Muslims in America are overwhelmed with the tragedy that befell on the Sikhs in Oak Creek, Michigan. Here are a few press releases from Muslims organizations as well as the civic organizations. It will be update with additional press releases:
PRESS RELEASE
Mike
Ghouse, President
America Together Foundation
/
text or talk
Sunday, August 11, 11:00 AM
We pray for the innocent
people who died in the senseless shooting at the Sikh Gurudwara
in Oak creek, Michigan.
We also condemn the senselessness of the murderer's attitude towards fellow Americans, he was not alone, there are more like him and we need to find solutions.
As an American, Muslim and an
Indian, I stand by the Sikh community and hope to find long term
sustainable solutions to prevent the shameless events like this
from happening in our nation.
It is our duty to keep law and
order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is
one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and
it is our duty to track down the source of such hate and work on
mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain peace and
justice in the society.
Standing up for others is the
right thing to do, every human goes through a period of
invincibility to vulnerability, and if we don't stand up for
those who are vulnerable, then who will stand up for us when we
are vulnerable?
As Americans we need to come
together to build an America where no one needs to live in
apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.
I appeal to individuals and organizations to speak out against bigotry and terrorism and work on finding solutions, hating them will not solve it, pushing them to the corner will not cut it, engaging (there is no them, it is all of us) in a dialogue has a chance of mitigating bigotry and nurturing goodwill.
We need to learn
about each other and demystify the myths about the others.
It starts out with knowing each other, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
It starts out with knowing each other, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
# # #
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, politics, interfaith, Islam and cohesive societies. He is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public.
Sat Sri Akaal,
I am the current President of
the Council on American Islamic Relations Dallas/ Fort Worth
Chapter and I wanted to extend our deepest and most sincere
condolences from the entire North Texas Muslim community. I
would like to come in person so please let know when I can
come. Also, I saw that you are planning a candlelight vigil
that we would like to be a part of in expressing our sorrow
and support with our sikh brothers and sisters. Please let
me know the details and I can pass it on to the muslim
community.
In support and Sorrow,
Amina
Rab
President, CAIR-DFW chapter
info@cair-dfw.org
arab@cair.com
August 6th,
2012
I am deeply saddened and
dismayed at the loss of so many innocent lives at the
Oak Cree Gurudwara over the weekend, my deepest
condolences to our Sikh American community. I join the
rest of Americans in mourning this tragic incidence and
I pray to God to give patience to victim’s families .
Akram
Syed
Former President, India
Association of North Texas (IANT),
American Federation of
Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI)
Co-founder, North American
Society of Indian Muslims (NASIM Foundation )
Board Member, Islamic
Association of Collin County (IACC)
American Muslims Stand with Sikhs After Wisconsin Shootings
Islamic Speakers Bureau-DFW, joins American Muslims throughout the nation today to express grief for the tragic incident that took place this morning, August 5th 2012, in Wisconsin. According to reports at least seven people, including a gunman shot by a police officer, were killed Sunday in an attack on worshippers at a Sikh temple in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek.
SEE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/05/us/wisconsin-temple-shooting/index.html
While details of the attack and the motivation of the attacker are still emerging, American Muslims stand with their Sikh brothers and sisters in this time of crisis and loss. We condemn this senseless act of violence, pray for those who were killed or injured and offer sincere condolences to their loved ones.
This tragic incident appears to be a bias-motivated attack on American Sikhs. Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.
As a minority going through our own challenges, American Muslims can imagine what the Sikh community might be going through. ISB calls upon the local Muslims of Wisconsin, and the rest of the United States to stand in solidarity with the Sikh community, and reach out to assist them in whatever way they can.
ISB also urges mosques and houses of worship of all faiths nationwide to be vigilant and to implement procedures for the safety & security of all worshippers.
ISB-DFW
info@isb-dfw.org
ISNA
Offers Condolences After Tragic Shooting at Sikh Temple in
Wisconsin
(Washington, DC - August 6,
2012) The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is deeply
saddened by news of a shooting yesterday at the Sikh Temple
of Wisconsin. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the
families of those who lost their lives and to those who are
suffering from critical injuries. Reports indicate that the
gunman took the lives of 6 people and injured three others
before being shot himself. ISNA is grateful for the heroic
police officers who risked their lives to put an end to the
shooting, and prays for the swift recovery of the officer
who was shot multiple times in the process.
ISNA
Vice President Azhar Azeez said this morning, "On behalf of
ISNA, I offer my deepest condolences for those who lost
their lives yesterday in the tragic attack. We stand in
solidarity with the Sikh community during this difficult
time and pray that such a tragedy is never repeated again."
While the attacker's motives
are still unknown, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards
referred to the incident as an act of domestic terrorism,
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is
investigating.
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, ISNA
National Director for Interfaith and Community Alliances,
personally conveyed ISNA's condolences to leaders from the
Sikh community. For the past several years, ISNA has worked
very closely with them to promote respect and understanding
toward minority communities in our country.
Numerous Sikhs have faced
discrimination and violence since the September 11, 2001
attacks. Swarnjit S. Arora of the local Sikh Religious
Society told the Journal Sentinel that at least four acts of
violence against Sikhs have occurred in the Milwaukee area
alone.
In April, 90 members of
Congress signed a
letter to
Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert
Mueller, asking them to record and track hate crimes
directed at members of the Sikh community. In recent years,
the Department of Justice has worked to monitor and reduce
hate crimes against American Muslims, and ISNA fully
supports any efforts to track hate crimes that specifically
target members of the Sikh faith. ISNA is part of an ongoing
dialogue with the Department of Justice and other federal
agencies to reduce hate crimes against South Asians, Arabs,
Muslims, and Sikhs.
ISLAMIC SHURA COUNCIL
(ANAHEIM, August 5, 2012)
- The Islamic Shura Council grieves with the Sikh
community for the senseless killing of innocent
worshippers at their Milwaukee temple. "We stand in
solidarity with the Sikh community and pray for them at
this time of pain and sadness. May peace and goodness
prevail here and all over the world." said Dr. Muzammil
Siddiqi, Chairman of the Islamic Shura Council.
Earlier, the Executive
Director of the Islamic Shura Council also called on the
local and the national Sikh leadership to record
Muslims' solidarity and support for the Sikh community.
In response, Dr. Gurpreet Singh Ahuja, a Los Angeles
based Sikh community leader replied, "thank you for your
kind wishes. We appreciate your prayers. As you might
imagine, it is a challenging time for the Sikh community
in the US." Also, Amardeep Singh of the New York based Sikh
Coalition thanked
Shura Council for its moral support.
As people of faith and
conscience we urge all people in America to work
together and put an end to hate and bigotry. Shura
Council asks the community to stand together in
solidarity with the Sikh community and take action
today.
Call or send flowers
as a tribute to the fallen at any of the local Gurdwaras.
Click here for a list
of SoCal Gurdwaras.
We strongly urge you
to take a minute and send your support and solidarity
email to info@shuracouncil.org.
We will compile all emails and forward them to the Sikh
leadership.
Click here to Stand
Strong Against Hate.
Dear Harbans,
YOUR COMMENTS AT -
LINK
It was
indeed a very sad news about the
massacre in the Sikh temple in Wisconsin.
It is beyond the imagination the grief
which was experienced by the relatives
and friends of the victims in the
community at large. We condemn this
senseless act of violence and pray for
those who were killed or injured and
offer our sincere condolences. It is
indeed very sad to see the most brutal
and inhuman behavior in this most
civilized part of the world.
We all
should stand together in combating this
discriminatory conduct and hateful
crime.
If we can
be of any help please keep in touch.
Sinerely,
M.
Basheer Ahmed, M.D.
Chairman, MCC for Human Services
www.mcc-hs.org
August
6, 2012
The
Global Organization of People of
Indian Origin (GOPIO)-Metropolitan
Washington Chapter, a non-partisan,
secular, civic, and community
service organization for people of
Indian origin, strongly condemns the
shooting at the Sikh Gurudwara in
Oak Creek, Wisconsin. We pray for
the souls of the deceased and extend
our deepest sympathy to the
relatives of victims.
We
urge the authorities to fully
investigate this heinous crime and
provide support to victims’
families.
We
also request to law-enforcement
authorities to take appropriate
actions to prevent such hate crimes
against all communities.
Zafar
Iqbal, Ph.D.
President, Washington Metro GOPIO