After Oak Creek

In the second week of August, as I entered the gurdwara in Richmond Hill, NY, I encountered a scene of solidarity unlike any that I had witnessed before. Two uniformed NYPD officers were stationed outside, monitoring the entrance. A third was patrolling the hallway inside, smiling as community members insisted he join them in the community kitchen downstairs for a hot meal of lentils, vegetables, and yogurt after his shift. The diligence with which law enforcement officials have responded to the Oak Creek tragedy and the sacrifices made by the police on the scene—along with the outpouring of support from the public—have been humbling and heartwarming.

Physical protection and public outcry, however, are not enough to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. The attack this week matches a broader pattern of post-9/11 bias in our country. Violent hate crimes—such as the murder of two Sikhs in California earlier this year and the fire bombing of a Sikh-owned convenience store in Virginia last year—continue to occur regularly. According to a survey conducted by the Sikh Coalition, three out of five Sikh children with headwear say have been physically assaulted in school. Employment discrimination still forces Sikhs to choose between their articles of faith and their livelihoods.  Since 9/11, the Sikh Coalition has documented thousands of such bias incidents in the US.

Sikh Americans are certainly not alone in these experiences. Organizations working with other religious groups, such as Muslims and Hindus, have documented incidents that stem from the same source: racism and xenophobia.

Ultimately, the only way to prevent further violence is to eliminate the hate that fuels it, and this responsibility is far beyond the purview of law enforcement. It lies with our policymakers, schools, local communities, and families. The most essential step is education—to dispel the ignorance and stigma that surrounds religious minorities.

It also requires a conscious commitment by policymakers to not ostracize and exclude minorities in daily life. As a general rule, Sikhs are still not allowed to serve in the US military or the NYPD with their turbans—as they do with pride in all levels of law enforcement in Canada and the UK. A reversal of this policy would be a powerful visual reminder that the public can trust Sikhs to help keep us safe. As a turbaned woman, each time I fly, I am pulled aside for a secondary screening of my one-inch thick headwear. I am instructed to wait shoeless in a clear plastic bullpen for a “female assist”—while women with billowing summer skirts sail through security in front of me. A screening policy based on assessment of actual risk would not only be more effective, it would prevent minorities from being publicly humiliated and cast as de facto suspects.

In the aftermath of last month’s tragedy, Americans of all faiths will mourn together, express solidarity for each other, and address the immediate crime.  But if we move forward without a commitment to make real change, we will have failed the victims of Oak Creek. We will have failed each other.

Supreet Kaur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.  She has been involved with the Sikh Coalition.  She holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government and an M.P.A. in International Development from Harvard University.