Waialae resident Manjit Reddick said she worries about her two grandchildren in the wake of Sunday’s fatal shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.
“I often reflect on what kind of world my grandchildren are going to live in,” said Reddick, 72. Her worries heightened when she heard of the violence Sunday in suburban Milwaukee, where a gunman killed six people and critically injured three. “It makes you even more concerned.”
Reddick and other members of Oahu’s Sikh community said Monday they were shocked at what authorities are calling an act of domestic terrorism. Armed with a 9 mm handgun and several clips, Wade Michael Page, 40, entered the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and fired multiple shots.
One of the responding officers shot and killed Page.
Hawaii has a largely harmonious, multicultural community, Reddick said, but elsewhere there are people who mistake Sikhs for radicals or wrongly associate them with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because the men wear turbans and beards.
“Looking at us, people think we’re responsible for it,” she said.
Under the direction of President Barack Obama, Gov. Neil Abercrombie ordered all national and Hawaii flags to be flown at half-staff from Monday until Friday in memory of the temple victims.
“You’re going to a house of worship to pray,” said Reddick, the mother of two adult children who live in California. “You don’t expect something like this to happen.”
Sikhism, a monotheistic faith that originated in India, emphasizes “truthful living,” self-control and social justice. Oahu’s Sikh community is small, with maybe 11 families.
Reddick, who holds a worship service at her house on the second Sunday of each month, said members of the faith regularly visit schools to educate children about Sikhism.
Sikhism follower Mohinder Singh Maan, 70, of Hawaii Kai also said he was stunned at the news.
“I lived in the United States for 40 years and have never heard anything like this,” he said. “Definitely, it was a shock and a lot of sadness.”
Maan said he doesn’t believe the shooting was an act against Sikhs per se.
“I hope the authorities and the investigators will be able to find out exactly what his motives were,” he said.
City Councilwoman and U.S. House candidate Tulsi Gabbard, a Hindu familiar with Oahu’s Sikh community, issued this statement late Sunday:
“I am deeply saddened to see something like this happen at a peaceful place of worship. This senseless violence has led to a great loss, not just for the Sikh community, but for our entire country. It is disheartening that so many people across the country know so little about some of the biggest religions in the world, including Sikhism and Hinduism, respectively the fifth and third largest religions in the world. Ignorance of other people’s cultures and religion is a breeding ground for fear, suspicion, prejudice, and discrimination.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
