ABSTRACT
Amrik Chawla, a Brooklyn-raised Sikh American, was probably the very first victim of a hate crime after 9/11. No legal action was taken against the men who chased and verbally abused Amrik Chawla. This incident is significant in at least three respects. First, the attack on Sikhs with turbans occurred almost immediately after the towers were struck, meaning the connection between turbans and "enemy" had existed and turbaned Sikhs were therefore imperiled as soon as the planes hit the towers. Second, and as a result, the Sikh community had to mobilize rapidly, in an already emotional and uncertain moment, to educate others, appeal for tolerance, and assert their rights. Third, verbal harassment of Sikhs, such as being called "bin Laden", "raghead", or "towelhead", is commonplace, and generally happens without any formal legal consequence. Harassment of Sikhs is especially prone to occur where Sikhs come into contact with the general public, for instance where they are in the service industry.
