In the last two weeks, three people of Indian origin have been attacked in cases that seem to be hate crimes. Many Indians and people from around the world are using social media to question whether there is an increase in racially triggered crimes. Many also ask if this is a direct result of Donald Trump becoming the US president.
Here are some comments from Facebook:
Rakesh Pandey: “What is happening to the so called most liberal and free country. An Indian man shot in Kansas, a girl harassed in a metro in New York and now a Sikh man killed in Kent. All were said the same old stupid words “Get out of our country”. A couple of years earlier we saw where hate crimes lead to in Australia. Are we expecting another such scenario?” Gopalakrishnamurthy Adusumilli: “Better Mr Trump supplies bulletproof jackets to all Indians working in US, seriously. Hate-Crimes are too dangerous to any society.” Ronak Shah: “This proves what I’ve always said, the US is a scarier place than even most unstable countries around the world because of psychopaths and sociopaths with guns.” Cyril Ninan: “It saddens me that so many people are getting shot and killed... God ALMIGHTY please make this violence stop!” Catrice Otengo: “The police are saying they don’t feel this was racially motivated...hmmm, let me see..guy shoots two Indian men, killing one, “flees to a nearby bar saying he just shot two” Iranians,” he’s finally charged with a hate crime. Now, two days later, another Indian man is shot accept this person uses a more methodical plan to escape, and you don’t think it’s racially motivated?
Trump says “the country stands united in condemning hate and evil in all forms.” Uhhh, no the country does not and you helped bring an even wider range of hatred to this country.
God help me. I cannot stand a hypocrite and a phony. Yeah, it’s 3:21 in the morning, and I’m up reading the news and no, it’s not positive. Sue me. I’m human.
Lord, bring swift justice for this man’s murderer. Let his heart convict him and confess his crime and bring justice to the victims family...”
Some Indians are questioning discrimination within the country too:
Kamal PremPrakash: “One more Indian life is claimed in a hate related crime in US just days after the killing of an engineer. I may not be the most sensitive type of person still I can feel and relate to both incidents. It may happen to any person who is not among his own people and due to many prejudices prevalent in society these type of people are treated as second class citizen in their chosen place of work. They were killed for no faults in their part. They just happened to be that second class citizen away from their home... Being Indians we know we are second to none (given the equal opportunity), then why we too have that second class citizen concept? Can’t we be the change we want to see in America? Let us start with stopping racial and cultural jokes. In time these jokes belittle a person’s individual dignity and fed by our prejudice we tend to see them as a race, religion and colour and not as an individual with distinct personality with same human traits. Let us hope for a time when we won’t make fun of a Tamilian’ skin colour, a Gurkha’s nose, a Bihari’s dialect, a Punjabi’s intelligence or a Bengali’s valour, at the same time appreciate their special contribution for the country.”
Seshadri Kumar: “Parallels are being drawn between hate crimes against minorities in India and in the USA. That makes sense.
But there is one big difference.
When hateful Americans say “go back to your own country” to Indian-Americans or Middle Easterners, they are telling IMMIGRANTS to go back to the country where they came from.
When hateful Hindutva right-wingers tell people to “Go to Pakistan,” they are telling INDIANS to LEAVE the ONLY COUNTRY they ever knew or belonged to!
