On Sunday, white supremacist Wade M. Page walked into services at a Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin and opened fire, killing six and injuring three. He was eventually shot dead by police. Many turned to Twitter to comment on the news as it developed.
Some Sikhs and experts on Sikhism turned to Twitter to answer questions about the community and share their personal stories.
As I've been running my commentary, I'm wondering - what do people want to know about Sikhs? #Sikhfacts
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Roopika Risam (@roopikarisam) August 05, 2012My Grandpa was on his way to Sikh temple where Shooting took place. Things are much scarier when there's a personal connection via @ksandhu7
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Harjinder S Kukreja (@SinghLions) August 05, 2012The US media suggested that the shooter targeted Sikhs because he confused them for Muslims. This was corroborated by the fact that he was the lead singer in a white supremacist band and had a 9/11 tattoo. Commenters on Twitter were not happy with the media’s slant, arguing that the media suggested targeting Muslims was fine.
This rhetoric of "unfair targeting" of Sikhs is mindboggling - as if targeting of other races or ethnicities is fair? #Sikhfacts
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Roopika Risam (@roopikarisam) August 05, 2012MT @BlackCanseco: Dear [TV news] Now that we’ve established Sikhs aren’t Muslim, can we agree that Muslims aren’t innate terrorists? #FB
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Kerim Friedman 傅可恩 (@kerim) August 05, 2012Some said that it was time to reconsider gun rights, enshrined in the second amendment of the US Constitution. This shooting came just weeks after the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
Sikhs are such peace-loving people. How many of these shootings are required before Americans turn against racism & gun lobby?
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Rinku Sen (@ARC_RinkuSen) August 05, 2012What kind of monster murders priests in a temple during worship? Sick and shocking. Enough is enough with American gun violence.
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Mini Timmaraju (@mintimm) August 05, 2012Seven dead. The nation will mourn. Our leaders will be 'deeply saddened.' But no gun laws will change. #templeshootings
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Laila Lalami (@LailaLalami) August 05, 2012Maybe I'm a dreamer, but I wish mental health care were as easy to get as, say, a gun.
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Andy Borowitz (@BorowitzReport) August 05, 2012Some pointed out that while people of color in the US often fear for their own safety when a violent killer “looks like them,” whites do not have this problem.
At times like this, do white folks quietly hope the shooter doesn't turn out to be one of theirs?
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Rinku Sen (@ARC_RinkuSen) August 05, 2012White supremacists orgs are CLEARLY busy this morning doing all they can to dissociate from #Wisconsin shooter
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Rigo (@rigo_) August 06, 2012@ARC_RinkuSen has written something worth reading abt Angry white men & the #TempleShooting salon.com/2012/08/06/not… @Colorlines
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Michele Norris (@michele_norris) August 06, 2012Today's news: racism violence racism xenophobia colonialism racism islamophobia imperialism white supremacy #AlsoYesterdayAndTomorrowsNews
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janaan - NO SCAF (@lovethepeople) August 05, 2012There were some glaring signs in the media coverage that reporters knew very little about Sikhism. The Asian American Journalists Association tried to help.
Fox News asks distraught Sikh, Manjeet Mangat if there have been "anti-Semitic acts in the past against the Sikh community"
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Keltu (@bhalomanush) August 05, 2012MediaWatch alert: For information about "Sikhism," see #AAJA Handbook to Covering Asian America. fb.me/12PAkXsoO
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AAJA National (@aaja) August 05, 2012In the end, the US public learned about Sikhism and the Sikh community in this country. But did it have to happen this way?
RT @iLakhvir: #sikhtemple congregational member: "i wish america could have learned abt sikhism on another day; a more joyous & loving day"
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Gregory A. Cendana (@gregorycendana) August 05, 2012Thanks for writing this. MT @valariekaur: We are all American Sikhs today. ow.ly/cLHtS #templeshooting #groundswell
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Rinku Sen (@ARC_RinkuSen) August 07, 2012
