Spokane Sikh Community Emphasizes Solidarity in Response to Hate Crime

Jeffrey Pittman, 44, broke into a Spokane Sikh gurdwara and desecrated a sacred Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, while causing nearly $30,000 in additional damage.

[Photo Credit: SpokaneIFC.org]

March 21, 2016: On Wednesday, March 9, Jeffrey Pittman, 44, broke into a Spokane Sikh gurdwara and desecrated a sacred Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, while causing nearly $30,000 in additional damage.

According to multiple reports, Pittman was arrested the following morning after being found completely naked, holding a ceremonial sword. He reportedly confessed to police that he broke into the house of worship through a side door and was looking for food before coming to the mistaken conclusion that the Sikh temple was a mosque connected with ISIS. The acts of vandalism were also captured on video.

“No house of worship in America should ever be desecrated,” gurdwara spokeswoman, Subarna Nagra, said in a release distributed by the Sikh Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the Sikh identity. “While Sikhism is a distinctly different religion from Islam, we stand with our Muslim, Jewish and Christian neighbors in denouncing this act of hatred.”

According to the Sikh Coalition, which is not currently litigating the case, Sikhism is the world’s fifth largest religion, with more than 25 million followers. Sikhs, who wear their articles of faith, including turbans and unshorn hair, “have been an integral part of the American fabric for over 125 years,” having been among one of the first groups to migrate to the Western United States after building the railroads.

“We are your colleagues, classmates, and neighbors. The Sikh faith emphasizes a commitment to justice, tolerance, and equality. These are not just Sikh values, they are American values that we know our Spokane community supports,” Nagra said in the Coalition’s release.

The Spokane Police Department charged Pittman with armed burglary, malicious mischief and malicious harassment based on religious discrimination, which is a hate crime. Pittman is also being evaluated for mental health issues, according to the Coalition’s release.

The local community, including Spokane Valley Mayor Rod Higgins and Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, both stood in solidarity with the Sikh community at a press conference last week.

“No hate will be tolerated in Spokane County,” Knezovich said at the press conference at the temple’s community building, according to the Spokesman.

In an earlier interview, Sapreet Kaur, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, told India.com that the Sikh American community has seen a sizeable uptick in cases of hate crimes and backlash over the last several months. The Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States, estimates that there has been a 300 percent increase in these types of cases since December.

“The data that we are seeing – there’s been a significant uptick of reported incidents that are biased based,” Kaur told India.com. “We’ve seen an uptick. And when you speak to community members, you also hear about incidents of people shouting things at them — bigoted remarks. [The community] has seen an increase in that.”

“When hate crimes occur, we must investigate and prosecute them accordingly because that is one meaningful way in which Americans are forced to acknowledge the problem for what it is,” Nagra added in the release. “We thank the Spokane police department, the Spokane Valley police department and Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich for acting quickly and taking this case so seriously. We trust that they will finish their investigation into the motivation and the District Attorney will act fairly.”

The Spokane gurdwara will be looking to hold an open house for local residents to learn more about Sikhism in the very near future.

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