Racism or Something Else?

[Sukerkin]

I found this whilst link surfing and wondered if anyone had either heard about the case or knew how it went?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d9d_1180135306

The story sounds very odd indeed (particularly with the interjected details at the end) and I was intrigued to find out that the perpetrator was not the stereotype I immediately expected him to be.

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

It's not clear if the head shaving was consensual or not. Two guys, formerly friends, get into an argument, and one demands a head shaving as an apology. The head shaving occurred, so it seems like this was consensual. It might have been portrayed to the Sihk boy's parents as a forced act, once he thought about the repurcussions of his actions. If it wasn't consensual, then it was indeed assault. "Deadly weapon" charges are strange, unless scissors were involved.

 

[Carol]

I guessed immediately that it was someone from the region...someone who knew exactly what a Sikh's hair means to them...although I would have suspected an Indian national over a Pakistani. The skinheads and other "intolerant" types in the US tend to be damn ignorant and far less likely to know exactly what a Sikh's hair means to them.

This likely isn't racism, many Sikhs and Pakistanis share the same (Punjabi) heritage. I'd say its far more likely that they are the same ethnic group. What this was was an attack on religion.

There really isn't a Western equivalent to this. The closest thing I can think of is perhaps tattooing a Swastika armband on a Jewish person, but the Panj Kakkars (5 gifts) of the Sikh faith are a concept that aren't fully shared by folks of other faith. More often, religion incorporates a change to the body (circumcision) rather than mandating that the body stays untouched.

I think in the West there is a tendency to see religious rituals as that of obligation. You're "forced" to keep your hair long, etc....and its really not.
When it is a part of the faith that you celebrate, having untouched hair is absolutely WONDERFUL. It something relished and celebrated, and often shared only with one's intimates. It may sound very strange for someone to read about spiritual value associated with how one's hair, but Amardeep Singh is absolutely correct. Cutting the hair of a Sikh is one of the most devastating things a person can do to an observant Sikh.


He was convicted in 2008 of felony menacing and felony coercion. His sentence was no jail time, 180 days community service, and to tell the judge what he learned about Sikhs.

 

[Carol]

EDIT: The account of the crime does not sound consensual.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal...ilty-of-hate-crime-against-sikh_10025458.html

"Deadly weapon" charges are strange, unless scissors were involved.

Its not that strange...its more of a matter of legalese. There is a difference between "lethal force" and "assault with a deadly weapon".

It largely means that the attacker had something in his hand or on his feet.


Just about anything other than an empty-hand attack is can be "assault with a deadly weapon". In some states, if you kick someone with shoes on your face, or a attack someone with a pencil, the police can charge you with assault with a deadly weapon. This is generally a misdemeanor, not a felony.

 

[Nolerama]

It sounds like the aggressor was sensitive to the victim's religion/culture and capitalized on it (with force) in order to shame/wrong/disrespect the victim.

Yep. Hate crime.

 

[grydth]

Haven't yet seen a violent crime that wasn't a hate crime. Never saw a violent love crime.

If the report is accurate, I would hope the perpetrators spend a sizable time in the concrete hotel.

 

[Sukerkin]

One of the benefits of being from a country that has been multi-ethnic for quite some time is that I understand somewhat how the different sub-sections of some non-English groups interact and feel about each other.

Having also known a few Indian's, Pakistani's, Ugandan's, South African's, Rhodesian's et al on a long term basis (before the distintegration of the integration process), I was also aware of some of the details of the religious and caste differences that mean something to them and how 'rebellious youth' can try to throw off the yoke of their elders.

I have to say, this is what this news story sounded like to me i.e. a Sikh youth who did not want to adhere to the trappings being forced on him and concocted a 'believeable story' to begin a 'distancing' process from his 'roots'. However, it all got a bit more serious than they anticipated and they are now trapped in their 'story' ( especially given the long standing antagonism between certain caste/religious segments of Pakistani and Indian cultures which gives weight to the tale).

 

[Carol]

I have to say, this is what this news story sounded like to me i.e. a Sikh youth who did not want to adhere to the trappings being forced on him and concocted a 'believeable story' to begin a 'distancing' process from his 'roots'. However, it all got a bit more serious than they anticipated and they are now trapped in their 'story' ( especially given the long standing antagonism between certain caste/religious segments of Pakistani and Indian cultures which gives weight to the tale).

I have heard of at least one story in the US, not long past 9/11 where a Sikh man concocted a story for just that reason. I don't think that student went as far as naming another student and going to the law, or whether it was just nonspecific "I got attacked"

I have met Amardeep Singh from the Sikh Coaltion before. He looks very young, but he is a powerhouse attorney. Very bright, very savvy man. He has been on the floor of the House and Senate advising lawmakers of the plights of Sikhs, and has built a sizeable organization. Like many advocacy/aid group, the Sikh Coalition always has more people looking for help than the org has resources, for me to see him talk about this put a lot of creedence to the case.

There are other pointers to look for, for example, the youth that made up his story after 9/11 didn't look like he was scalped, he looked like he cut his own hair a few pieces at a time. I don't want to say the folks at the Sikh Coalition are perfect but I suspect they can be resourceful in getting to the bottom of what the real story was, and aiding the family appropriately. I think the 9/11 event also helped open up some conversations in Sikh families....if the teen is that distressed, does it really have to come to the point where he makes up such a story and cuts his own hair?

I really don't know what to make of the sentencing of the perp.