• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • BUSINESS
  • SCIENCE
  • LIFESTYLE
  • TECH
10 years after shooting, Wisconsin Sikhs lead interfaith conversation on safety 

10 years after shooting, Wisconsin Sikhs lead interfaith conversation on safety 

August 7, 2022
Sessions to Hold Hearing with U.S. Postmaster General on Postal … – House Committee on Oversight and Reform |

Rural America a focus for bipartisan health caucus formed in U.S. … – Iowa Capital Dispatch

October 1, 2023
The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)

The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)

October 1, 2023
Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion

Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion

October 1, 2023
Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap

Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap

October 1, 2023
Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward

Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward

October 1, 2023
Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo

Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo

October 1, 2023
Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show

Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show

October 1, 2023
Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances

Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances

September 30, 2023
Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees

Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees

September 30, 2023
chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

September 30, 2023
Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

September 30, 2023
Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023

Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023

September 30, 2023
  • Home
  • News
    • PRESS RELEASE
  • Shop
  • BUSINESS
    • CRYPTO
    • ECONOMY
    • FINANCE
    • MARKET
    • MONEY
  • TECH
    • APPS
    • GADGET
    • MOBILE
    • SCIENCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS & THEATER
    • GAMING
    • GAMBLING
    • MOVIE
    • MUSIC
    • SHOWS
    • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CELEBRITY
    • CULTURE
    • Education
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HEALTH
    • HISTORY
    • Nature
    • Religion
    • Shopping
    • TRAVEL
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Blog
  • Classifieds
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Religion

10 years after shooting, Wisconsin Sikhs lead interfaith conversation on safety 

by Minnesota Digital News
August 7, 2022
in Religion
0
10 years after shooting, Wisconsin Sikhs lead interfaith conversation on safety 
492
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


(Interfaith America) — On the eve of the 10-year anniversary of the fatal mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, more than 100 interfaith leaders, policymakers, White House officials, law enforcement officials and educators convened Thursday night (Aug. 4) at city hall in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, for an interfaith panel discussion on protecting places of worship from hate crimes. 

The panel was a part of the Healing from Hate & Protecting Places of Worship Forum, a memorial of the tragedy at the gurdwara (as Sikhs call their houses of worship) organized by the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee in partnership with the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Sikh Coalition and Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The forum was a part of a series of events these groups are hosting this week to honor the victims of the shooting: Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; Prakash Singh, 39; Paramjit Kaur, 41; Suveg Singh Khattra, 84; Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65; and Baba Punjab Singh, 72.    


RELATED: Sikh Americans honor 10th anniversary of Oak Creek shooting


“Being here is incredibly moving because people have turned their pain into purpose in a way that none of us could have predicted,” Melissa Rogers, executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, said after the forum.  
 

Melissa Rogers, executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, expresses gratitude to the Sikh community for inviting the federal office to be a part of the 10-year-anniversary commemoration, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. Photo by Silma Suba

Melissa Rogers, executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, expresses gratitude to the Sikh community for inviting the federal office to be a part of the 10-year-anniversary commemoration, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Photo by Silma Suba

The interfaith panel, moderated by former U.S. attorney James Santelle, included Pardeep Kaleka, executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee; Walter Lanier, CEO of the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee; Ahmed Quereshi, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee; and Ari Friedman, director of security and community properties at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. 

In the decade since the Oak Creek shooting, hate crimes against places of worship have been on the rise. Between 2018 and February 2020, mass shootings caused by religious hate increased by 17%.

As attacks have increased, synagogues, churches, mosques, gurdwaras and other places of worship have increased surveillance and security at their doors.  

“We’ve developed an usher and greeters’ program where volunteers, who are not security people, but an extra set of eyes and ears, are trained to interact with the people as they come in, in a friendly manner,” Friedman said. The volunteers, he said, look out for nonverbal cues and other indicators to gauge if there is any need for concern. 

In addition to securing their gates, the faith leaders said it’s important to include their congregations in conversations about safety and security.  

Lanier said he uses biblical references to emphasize the importance of protecting oneself from harm. 

“There’s a New Testament narrative where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,” Lanier told the gathering. “Some religious leaders were mad … and they said we’re going to move off. We’re not going to put ourselves in the way of danger. But we’re going to use wisdom in this moment, and pull ourselves back. It was really important to frame up for the congregation that this is biblical, this is within the wheelhouse of our faith.”

Not every place of worship can afford to hire security, and, the Milwaukee Islamic Center’s Quereshi noted, in some cases it’s even illegal to do so. Quereshi added that many faith leaders face the challenge of balancing a fundamental belief that places of worship should welcome everyone with an urgent need to protect themselves and their community. 

Lanier said it’s important for people to look out for not just their own but other communities as well. “It’s like being in a neighborhood. It can’t be that I’m just going to look out for my house and not worry about what’s happening at your house … let’s get together like this evening so that we can share resources, information, best practices, collaborate and have a narrative and have a critical mass of people who are on the same page and sharing similar messages.”

Kaleka, whose father was one of the seven victims at Oak Creek a decade ago, said one of the lessons the Sikh community learned that day was how everyone can keep moving forward with compassion while also learning to fortify their walls.  

“In all communities who are targeted, we have been blessed to be surrounded by love, by compassion, by kindness,” Kaleka told the audience. “We could have left whatever happened as whatever happened, but you all made the conscious choice of being here because of seven people who died, but you would not let hope die. And we’re here 10 years later, simply because of that.” 

 A version of this article originally appeared on Interfaith America magazine.



Source link

Share197Tweet123Share49
Minnesota Digital News

Minnesota Digital News

Saint Paul
◉
88°
Fair
7:11 am6:51 pm CDT
Feels like: 88°F
Wind: 18mph SSW
Humidity: 36%
Pressure: 29.95"Hg
UV index: 2
TueWedThuFri
84/63°F
66/55°F
63/46°F
54/43°F
Weather forecast Saint Paul, Minnesota ▸
Sessions to Hold Hearing with U.S. Postmaster General on Postal … – House Committee on Oversight and Reform |
PRESS RELEASE

Rural America a focus for bipartisan health caucus formed in U.S. … – Iowa Capital Dispatch

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)
FASHION

The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion
Religion

Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap
REAL ESTATE

Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward
MONEY

Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo
ARTS & THEATER

Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show
SHOWS

Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances
SPORTS

Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees
Education

Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen
FOOD

chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair
HISTORY

Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023
Nature

Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
The Mall of America – The Largest Shopping Mall in the United States | SGK Urdu
Shopping

The Mall of America – The Largest Shopping Mall in the United States | SGK Urdu

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Fashion historian explains Senate dress code, John Fetterman’s hoodie and shorts
BUSINESS

Fashion historian explains Senate dress code, John Fetterman’s hoodie and shorts

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Talks ‘Yellowstone’ and High School Graduation – Hollywood Life
ENTERTAINMENT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Talks ‘Yellowstone’ and High School Graduation – Hollywood Life

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Have a Lovely Weekend. | Cup of Jo
LIFESTYLE

Have a Lovely Weekend. | Cup of Jo

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My: The Download
SCIENCE

Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My: The Download

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Letterboxd sells a majority stake after explosive pandemic-fueled growth
GADGET

Letterboxd sells a majority stake after explosive pandemic-fueled growth

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
How to move and rearrange Apps on your TV | Samsung US
APPS

How to move and rearrange Apps on your TV | Samsung US

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Minnesota Digital News

Copyright © 2023 Minnesota Digital News

Navigate Site

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Notice
  • Anti Spam Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • DMCA Compliance
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Social Media Disclaimer
  • Amazon Affiliate disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • PRESS RELEASE
  • Shop
  • BUSINESS
    • CRYPTO
    • ECONOMY
    • FINANCE
    • MARKET
    • MONEY
  • TECH
    • APPS
    • GADGET
    • MOBILE
    • SCIENCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS & THEATER
    • GAMING
    • GAMBLING
    • MOVIE
    • MUSIC
    • SHOWS
    • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CELEBRITY
    • CULTURE
    • Education
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HEALTH
    • HISTORY
    • Nature
    • Religion
    • Shopping
    • TRAVEL
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Blog
  • Classifieds

Copyright © 2023 Minnesota Digital News