Local Sikhs React to Wisconsin Temple Shooting Rampage
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS- Members of the Sikh temple in Desert Hot Springs says they won't let hate from people like the shooter in the Wisconsin massacre keep them from practicing their religion. Video by kmir6.com
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS- The shooter in the massacre at the Wisconsin Sikh temple is said to be a known neo-Nazi, but members of a local Sikh temple say they won't let hate from people like the shooter force them to live in fear.
"I won't be scared of those people at all," said Surinder Singh, who attends the Sikh Temple in Desert Hot Springs.
Singh says Sikhs have been a target since 9-11, not because of their religion, but because of how they look.
"Because we wear turbans, we have long beards, some of them think we are Muslims, but as I say, that's besides the point, we have no right to shoot anybody," said Singh.
Police say the shooter is 40-year-old Wade Michael Page and was a known skin head. But the FBI says they had no reason to believe he was a threat before he walked into the Wisconsin Sikh temple and killed six people.
California has one of the largest populations of Sikhs in the country. It is also home to the largest number of hate groups, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Despite the hate the Sikh community has witnessed, members in Desert Hot Springs say they have no enemies.
"Your religion doesn't make you right or wrong, it's what you do that makes you right or wrong," said Singh.
Jessica Flores, KMIR6 News.
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