Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sikh temple shooter was a white supremacist, officials say
OAK CREEK, Wis. -- The gunman who killed six people inside a Sikh
temple in the U.S. and was killed in a police shootout was a 40-year-old
army veteran, officials said Monday, and a civil rights group
identified him as a "frustrated neo-Nazi" who led a white supremacist
band.
Police called Sunday's attack an act of domestic terrorism. The FBI
said there was no reason to think anyone else was involved in the
attack, and they were not aware of any past threat made against the
temple.
The shooter was Wade Michael Page, said First Assistant U.S. Attorney
Greg Haanstad in Milwaukee. Page was discharged from the army in 1998
and declared ineligible to re-enlist, according to a U.S. defense
official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to release information about the suspect.
Officials and witnesses said the gunman walked into the Sikh Temple
of Wisconsin and opened fire as several dozen people prepared for Sunday
morning services. Six were killed, and three were critically wounded.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said
the gunman used a legally purchased 9mm handgun and multiple magazines
of ammunition. Local authorities said they had had no contact with Page
before Sunday.
"We never thought this could happen to our community," said Devendar
Nagra, 48, whose sister escaped injury by hiding as the gunman fired in
the temple's kitchen. "We never did anything wrong to anyone."
The New York-based Sikh Coalition has reported more than 700
incidents in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which
advocates blame on anti-Islamic sentiment. Sikhs are not Muslims, but
their long beards and turbans often cause them to be mistaken for
Muslims, advocates say.
Page was a "frustrated neo-Nazi" who led a racist white supremacist
band, the Southern Poverty Law Center said Monday. Page told a white
supremacist website in an interview in 2010 that he had been part of the
white power music scene since 2000, when he left his native Colorado
and started the band, End Apathy, in 2005, the civil rights organization
said.
He told the website his "inspiration was based on frustration that we
have the potential to accomplish so much more as individuals and a
society in whole," according to the SPLC. He did not mention violence in
the interview.
Page joined the military in 1992 and was a repairman for the Hawk
missile system before switching jobs to become one of the Army's
psychological operations specialists, according to the defense official.
So-called "Psy-Ops" specialists are responsible for the analysis,
development and distribution of intelligence used for information and
psychological effect; they research and analyze methods of influencing
foreign populations.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Statement by President Obama on the Shooting in Wisconsin
President Obama today released the following statement on the tragic shooting in Wisconsin:
Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that
tragically took so many lives in Wisconsin. At this difficult time, the
people of Oak Creek must know that the American people have them in our
thoughts and prayers, and our hearts go out to the families and friends
of those who were killed and wounded. My Administration will provide
whatever support is necessary to the officials who are responding to
this tragic shooting and moving forward with an investigation. As we
mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we are reminded
how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our
broader American family.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
"SikhsIndia - Sikh Sangat" : Join the new group on Facebook by SikhsIndia
SikhsIndia
has launched its group : "SikhsIndia - Sikh Sangat", for creating
awareness on various issues related to Sikhs. Please join us & share
your views on issues raised.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/369945649743580/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/369945649743580/
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Fauja Singh parody invites ire on social networking sites
Mumbai: The producer of a satirical
Internet TV show has been receiving death threats by the dozen and his
phone has been ringing off the hook, after he allegedly poked fun at
101-year-old British marathoner Fauja Singh.
Running machine: Born on April 1, 1911, Fauja Singh is a British centenarian marathon runner of Punjabi Sikh origin. He is a world record holder in his age bracket. File pic
Abhigyan Jha — producer of the satirical Internet TV show Jay Hind had uploaded an online segment of his show in December 2011, but strangely he has been receiving threatening calls from members of some Sikh organisations since the past two days.
The online segment of his show featured a parody on Fauja Singh and
it did not create any sort of controversy anytime last year, until now.
The clip was apparently downloaded from YouTube by a forum named Sikhchannel, which re-edited the footage, added comments and re-uploaded it on July 30, 2012.
All of a sudden, it has stirred up a row on popular news channels and has brought in abusive comments on popular social networking sites. Insisting that the segment was in no way meant to malign the Sikh community, Jha said, “The video was a parody on Fauja Singh, yes, but it was routine comedy. We’ve done similar things with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan.”
He added that the underlying message has obviously been lost on those who took offence. “Fauja comes across as an intelligent person with a cheeky sense of humour. So our intent was to highlight the perpetrators who have troubled the community in the past,” Jha said.
He added that his company has been around for almost two years and has never ever cracked a Sardar joke.
“Santa Banta quips are not for us. How many Indian comedy portals can claim that? Sumeet Raghavan and Rajeev Nigam, who are associated with the show, have been victims of violent threats as well. As a result they have resorted to police protection,” he said.
The trigger
In the video, Fauja Singh is shown as a Canadian marathon runner, when in reality he’s British. On being asked since when he took to running, Fauja replies 1984, a clear reference to the Sikh riots. He also takes a dig at the US by making a sly comment on the racial attacks against Sikhs post-9/11. Even the visa problem faced by the minorities when it comes to emigration is highlighted. There are many such seemingly ambiguous statements in the segment. After the steady flow of hate mails and comments, the video has been removed from public viewing.
with thanks : IBNLive : LINK
Running machine: Born on April 1, 1911, Fauja Singh is a British centenarian marathon runner of Punjabi Sikh origin. He is a world record holder in his age bracket. File pic
Abhigyan Jha — producer of the satirical Internet TV show Jay Hind had uploaded an online segment of his show in December 2011, but strangely he has been receiving threatening calls from members of some Sikh organisations since the past two days.
The clip was apparently downloaded from YouTube by a forum named Sikhchannel, which re-edited the footage, added comments and re-uploaded it on July 30, 2012.
All of a sudden, it has stirred up a row on popular news channels and has brought in abusive comments on popular social networking sites. Insisting that the segment was in no way meant to malign the Sikh community, Jha said, “The video was a parody on Fauja Singh, yes, but it was routine comedy. We’ve done similar things with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan.”
He added that the underlying message has obviously been lost on those who took offence. “Fauja comes across as an intelligent person with a cheeky sense of humour. So our intent was to highlight the perpetrators who have troubled the community in the past,” Jha said.
He added that his company has been around for almost two years and has never ever cracked a Sardar joke.
“Santa Banta quips are not for us. How many Indian comedy portals can claim that? Sumeet Raghavan and Rajeev Nigam, who are associated with the show, have been victims of violent threats as well. As a result they have resorted to police protection,” he said.
The trigger
In the video, Fauja Singh is shown as a Canadian marathon runner, when in reality he’s British. On being asked since when he took to running, Fauja replies 1984, a clear reference to the Sikh riots. He also takes a dig at the US by making a sly comment on the racial attacks against Sikhs post-9/11. Even the visa problem faced by the minorities when it comes to emigration is highlighted. There are many such seemingly ambiguous statements in the segment. After the steady flow of hate mails and comments, the video has been removed from public viewing.
with thanks : IBNLive : LINK
Monday, July 30, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
