CAIR-CAN Calls for Hate Crimes Investigation

Muslims Condemn Attack on Sikh Teen

(Ottawa, Canada - 1/06/05) The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called on police in Richmond, B.C. to investigate an attack against a Sikh teenager as a hate crime.

According to reports, a 17-year-old Sikh boy was attacked last week by five men who called him by a racial slur and assaulted him. The attackers also removed the boy's turban and cut off his hair with a knife, violating the Sikh faith which says hair is to be worn unshorn and in a turban. Residents in the area of the attack say other minor incidents have also occurred in the past.

In a statement issued today, CAIR-CAN wrote:

”CAIR-CAN stands with the Sikh community and all Canadians in denouncing this vicious attack of hate. The Canadian Muslim community has also experienced hate crimes and knows that it can traumatize the entire community as well as the victim. We call on the RCMP to bring the perpetrators to justice.”