The Sikh Shooting and Pointing Fingers of Blame

I have waited until the dust settled in the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting before trying to put it in writing. The whole nation is grieving for the victims of this senseless slaughter, and we are learning more about the Sikh community, their religion, and their history as a result. As expected, the blame is now being thrown around carelessly as to how one crazed gun man chose the Sikh temple for his victims. Clearly, there is some sort of racial or ethnic motive at work. But why the Sikhs? Already, it is being assumed in some quarters that the killer thought Sikhs were Muslims. It is documented that shortly after 9-11, a Sikh man was gunned down by someone who assumed he was a Muslim. Yet, 11 years later, how many knuckleheads in this country still confuse Muslims with Sikhs?

Predictably, certain organizations like CAIR and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) are coming forward, and with their rightful expressions of sympathy for the victims, are suggesting that it is all about Islamophobia. Patrick Poole reports today in Pajamas Media that MPAC tried to hold a press conference today. Apparently, Michele Bachmann is the culprit because of her recent letter to the State Department raising the issue of possible radical Islamist influence in our government.

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/08/07/obama-backed-muslim-group-blaming-bachmann-for-sikh-shooting-blamed-jews-for-911-attacks/

And, of course, the liberal organ Salon.com comes out with a hysterical article that shifts the focus from the Sikh victims to Islamophobia.

http://www.salon.com/2012/08/07/wade_michael_page_islamophobia_unleashed/singleton/

"Here are some of the things we know about Wade Michael Page: He led a “racist white power trio” called End Apathy; he had a tattoo commemorating 9/11..."
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Wrong. Page did not have a 9-11 tattoo. That was made clear today by Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards in a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer. Edwards also made clear that to date, they have nothing that tells them the specific motive in terms of prior statements, computer entries, or writings. 

First of all, before the folks at MPAC and others start talking about Islamophobia, they should remember their own past history (and present) with Sikhs in places like India, Pakistan and even Afghanistan. Over centuries, history is replete with examples of Muslim persecution and killing of Sikhs, which continue to this day. In fact, in 1746 (if you care to go back that far), there was a significant massacre of Sikhs by Muslims.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_holocaust_of_1746

Or perhaps you prefer something more recent (Hat tip Economic Times of India).

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-02-22/news/28419930_1_aurakzai-agency-taliban-jiziya-or-religious-tax


Of course, it must be stated that the India-Pakistan region has historically been a hotbed of mutual violence between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. One thing that seems to be missing from the history of the Sikhs is any persecution at the hands of Christians or Jews.

Yes, Mr. Page was some sort of Neo-Nazi and white supremist. CNN reported today that some of his song lyrics included references to N-------s and Jews (overrunning the country). But why the Sikh temple?

Much has been made in the last couple of days about his military service. In fact, that was the first thing that some media jumped on. Yet, he apparently never served in a combat theater.

In the end, Page is probably going to be another shooter like the one in Colorado last week, Jared Lee Loughner in Tucson, or even Tim McVeigh in Oklahoma City. He represented nobody but his own twisted self. Something in our culture has produced an occasional oddball like Page.

If something specific turns up in the coming days that shows what Page might have had against Sikhs, we will deal with it. If it turns out he hated Muslims too, we will deal with that. But to blame those who point out some unpleasant truths about jihadist threats to us and our freedoms is wrong. Even when the Norwegian Anders Breivik went on his killing spree in Norway because he was angry about Islamic immigration into his country, nobody cheered for him because nobody was advocating violence. The counter-jihad movement, if that is what you want to call it, is not engaging in violence. It is fighting against violence and hatred, as well as a suppression of Western freedoms in the name of political correctness. Yes, Page is a cautionary example because it reminds all of us that we must be careful in our language not to incite hate or violence toward innocent people or groups. In addition, we must be careful as to whom we assign blame when people like Wade Michael Page come into our consciousness.