Bang!
Just one bullet! Not from the gun of Houston Deputy Sheriff, Sandeep Dhaliwal, who as a police officer had the authority to shoot, but from the gun of a motorist he had stopped. The man ran behind Officer Dhaliwal, pointed his gun to the back of his head, and shot him dead!
One doesn’t hear about too many police officers being shot dead in the US, unless they are caught in an exchange of gunfire, and to have an officer shot dead at blank range only speaks volumes of the hate the murderer had for his victim.
According to reports, Dhaliwal was a kind and compassionate person, who had also organized relief during the time of Hurricane Harvey. He was supposed to be a ‘down to earth man with a heart for the needy’
Why would anyone want to shoot such a good a man?
Because the shooter didn’t look beyond the turban!
All he saw was a man wearing an attire he hated, having a beard, and possessing a skin colour which was different.
He didn’t open his mind to think, that this man had been sworn in by the state to protect lives, to maintain law and order, and to keep his family safe.
All he saw was the turban, which meant, ‘outsider’!
And that is what hate crimes are all about. Killing or hurting someone because of baggage we carry relating to race, religion or language.
And where is this baggage picked up from? Sometimes, from upsetting incidents from a community, but most often from our homes. How often I have heard fathers and mothers saying, ”those Keralites are all like that!” or, “She’s a Punjabi or Tamilian or Gujarati! We need to be careful of her!”
I was shocked to hear of a Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, a Christian, talking of ‘love-jihad’ of Christian girls by those of another community. This is how hate and fear spread, as we think of every young person from one community trying to abduct our daughters. So, what happens? Even if you see your daughter, talking to your neighbour of that particular faith, your antenna goes up, like that of the murderer of the police officer and vocally or physically ..Bang!
Stop such dangerous talk at home! Or one day you will hear voices telling you, after you or your children reacted in violence: “Hey, Mr Murderer, did you know the man you shot dead, was ‘known as someone with a giving heart? That he served your country as a ‘bold and ground breaking law enforcement officer?”
“I just saw the turban! And they told me turban wearers are bad!”
Look beyond the turban, the beard, the cross or other symbols worn or carried. In every faith, community or people, there are a small percentage of bad ones, our mistake is when the whole turban gets painted black, the beard red, or a community pink.
Instead, look beyond..!

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