Written by Don Byrd
By now, you have heard about the violent attack on worshipers at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Six were killed by a gunman apparently driven by ethnic and religious hatred. My thoughts and prayers are with not only the families of the victims, but with the entire Sikh-American community today. This country is designed to be a place where all can worship without fear. An attack terrorizing one faith community would seek to chill that freedom and make them question their place in society. That’s why this act of hatred was more than just an attack on one temple, or even of one faith. Shooting up a house of worship is an attack on religious freedom itself.
I first became familiar with the Sikh tradition of service through writing this blog. In my daily research, probably a month doesn’t go by without some story of accommodation sought or won to allow Sikhs to participate more fully in American culture. Their persistence and ethic of selflessness are inspiring.
You can see an excellent, short PBS documentary about Sikhs here, highly recommended. May God be with them in these days of sorrow, and with all whose worship today is laden with more fear than it was yesterday.
