Arson to chemical attacks, US Sikhs learn 1-2-3 of drill

Racism and hate crime are becoming an increasingly common occurrence for di asporic communities and ethnic minorities living in the US of late. Attacks on houses of worship after the elevation of Donald Trump as US president are adding to the tension among the Punjabi diaspora. To combat this, the

Sikh Coalition

has brought out some guidelines on `Preventing Attacks on Gurdwaras'.

The steps in the `Gurdwara Security Toolkit' which are being distributed to gurdwaras around the US, and can also be downloaded online. These include keeping a `Clean House', ensuring no rubbish or leaves are left around the gurdwara as fuel for arsonists. A voluntary Community Arson Watch Programme is also encouraged, alongside establishing links with the police and fire department. Indeed, steps to combat arson such as installing sprinklers, smoke alarms, lights, and locks are extensively covered due to an average of 103 arson fires per year being reported in 2000-2015 at houses of worship. Less than 2% were initially investigated as hate crimes.

The guidelines also outline a number of potential types of attacks houses of worship could encounter; shootersmall arms attack involving hostages, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, arson, sabotage theftvandalism, chemicalbiologi calradiological attacks.

Potential indicators of attack are also listed, such as someone wearing bulky clothing, or people asking excessive questions regarding the tem ple's practices or infrastructure. Protective measures are discussed thoroughly, and instructions on how to respond should a shooter be in the vicinity are provided. Tips on how and where to run and hide are given as steps 1 and 2, and step 3 which is fight, suggested as the last resort.

Aasees Kaur

of the Sikh Coalition explains why now seemed the right time for this initiative. “Five years ago, the Sikh community in

America

witnessed the Oak Creek tragedy.Since then, as hate crime has continued against Sikhs, we have also witnessed a significant spike in hate crime against minority communities over the past year. There are many reports of vandalism, arson, bomb threats, and mass shootings targeting places of worship. While we refuse to live in fear, we do not want to see our gurdwaras vandalized or attacked. Our goal with this project is to take appropriate measures to protect and defend our places of worship, communities and children“.

She stresses that Tracking these guidelines adDiasp dress both gurdwara committee members and the Sangat.“Gurdwara committees have a duty to take preventative measures to better protect their congregation and the local Sangat feel it's right to encourage their committee members to commit to this programme if they have not done so already . It's great to see this happening with this project“.

So far, the vast majority of gurdwaras have responded positively, and the Sikh Coalition has connected them with local federal security experts, who in turn have been getting to know the community members. While this is limited to the US as yet,

Kaur

feels that this kind of initiative may find its way into other Punjabi diaspora communities in the UK or Canada.