Forgiveness and Understanding at Oak Creek Sikh Vigil
The Hindu.com – People from the Sikh community along with neighbors and community members gathered in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on August 7 to reflect on the violence that befell this community on Sunday. Many expressed forgiveness for the man who killed six worshippers at the Sikh Temple. The police chief of the town said this: “In 28 years of law enforcement, I have seen a lot of hate. I have seen a lot of revenge. I’ve seen a lot of anger. What I saw, particularly from the Sikh community this week was compassion, concern, support.”
One of the community members who attended the vigil, Teri Pelzek, said she had barely heard of Sikhs. “I knew nothing about them at all. I don’t think a lot of people did. When we don’t know about somebody’s religion we assume the worst.”
Ms. Pelzek said that in a country so often unforgiving and vengeful it was startling to see the Sikh response to the tragedy. “It surprised everyone when they were victims of someone so full of hatred. Because of their reaction, saying they’d like to forgive and move on, I think that’s quite the attitude to hear after what just happened,” she said.
