Steven Yaccino, Marc Santora, and Michael Schwirtz wrote an article about the shootout that occurred in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The shootout took place at 10:30 in the morning as preparations were being made for Sunday services. After sighting the gunman, the worshipers "Barricaded themselves inside bathrooms and prayer halls..." For the reader to understand the magnitude of the incident, the authors described the scene as terrifying as worshipers had to resort to hiding in bathrooms and desperately called for help. Jatinder Mangat, who had contacted the temple's president, described what he heard, “He was crying. Everyone was screaming.” The gunman's assault finally ended when a police officer who had arrived at the scene shot and killed him. Not only did the gunman's rampage kill 7 people, it shook the entire Sikh community. It broke their sense of security. Although the gunman's motives remain a mystery, it is assumed by most that it was a hate crime. What is even more outrageous is that the gunman's actions were based not only on racism but also ignorance. It is assumed that he viewed the Sikh worshipers as Muslims. A quote from Ravi Chawla, 65, a businesswoman who moved to the region from Pakistan in the 1970s, demonstrates the indignation felt by the entire community, “Most people are so ignorant they don’t know the difference between religions, just because they see the turban they think you’re Taliban."
No comments:
Post a Comment