THE PROBLEM

The FBI has documented a rising tide of hate in America since first releasing data on bias incidents in 2015; this data consistently shows that Sikhs are among the nation’s top five most-targeted religious groups. We estimate that Sikhs are hundreds of times more likely than their fellow Americans to experience hate crimes and bias incidents because of their distinct appearance–yet many of these crimes go unreported because law enforcement across the nation continue to underreport data to federal authorities.

Sikhs have been subjected to bias and bigotry since first arriving in the United States in the early 1900s, but in the past two decades, a wave of hate began in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. That wave has continued since–exacerbated by resurgent and flagrant white nationalism, toxic political discourse, and xenophobic sentiments. Too many in our community have lost friends and loved ones to hate violence. We solemnly remember the victims of these violent attacks, including Balbir Singh Sodhi in Mesa, Arizona; Gurmej Singh Atwal and Surinder Singh in Elk Grove, California; Satwant Singh Kaleka, Suveg Singh Khattra, Ranjit Singh, Sita Singh, Prakash Singh, Paramjit Kaur, and Baba Punjab Singh in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; and so many others whose lives have been lost or forever altered due to hate.

THE SOLUTION

Hate crime prevention requires persistence and vigilance. The Sikh Coalition has worked diligently to educate policymakers at all levels of government about anti-Sikh hate crimes. We have encouraged community members to document all hate incidents—including non-criminal activity such as hate speech—through our Report Hate website to help law enforcement agencies better understand the full magnitude of the problem. In 2013, after a successful three-year campaign by the Sikh Coalition, the FBI agreed to track anti-Sikh hate crimes, giving policymakers official data about anti-Sikh violence for the first time in our nation’s history.

The Sikh Coalition supports federal- and state-level legislation, as well as executive branch policy changes, to improve and modernize hate crime prevention, prosecution, and reporting. At the federal level, our current legislative priority is the Justice for Victims of Hate Crimes Act, which will close a federal loophole to allow the prosecution of mixed-motive hate crime cases. We are currently working in states including California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wyoming to strengthen existing hate crime legislation or pass new and much-needed laws. The Sikh Coalition has also partnered with the Department of Justice, the FBI, and with states like New Jersey and California to develop training materials that educate law enforcement on the Sikh American community to increase the rate of hate crime reporting and prosecution. And finally, we continue to advocate for language accessibility in resources and systems meant to help hate crime victims.

In the context of resurgent and flagrant white nationalism of the past ten-plus years, the Sikh Coalition has also engaged on advocacy to address the growing threat of domestic terrorism against our communities. We believe that it is essential to balance equipping law enforcement with the right tools and knowledge to appropriately investigate white nationalist-motivated bias in hate crimes while also ensuring that new legal mechanisms are not used to target or vilify Black and brown communities. To this end, we helped craft the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which would build federal, state, and local infrastructure to understand, track, and counter the most significant domestic terrorism threat of our times: white nationalist and other far-right ideologies.

  • Per FBI data, Sikhs are at least x more likely to face hate victimizations
  • Nearly legal intakes a year
  • Per the FBI, Sikhs are in the top groups most often targeted for hate.

IMPACT

Because of the inclusion of a “Sikh” category in the FBI’s hate crime data, police officers should be more vigilant in protecting our community and reporting anti-Sikh hate crimes. Over time, these measures will reduce the risk that Sikhs will experience hate crime and help create a climate where Sikh Americans can fearlessly maintain their articles of faith.

The Sikh Coalition lobbied in support of the Heather Heyer-Khalid Jabara NO HATE Act, which became law in May of 2021 via the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act–the first significant piece of federal hate crimes legislation in 12 years. Additionally, at the state level, the Sikh Coalition has helped pass all-new or stronger hate crime legislation in states like Georgia, Indiana, and Oregon.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Report hate crimes or bias incidents that you experience as soon as possible.

Report Hate Incidents to the Sikh Coalition (Please note that reports filed here are for advocacy organizations to identify trends and patterns to better allocate resources that protect the community; no personal identifying information will be shared with law enforcement.)