Sunday, May. 12, 2013: Worshippers at a Sikh temple in southwest Fresno, close to where an elderly Sikh man was attacked while walking on South Cherry Avenue a week ago, say they want to encourage a spirit of unity in the community.
Piara Singh, 81, a longtime volunteer at Nanaksar Sikh Temple, suffered broken ribs, lung lacerations and head wounds requiring 24 stitches in an attack about 7:30 a.m. May 5.
A transient, Gilbert Garcia, 29, was arrested the same day. The Fresno County District Attorney's Office is considering whether the attack should be prosecuted as a hate crime.
Singh was released from the hospital Saturday. Although his condition has improved, he was unable to attend services Sunday.
"He is still having pain," said Ike Grewal, a Sikh community activist and spokesman at Nanaksar Sikh Temple.
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"Regardless of the attack, we will continue to be humble and respectful to our American brothers," Amarjit Singh said.
After the service, some worshippers said they felt comfort in the priest's words. Nearly 200 attended the service.
"It was just something unexpected, especially in this area with a large number of Sikhs," said Manmohan Singh, a friend of the victim's family.
"I found it shocking what happened. I feel close to the family. I hope everyone can be more aware of who we are."
The attack seems to be the work of only one person, he said, adding, "You can't blame a tree for having one bad apple."
Worshipper Raj Brar of Fowler said he isn't fearful now of being targeted because he is Sikh.
"Some people think people wearing turbans are like Osama bin Laden," said Brar, who has lived in the United States since 1977. "They are uneducated. They don't understand what a turban means. We wear a turban as part of our religion.
"I'm not fearful. America is the best country in the world. Not everyone is like this attacker. This is the first time in my 35 years here that this has happened. We shouldn't be scared."
Simran Kaur, advocacy manager for the Sikh Coalition in Fremont, visited the Fresno temple Sunday to lend support.
Youths plan to go door-to-door this week in the area surrounding the temple, offering pizza to neighbors and information about Sikhs. They also want to hold informational assemblies at Sanger and Selma high schools, where there are large numbers of Sikhs.
"The Sikh community is very resilient," Kaur said. "Of course, there are concerns at the gurdwaras here. This is encouraging us to engage with our neighbors."
Another worshipper, Dr. Asha Pritpal S. Sidhu, says it is important that Sikhs educate the community about who they are.
"We are peace-loving people," he says. "We are in prayer.
"We need to take part in community events. Hopefully, we can build bridges. Education is the key."