Several Indian-American community organizations and others have condemned the ‘co-ordinates’ gurdwara shooting incident in Wisconsin yesterday when at least seven people were killed and around 30 wounded.’It was a very co-ordinated thing. It wasn’t haphazard,’ gurdwara member Amardeep Kaleka told a media channel.
He said his father was wounded in the attack on the gurdwara at Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, where about 300 people were present at the time. Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital said in a statement that at least three men were in critical condition. TV footage showed at least one body lying in a parking lot outside the gurdwara, which was built nearly seven years ago
Kaleka said his father was a gurdwara official and within the complex at the time of the attack. After
seeking refuge in a closet nearby he reportedly said to his son on the phone, ‘They’re out there.’Mr Kaleka added that the police informed him that around ’26 to 28 people had been shot,’ including the head priest who was ”bleeding profusely.’Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in a statement about the attack, said, ‘Our hearts go out to the victims and their families, as we all struggle to comprehend the evil that begets this terrible violence.”
The incident comes two weeks after a dozen people were killed in Aurora, Colorado, at the screening of the latest Batman movie.
After that event both President Barack Obama and his Republican Party rival in the upcoming presidential
election, Mitt Romney, were criticized for not talking about tighter gun-possession laws.
‘This was a senseless act of violence and a tragedy that should never befall any house of worship. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the entire Oak Creek Sikh community,” Romney said in his brief reaction.
Indian Minorities Advocacy Network (ImanNet) and Muslim Peace Coalition US condemned the ”heinous
terrorist attack” and the killing of worshipers.
Dr Shaik Ubaid, a founding member of both advocacy organizations, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. He urged Muslims to hold special prayer services in this holy month of Ramdan for the victims of the massacre.
The World Hindu Council of America expressed its deep anguish at the tragic violence.’We, VHPA (Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America)condemn the brutal act of terror and assure all possible support to the members of Oak Creek gurdwara in ensuring the safety and support to the community. We urge authorities to take all possible steps to ensure safety of the devotees at all local temples,’the council said in a statement.
The Association of Indians in America-NY Chapter said Sikhs have contributed greatly to America, including, serving in the US armed forces to keep freedom alive.
‘We ask that the flag be flown at half-mast, to grieve what appears to be a senseless act of domestic violence and an attack upon religious freedom being exercised in a house of worship. Economic downturn, caused by the Great Recession, is an unacceptable trigger to take a neighbor’s life,’ it said.
The organization, known as AIA, was founded in 1967 upon the belief that non-violence is the key to better understanding among all people and religions, and to reach a more just world.
Hindu community and religious leader Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, said, ‘Our hearts go out to the victims and their families and the community is deeply saddened at this tragedy.’ Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged Hindus worldwide to join him in prayers for the victims and their families and
urged Hindu temples to hold special prayer sessions for the victims and their families.
UNI