The lawn of the Summit Christian Church was the venue for the Interfaith Prayer Vigil for the victims of the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Sikh Temple Shooting. The Sun was shining bright and Mother Nature was kind as if trying to soothe the somber mood of all who gathered to mourn, the nature was kind.
Speakers emphasized that their religions had more in common than differences, with each using a written scripture that leads to different interpretations of the religion’s philosophy. They agreed that a rise of fundamentalism and bigotry posed challenges.
I thought I had it rough. I never fathomed that I would wake up at 30 and see that the very ignorance and hatred I witnessed over a decade ago could be so deadly. Had these events taken place in my hometown of San Jose, my parents, who pay their respects daily, could have been inside the gurdwara. I immediately knew I needed to do something. This was not the America we all signed up for.
During this Inter-faith festival, representatives of many faiths and youngsters of a Gatka Akhara expressed their views on Unity and how to promote Inter-faith dialogues between different communities.
The three stars and the red-and-blue ribbon on his shoulder strap indicate that M. L. Purushotham is a police inspector. But his unofficial job title might well be this: redeemer of relationships and savior of marriages.
As the Sikh community in the US makes efforts to recover from the tragedy of the Gurudwara shooting, a Harvard professor has said Sikhs have emerged as a role model for Americans who can learn from the dignity and generosity the community.
Sikh community is pleased that the First Lady Michelle Obama will be visiting the victims of the shootings in Wisconsin Sikh Temple next week. She is expected to meet with the families of the victims.
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Sikh communities need greater awareness about mental health and the connection with spirituality and seek their rights to spirituality. It is important that we stay in Chardhi Kala - healthy mental state and share the daswand - one tenth of sewa with the world.
The Sikh Coalition has been in touch with the Milwaukee District Attorney since the incident. This afternoon the DA's office was able to to share that a suspect is in custody and will be charged with a homicide crime. Thus far, the DA's office has no evidence of any bias motivation and is treating the circumstances of the crime as an armed robbery.