Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered Sept. 15 in Mesa, Arizonathe first homicide in the country related to the backlash against Arab Americans after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sodhi was not Muslim and not from the Middle East. He was a Sikh from India. Frank Roque, the accused murderer, said he shot Sodhi because his turban looked like Osama bin Ladens.
The Council on American Islamic Affairs reports nearly 1,000 anti-Muslim "backlash" incidents in the United States since Sept. 11, including five deaths. Less documented are the countless acts of pro-Muslim kindness and solidarity shown around the country.
Within hours after the terrorist attacks, Phyllis Taylor of East Mount Airy, Pennsylvania, called Muslim friends to tell them she would help guard them from bigotry. Within a week, Taylor established the Friendly Religious Interfaith Escorts for Neighbors in Distress network. The leader of a Philadelphia mosque expressed his gratitude. "This is the time we need good friends to stand with us," he said.
In Denver, the Colorado Interfaith Alliance hosted a "ring of protection" at the Islamic Center. As the people of Denver gathered, they circled the center not once, but three times. Two thousand people of all faiths carried the message to the Muslim community that "we care and we are watching out for you." The imam told the crowd that this was the first-ever interfaith event held at a mosque in the United States.
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