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Attacks against Sikh students in NY schools
WSN Network
NEW YORK: Over 40 percent of Sikh students who wear turbans to
schools here have been subjected to some form of physical
harassment, and a community group says that complaints to schools
often go unheeded.
The harassment has included hitting and punching, besides
disrespectful touching of the head, said a report brought out by
Sikh Coalition, a US based group.
The document, "Hatred in the Hallways: A Preliminary Report on Bias
Against Sikh Students in New York City's Public Schools," was
released last week.
It found that three out of four Sikh boys who go to school have been
teased or harassed on account of their religious identity.
Of 200 Sikh students who where surveyed, nearly a third said there
was no response to their complaints to school authorities and
nothing was ever done, according to information posted on the
group's website.
"If we expect students to excel, they have to be given an
environment free of fear and intimidation. The department of
education ... (has) to understand that harassment does exist in
schools. When administrators turn a blind eye to that harrassment,
they in turn tacitly approve of even more harassment." New York city
council member John Liu said after the release of the report.
The report comes barely a fortnight after two students of Pakistani
origin attacked a Sikh student in Queens, New York, and cut his
hair. Prosecutors have charged the alleged perpetrator with hate
crime.
Post 9/11, Sikhs in the US have been confused with Muslims and
subjected to violent attacks.
13 June 2007
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