Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Madihha Ahussain, Special Counsel for anti-Muslim Bigotry at Muslim Advocates, in advance of the fifth anniversary of the Oak Creek shooting on August 5th:

“Almost five years ago, we lost the lives of six Americans to brazen hate and bigotry, when a neo-Nazi gunman stormed a Wisconsin Sikh temple and slaughtered those in his path. To date, this shooting marks one of the deadliest attacks on a house of worship in our nation’s history.

As our nation faces a tidal wave of hate, this anniversary serves as a somber reminder of the very real and increasingly pervasive hate-based violence that many communities must live with each day.

For Sikhs, Muslims and people of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent, this violence has increased exponentially over the past five years.

Let us remember Paramjit Kaur, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Prakash Singh, Sita Singh, Ranjit Singh, and Suveg Singh, and ensure that their legacy inspires Americans to defy hate and to come together on our shared values and respect for each individual’s right to freely pray.  

Tomorrow, we commemorate the Oak Creek shooting by standing with American Sikhs and remembering this tragedy as a call to action to speak out against hate. We continue to work towards the America these individuals deserved, a nation where no American ever needs to choose between their life and the practice their faith.”

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

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