Kanwal Parkash Singh
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (USA)
Sikh Americans across the Nation
and in Indiana have been comforted by the interfaith community, civic leaders,
neighbors, and friends following the days of the tragic massacre at the Sikh
Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin last Sunday.
There have been voices of reason, hope, healing, and pledges to come
together to not just dispel the darkness of the moment, but to take concrete
steps to end the cycles of unprovoked violence in humanity’s sacred spaces: schools, playgrounds, workplaces, theaters,
shopping malls, and places of worship, which are and should remain islands of
peace.
At Wednesday night’s Prayer
Service and Candle Light Vigil, these sentiments were expressed by religious
leaders representing many traditions and denominations: Jewish, Christian,
Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikhs from across Indiana at the Sikh Temple (Acton Road)
Indianapolis. There were expressions of
deep sorrow, solidarity with Sikh Americans, and desire to network together to
dispel ignorance that is divisive, contributes to suspicion and mistaken
identity, and sometimes leads to violence and unconscionable hate crimes
against the innocents gathered for peaceful assembly, exercising their sacred
rights to “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”
“We come today from our different
places, with our diverse cultures, histories, and languages. We are Indianapolis, so many different tones
of skin, shapes of eyes, textures of hair and lifestyles- all beautiful- all
one …. We are many faces, but one
City!” Rabbi Dennis Sasso
Similar sentiments were expressed
by faith and civic leaders on Thursday’s Rally for Unity on Monument Circle,
Indianapolis.
“Any attack of such brutality
angers and saddens us, but the murders in Milwaukee yesterday were especially
heartbreaking and ironic. I have long
known many members of Indiana’s Sikh community; I have attended services at their
Temple. They are among the most productive
and communitarian of all our citizens and theirs is a faith of gentleness and
toleration. I know the hearts of
Hoosiers are with those directly harmed and their Sikh brethren here among us,
for whose daily practice of loyal citizenship we are deeply grateful.” Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
“Today, we stand with our Sikh
brothers and sisters, our fellow citizens, our friends, with faith and
determination, believing that none of us can be strong alone until we are all
strong together, resolving that together we can all make a difference in our
communities.” Rabbi Sandy Sasso
We prayerfully reflect on the
precious lives of innocent victims and families shattered by this great tragedy
brought upon by a mad man on peaceful worshippers gathered at the Sikh Temple
for prayers, petitions for cherished hopes and thanksgiving for answered
prayers. We deeply mourn and grieve that
our sense of safety and security once again has been unconscionably
shaken. The deadly incident has sent
shockwaves to all peace loving Americans who cherish freedom from fear at
places where families and generations gather to venerate a higher spirit or to
celebrate the blessings of life. This is
not just a Sikh tragedy, but also an American tragedy; a hate crime and an act
of domestic terrorism in house of worship against a peaceful community. Even amidst darkness of the moment and
immense grief, we must find cause for hope, healing, and seek to harness our
collective strengths, common hopes, and dreams as Americans and members of the
human family.
We reach out with our heart and
spirit to those who have lost loved ones or have been directly impacted by the
tragedy. We are praying for the speedy
recovery of Police Officer Lt. Brian Murphy and others who have been gravely injured
during the assault on the worshippers at the Oak Creek Sikh Temple. We pray for our beloved Nation and our fellow
Americans, who offer boundless compassion, generosity, and kinship to friends
and strangers here and across the globe in their hour of natural disasters and
man-made tragedies. For that, we are
eternally grateful. “May God’s eternal
light shine upon each living beings.
May, by God’s Will and Grace, there be goodwill among all people: cultures,
faiths, and communities, everywhere across the human universe.” Each of us must dedicate ourselves to the
cause of peaceful coexistence, recognize being Children of one Creator, learn
from and about each other, and find common threads, inspirations, and prayers
that connect us at many levels. Our
challenge and future greatness rests on the sacred commitment to make peace
with one another, with all who make up the wonderful cultural tapestry
stretched today from “Sea to shining sea.”
(The writer is
Indianapolis Sikh leader, writer, artist and architect)
No comments:
Post a Comment