Muslim and Immigrant Advocacy Organizations Condemn Milwaukee Sikh Temple Massacre

Press Release

Indian Minorities Advocacy Network (ImanNet) and Muslim Peace Coalition USA (www.muslimpeacecoalitionusa.com) have condemned the heinous terrorist attack on Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, WI and the cold-blooded massacre of innocent worshipers.

According to initial reports a white gunman shot thirty worshipers in the Sikh temple killing six people. The victims include one police officer who valiantly shot the gunman down in spite of himself being gravely wounded himself.

Dr. Shaik Ubaid, a founding member of both advocacy organizations, ImanNet and MPC-USA, have expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. He has urged the Muslims to hold special prayer services in this holy month of Ramadan for the victims of the massacre.  He has urged mosques and temples to ask for extra police protection and to put security measures in place.

Dr. Ubaid said “The campaign of hatemongering against the religious minorities and immigrants that is being supported by some mainstream politicians has endangered all Americans.  Some Hindu extremist groups in the US have joined hands with other Islamophobic hate-peddlers. They should now realize that the hate that they are spreading endangers all South Asians irrespective of their religious backgrounds and will not be limited to hatred against Muslims. Attacks on Muslims and Sikhs are on the rise in the US as a consequence of hate propaganda.The first person who was killed after 9/11 was a Sikh who was mistaken for a Muslim.”

Dr. Shaik Sayeed the  Wisconsin spokesperson for ImanNet and a member of board of trustees of the Islamic Center in Milwaukee thanked and praised the police and other law enforcement agencies for their prompt action. He also appealed to all religious groups and political parties to monitor their members and counter hatemongering and extremism.

ImanNet also announced that it will redouble the efforts to mobilize the inter-faith groups and coalitions to counter hate mongering at the grassroots level in cities and towns across the US. They had launched this campaign with Burma Task Force to increase awareness about the religiously sanctioned ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims going on in Myanmar (Burma) and to urge the Buddhist leadership in the US to take a more high profile stand. The campaign will now incorporate the hate mongering going on in the US.

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