Indiana a community that treats all its members fairly and with respect, regardless of race, nationality, or religion."
5The Federal government announced that acts of violence would not be tolerated and all acts would be punished to the full extent of the law. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) held meetings to receive feedback from communities on how the backlash was impacting the workplace. The EEOC issued fact sheets for both employers and employees that address frequently asked questions about the employment of Muslims, Arabs, South Asians and Sikhs. The EEOC also established a special "September 11 Information" section to provide materials and resources for employers and employees. The U.S. Department of Justice formed the Civil Rights Division National Origin Working Group and the "Initiative to Combat the Post-9/11 Discriminatory Backlash" to help combat violations of federal civil rights laws affecting individuals perceived to be Arab American, Muslim American, Sikh American, or South-Asian American.
"According to the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, a hate crime is a criminal act in which a victim is selected because of the perpetrator’s prejudice against the victim’s race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and/or disability."
6 Unfortunately, because of the misconstrued views of a select few, many innocent people have become victims of backlash violence solely because of their race, ethnicity, national origin and religion. American communities, government and individuals are challenged to stand together against such hate crimes to ensure that America is a safe home for all people.Action:
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Report all forms of hate crimes to local authorities. Reporting hate crimes will help everyone better understand the scope of the problem and will send a message that you will not tolerate such behavior.C
Write your legislators asking them to support H.R. 1343, the Local law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This is a bill to provide Federal assistance to States and local jurisdictions to prosecute hate crimes.