As word spread that a gunman had attacked a Sikh temple in Wisconsin Sunday, Parvinder Singh didn't want to believe that the slaughter was culturally motivated.
"We hope it isn't an act of [hate]. We hope it's a random act," said Singh, public relations director for Roswell-based SEWA, the Sikh Educational Welfare Association Inc.
But as information emerged Monday about the shooter, Wade Michael Page, and his apparent ties to white supremacist groups, that hope gave way to the reality of a post-9/11 world.
" ... After 9/11, because bin Laden had a beard and a turban, people just associated us with him," said Raghunandan Singh Johar, president of the Norcross-based Guru Nanak Mission Society of Atlanta. "People don't know. It's not their fault. They see a turban and beard and they think it must be the Taliban."
Sunday's attack cast attention on one of America's least understood religious groups. Sikhs, followers of a monotheistic faith founded in Northern India during the 15th Century, are not Hindu. They are not Muslim. But because of their distinctive look, they're among America's religious factions cast in the position of defending their faith following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"Living a Sikh way of life has never been easy. Because of our distinct look ... some people think I am this, or I am that," said Surinder Singh Lalli, who heads public relations for the Norcross temple. "It's a difficult path."
With more than 27 million worldwide followers, Sikhism is one of the largest religions in the world. It is estimated that there are more than 700,000 Sikhs in America.
"We cover our heads as a matter of respect to God almighty above," Sukhchain Singh, a visiting scholar from California who is spending a few months at a Sikh temple in Stone Mountain. "We consider the human body to be a temple of God, and with the body being a temple, we must wear a crown."
Singh knew one of the Wisconsin victims, 65-year-old Satwant Singh Kaleka, a leader in the suburban Milwaukee community. Kaleka is said to have defended his congregants against Page's attack.
According to the Sikh Coalition, a national organization formed after 9/11 to combat intolerance of Sikhs, there have been more than 700 reported incidents of bullying, discrimination and violence against Sikhs since 2001.
On Sept. 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Arizona gas station owner was shot five times by a man who had threatened to shoot some "rag heads," meaning people of Arab descent. Sodhi, who was Sikh, is considered one of the first instances of revenge killings in the wake of 9/11.
Jasvinder Grover, who at 59 wears a turban and sports a traditional Sikh beard, said he has often faced hostility, especially in the months after 9/11.
"When they ask me and start cursing me, I calmly tell them that I am Sikh," he said. "We practice equality and have nothing against any other religion. After a few months, it eventually died down."
Grover and his wife, Sunita, moved to Atlanta from New Delhi in 1990. In 1994, they opened More 4 Less, a gas station and convenience store on Northside Drive in Atlanta.
Sunita Grover said on rare occasions people still assume that because of their dress, they are associated with Islamic terrorism.
"We just let them know we were not," she said. "We deal with it calmly and remember that we have a business ... They just don't know what they are saying."
Sukhchain Singh said the shooting raises questions about security. On Monday, as he chatted with visitors outside the Stone Mountain Gurdwara, or worship center, he eyed a car slowly moving across the vast parking lot.
"We are concerned about what happened in Wisconsin. This has caused a great turbulence on the international level," said Singh. "But the Sikh temples are open to all who want to come here. We have not made any changes to security, but in the wake of this incident, that may be something we have to think about — taking steps to protect our people."
Many Sikhs interviewed Monday said the tragedy calls for a greater understanding of their faith and acceptance of all religions — not for retaliation.
"This is a very difficult time for us, but we are not a community who wants to react. This is a time we should show our calmness and quietness. We are Americans first," Lalli said. "This is something against humanity and we should all stand together in this difficult time."
The Norcross temple is planning a vigil this Saturday to pray for those who died, those who were injured and the officers who came to their rescue.
And Parvinder Singh, of SEWA, said Sikhs are also praying for the Page family.
"We pray for the family of the gunman. God bless them and God forgive him," Singh said. "He doesn't know what he did."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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