Members of the Indian community in the US have voiced their concern over hate crimes targeting Sikhs in New Jersey and sought greater representation in the city's administration to tackle the problem.
About 40 members of Jersey City's Indian and Sikh communities met with council members Joyce Watterman, Daniel Rivera, Richard Boggiano and Khemraj Ramchal and representatives of two police districts to raise the issue.
They cited recent instances of Sikhs being attacked, targeted and verbally abused for their appearance.
Sunny Kumar, who is on the board of Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara in New Jersey, recounted an assault of a Sikh man on February 15 during a dispute about snow shovelling.
The Sikh man was told "Osama go back home. You don't belong here," Kumar said. The man's beard was torn out and he was kicked in the stomach.
He was even beaten with a shovel and had bruises on his chest and jaw when he was taken to Jersey City Medical Centre.
"People associate Sikhs with terrorists because of the turban and beards," said Kumar.
In another incident in January, two Sikh men were assaulted because of "the way they looked", Kumar said. One of them suffered a broken wrist and the other facial bruises.
Council President Rolando Lavarro, Ramchal and Jersey City Police Chief Robert Cowan said they would attend a service at the gurudwara on the weekend to address concerns about the violence.
They said people need to become more aware of the Sikh community and their history and culture.
Kumar said the council members would also discuss the need for greater representation of Indians and Sikhs in local government bodies.
Rivera offered to be a liaison to the Sikh community and there was a suggestion by officials that Sikh history and culture be included in school curriculum.
