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Washington: Over 100
member of the US House of Representatives have asked the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to track hate crimes against Sikhs,
Hindus, and Arab-Americans as it does for other communities.
The call came in a letter to FBI Advisory Policy Board signed
among others by Joe Crowley, vice chair of the Democratic caucus,
Ami Bera, the lone Indian American member of the House and Tulsi
Gabbard, the first Hindu American in the Congress.
The board is expected to meet soon to review whether these
categories should be added to hate crimes forms used by the FBI
and Department of Justice.
"These groups have all too often been the victim of violent and
deadly attacks, and many are targeted with violence for reasons
attackers chillingly claim are related to hatred," the lawmakers
said.
"Unfortunately, anecdotal and non-government data indicate that
the commission of hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus and
Arab-Americans has become a deadly problem," they said citing
several cases.
These included massacre at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin
and the murder of Hindu Senando Sen on the New York City subway
along with attacks across the US - underscore the severity of the
issue.
In fact, according to community surveys in New York City and the
San Francisco Bay Area, approximately 10 percent of Sikh-Americans
felt they had already been a victim of a hate crime.
Attacks on persons or property in Michigan and elsewhere add
urgency to these concerns, the lawmakers said..
"Excluding Sikh, Hindu, and Arab-Americans in hate crime data
collection efforts not only diminishes the safety of these
communities, but also weakens the quality of hate crime data
overall," they said.
"We are also deeply concerned about this issue because attacks and
threats against Sikhs, Hindus and Arabs appear to be aimed in part
at our nation's youth.
"For instance, in one major urban area, a shocking three out of
four turbaned Sikh boys reported being harassed and bullied in
schools because of their appearance and Sikh identity," the
lawmakers said.
The move is backed by the American Jewish Committee,
Anti-Defamation League, Hindu American Foundation, Indian American
Forum for Political Education, Sikh Coalition, and South Asian
Americans Leading Together (SAALT) among other leading national
organizations
Thanking the lawmakers, the Sikh Coalition said: "We believe that
accurately tracking these crimes will strengthen diagnostic and
deterrence efforts and help law enforcement officials proactively
address these challenges."
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
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