ABSTRACT
The attacks on the Twin Towers, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania September 11, 2001, and the subsequent US-led coalition that began its attack on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, with an intense bombing campaign by American and British forces have had and continues to have a significant effect on Sikh community worldwide due to mistaken identity. In the year of the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 and the twentieth death anniversary of Balbir Sodhi, the first victim of hate crime after 9/11, Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15, 2021, and NATO Troops withdrew from Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, and there was a heightened sense of fear amongst Sikhs of attacks globally due to misidentification, particularly men as Muslims due to their turbans and beards. Sikh Coalition said, “We are again advising vigilance and caution for every Sikh household and sangat in the days and weeks ahead. We urge you to know your rights, remain aware of your surroundings, and always report cases of bias, bigotry, and discrimination” (The Sikh Coalition 2021). In the UK, “Deljit Singh from Peterborough says he’s been shouted at in the street and had to defend his right to wear the headwear since Afghanistan’s government in Kabul fell to Taliban fighters” (ITV News 2021). This chapter explores the rise in visible attacks against Sikhs and tries to unpack data to understand whether there is a growing rise in actual anti-Sikh hate crimes or Islamophobic attacks against Sikhs arising due to mistaken identity. It also examines what role governments should play in addressing racial intolerance or hate crimes? How can, and how have community groups influenced change to protect their communities.
