Shooting inside Sikh temple in Wisconsin

[puckluck2]

So as it turns out this guy had a 9/11 tattoo...could he really be that stupid and mistake Sikhs for Muslims? Either way, they are both innocent, but damn if that's the case this guy might be the dumbest criminal in history. The religions or people aren't even remotely similar.

[Devils'Advocate]

Oh dear. I just read that a New Jersey Sikh community leader has given a statement saying that the Sikhs have to do a better job of educating people about their religion. For example, they wear the turban while Muslims do not. *sigh*

What I get from that is that they want to inform those that want to commit hate crimes about what people they should attack.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Iginla

So as it turns out this guy had a 9/11 tattoo...could he really be that stupid and mistake Sikhs for Muslims? Either way, they are both innocent, but damn if that's the case this guy might be the dumbest criminal in history. The religions or people aren't even remotely similar.

I've heard lots of people make the idiotic claim and generalize Sikh's or other people with Indian or heritage as being Muslim.

[ClubFlames]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Oh dear. I just read that a New Jersey Sikh community leader has given a statement saying that the Sikhs have to do a better job of educating people about their religion. For example, they wear the turban while Muslims do not. *sigh*

What I get from that is that they want to inform those that want to commit hate crimes about what people they should attack.

Yeah that's exactly what he meant. Don't kill Sikhs but kill the Muslims and let us help you differentiate between them

What a dumb post.

9 out of 10 North Americans probably won't be able to tell the difference between Muslims and Sikhs and all he said was they just want people to know about the Sikh religion. I don't know where you got the "attack Muslims and don't attack Sikhs" angle from that.

[ClubFlames]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I've heard lots of people make the idiotic claim and generalize Sikh's or other people with Indian or heritage as being Muslim.

Most Sikh's associate themselves as Indian's as the religion was founded in India. There are a few, very few in Pakistan but the rest have their roots in India.

[gildo]

Similar thing happened after 9/11 an innocent Sikh man was walking and was shot by a white male while shouting F-You Osama! A man 3 months after 9/11 in Sacramento was trying to take Flags down at the Temple by tying chains around the poles attached to his truck cause they were not flying them at half mast and they were "terrorist flags" according to him. Reports indicate in this case that this Sikh Temple had been robbed and vanadalized many time over the past few years. The temple members kept it quiet and spent their own time and money to fix repairs and help with things that were stolen. The crazy thing is that the Sikh community will keep it on the down low, and grieve then move on.

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by Rathji

While I own no guns, and never will, I don't think the gun problem is the cause of this event, but rather the crazy/ idiot problem.

I mean, a guy seems to have thought he was striking back for 9-11. You have to be some kind of stupid to be doing that at a Sikh Temple.

Thank you for your voice of reason, and heartfelt sorrow for the victims of this crazy individual

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Aleks

Thank you for your voice of reason, and heartfelt sorrow for the victims of this crazy individual

Please, for the love of god, let this be your only post in this thread.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Rathji

While I own no guns, and never will, I don't think the gun problem is the cause of this event, but rather the crazy/ idiot problem.

I mean, a guy seems to have thought he was striking back for 9-11. You have to be some kind of stupid to be doing that at a Sikh Temple.

While I see your point, if every crazy idiot owns a gun....

[EddyBeers]

Originally Posted by Rathji

While I own no guns, and never will, I don't think the gun problem is the cause of this event, but rather the crazy/ idiot problem.

I mean, a guy seems to have thought he was striking back for 9-11. You have to be some kind of stupid to be doing that at a Sikh Temple.

So do you think there are more crazy idiots in the USA than every other western civilized nation?

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by ClubFlames

9 out of 10 North Americans probably won't be able to tell the difference between Muslims and Sikhs and all he said was they just want people to know about the Sikh religion. I don't know where you got the "attack Muslims and don't attack Sikhs" angle from that.

Hours after an attack that appears to be a hate crime this leader comes out and says "we wear turbans while Muslims do not". I think someone is being just a little bit naive.... Pray tell, WHAT would be his motivation to explain how to tell the difference between a Muslim and a Sikh HOURS AFTER THIS SICKENING CRIME?

But actually, on reading more, it would seem that this guy in New Jersey is a minority. From this article here:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/us-gu...me-406312.html

So in the aftermath of the Wisconsin shootings, surrealism reigned on the news channels. Anchors were educating the average American about Sikhism and Islam and patiently explaining the differences. But should the distinction matter? I can be any faith, wear a turban or not, wear a hijab or not, wear a kara or not, but I shouldn’t be killed for wearing my religion on my sleeve. To the enormous credit of Sikh community leaders and spokesmen, after every incident of violence, they haven’t emphasised the differences between their beards and the others’ but pleaded for tolerance for all.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by ClubFlames

Most Sikh's associate themselves as Indian's as the religion was founded in India. There are a few, very few in Pakistan but the rest have their roots in India.

I don't disagree with this, I am just saying there are many ignorant folks who can't seem to tell the difference between our central asia brown skinned friends. (For simplification)

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Hours after an attack that appears to be a hate crime this leader comes out and says "we wear turbans while Muslims do not". I think someone is being just a little bit naive.... Pray tell, WHAT would be his motivation to explain how to tell the difference between a Muslim and a Sikh HOURS AFTER THIS SICKENING CRIME?

But actually, on reading more, it would seem that this guy in New Jersey is a minority. From this article here:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/us-gu...me-406312.html

Maybe because his people got slaughtered for no reason? (Not that there would be a reason the other way, but there was obviously a confusion)

This is a common mistake unfortunately. Just ignorance. But to put it another way, let's take the incident out of it. Does a French person want to be mistaken for an English one? Does a Scot want to be mistaken for an Irishman? No, people often feel the need to define themselves and correct mistakes when others make them. As long as they are taking the path of education and not retaliation, isn't that a good thing?

[Champion]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Hours after an attack that appears to be a hate crime this leader comes out and says "we wear turbans while Muslims do not". I think someone is being just a little bit naive.... Pray tell, WHAT would be his motivation to explain how to tell the difference between a Muslim and a Sikh HOURS AFTER THIS SICKENING CRIME?

But actually, on reading more, it would seem that this guy in New Jersey is a minority. From this article here:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/us-gu...me-406312.html

A lot of people don't know the difference. Even before this stuff. My father came to Canada in the 60's. My family was here before. My dad said he was spit on trying to apply to jobs.

It's different now, but racism is just so dumb. We are all the same. We just have have different skin colors.

[transplant99]

The gunman who opened fire in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., and killed six people has been identified as Army veteran Wade Michael Page.

Page, 40, opened fire outside the temple before entering around 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning and killed six people. He served in the Army from April 1992 through October 1998.

Page was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with a police officer who sustained "eight or nine" gunshot wounds, authorities confirmed. Officials are treating it as a case of domestic terrorism.

Though police have not given any details on the motive of the shooter, but Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Special Agent Thomas Ahern said Page had tattoos that suggested he had ties to white supremacists

http://gma.yahoo.com/sikh-temple-sho...opstories.html

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

What I get from that is that they want to inform those that want to commit hate crimes about what people they should attack.

This might be the single most ignorant thing you have ever posted here.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Oh dear. I just read that a New Jersey Sikh community leader has given a statement saying that the Sikhs have to do a better job of educating people about their religion. For example, they wear the turban while Muslims do not. *sigh*

What I get from that is that they want to inform those that want to commit hate crimes about what people they should attack.

This has to be the most absurd post I've ever read on CP, congratulations.

[Devils'Advocate]

Well, you guys are going to have to explain it to me. You've got some great drive-bys, but nobody is explaining what exactly motivated this guy. PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY a few hours after a hate crime committed against Sikhs that this guy is explaining the difference between Muslims and Sikhs. Why explain that people wearing turbans are likely Sikhs, not Muslims. What is the motivation? Why would he say anything at all regarding the two religions?

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by EddyBeers

So do you think there are more crazy idiots in the USA than every other western civilized nation?

Nope.

Don't interpret my post as dismissing all mass gun shootings as an idiot problem instead of a gun problem.

A hate driven crime, if we can assume that this is with any certainty, will happen without guns. He could have driven his truck or into them as they were leaving services or loaded it up with explosives and drove it through the front entrance. I am sure he could have burned the place down far more easily.

While both of this event and the ones in Aurora/Columbine/Virginia Tech/etc were similar in outcomes, I don't classify them as being the same at all. Hate driven attacks in the US are not restricted to gun related, and the fact that guns were used is this attack is not overly relevant in my eyes.

[Flash Walken]

So, do we start a new war on "White Domestic" terrorism?

No?

Ok then, so it's business as usual.

No shampoo bottles or nail clippers allowed inside Sikh temples.