'White Power' and a swastika spray-painted on newly opened Sikh temple in Orangevale, California

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday January 16, 2020 · 1:01 PM PST

2020/01/16 · 13:01

The phrase "white power" and a swastika spray painted on a sign in front of a new Sikh building of worship in CA — The phrase "white power" and a swastika spray-painted on a sign in front of a new Sikh gurdwara in California.

Members of the Sikh community in Orangevale, California, were shocked to find the phrase “White Power” and a swastika spray-painted at the entrance of the Guru Maneyo Granth Gurdwara Sahib, a new place of worship, only hours after its opening. The building's front sign was vandalized Sunday night and has since been painted over. A local resident was walking their dog when they discovered the graffiti and reported it to the temple’s priests and police, The Sacramento Bee reported.

“The Sikh Coalition was shocked and saddened by the hateful message that was discovered outside the Orangevale gurdwara on Monday morning. We expect law enforcement to continue investigating this incident as a hate crime, because no faith or minority group should be subject to such disgusting and reprehensible bigotry,” Cindy Nesbit, a senior staff attorney at the Sikh Coalition told Daily Kos in a statement via email. “Sikh Americans have been an integral part of California's diverse fabric for 125 years, and we refuse to let this cowardly act sow fear or divide the community. We will continue to stay engaged on this case as the investigation proceeds," she added.

According to worshipper and volunteer Dimple Bhullar, the Sikh community began renovations soon after purchasing the facility. After the renovations were completed, they opened their doors and celebrated with a grand opening last weekend. The program ended Sunday around 5 PM. According to Bhullar, the community was all “very happy” to have them there, so no one expected what was to come. “There was no negativity before this,” Bhullar told Daily Kos.

Orangevale, Sacramento:

This is the world we still live in because we sweep prejudice under the National Rug.

This is at a church and across from my better halfÃ¢ÂÂs MomÃ¢ÂÂs neighborhood on our way to one of our favorite coffee houses. #HateLives #OrangevaleFairOaks #Sacramento pic.twitter.com/6NjLTarWSv
Ã¢ÂÂ brian fischer (@SacCIO) January 13, 2020

But this negative incident has only resulted in the greater Sacramento community coming together in resilience and solidarity.

“We have really received an overwhelming response from even the residential community around us. They have brought flowers, brought cards, [and] they have been very sympathetic with us,” Bhullar told Daily Kos over the phone. “They were very happy that we were there, that’s why we were very shocked when this happened because we were perceived so well and welcomed so well,” she added. Bhullar said was thankful for the community support they were receiving and how well everyone was coming together. Even leaders from different faiths have gathered together to advocate against the hate and support the Sikh community, she said.

The Sacramento Valley office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) was one of the interfaith organizations that condemned the vandalism targeting the gurdwara. “We condemn this hateful act of vandalism and stand with our Sikh brothers and sisters. We must all stand up against hate in our communities. We are here to support the Sikh community and encourage any witnesses to come forward with information about this hate attack on a house ow worship," CAIR-SV executive director Basim Elkarra said in a statement. The organization also noted that “Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.”

Bhullar described the incident as one that occurred as a result of a “lack of knowledge and lack of education in the community.” She told Daily Kos that the Sikh community will be focusing on education to turn this opportunity into a teaching moment about Sikhism in order to create an understanding of the religion. "It’s just a lack of knowledge, lack of understanding and lack of education but I am sure once they get to know who we are what the Sikh religion is about they will have a change of heart," she said.

When asked about the community’s needs, Bhullar emphasized the importance of education and raising awareness. "What we need from others in the community is to support us with educating the communities around them so that everyone is aware of who we are,” she said.

The community now plans to host an open house to bridge any divide or misunderstandings present in the community. According to Bhullar, they had planned one earlier but were told by residents of the community to wait, as turnout would be low during the Christmas holiday season. With the recent vandalism, the community sees a stronger need for such an event now.

Despite the incident being investigated as a hate crime, authorities have not yet labeled it as such, ABC News 10 reported. Hate crimes are defined as crimes intentionally committed due to bias or “hate” against a specific group or individual based on their race, identity, religion, or disability.

According to Sikh Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization in the country, over the years there has been a rise in hate crimes committed by white supremacy groups towards people of color, which creates fear amongst minorities. “When we see our peaceful places of worship attacked it creates a fear among the community and we cannot stand by and allow our brothers and sisters to be afraid to gather at our houses of worship,” executive director Kiran Kaur Gill said.

Since Sept. 11, South Asian and Middle Eastern Americans have often been targeted in bias or hate crimes, including those involving everyday discrimination, harassment, profiling, and physical violence. In a 2018 annual report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), officials found that "anti-Sikh hate crimes rose by 200 percent since 2017, making Sikhs the third most commonly targeted religious group in the dataset,” the Sikh Coalition said in a November 2019 press release.

It is important to note that most bias or hate crimes are underreported.

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