Over 100 members of the US House of Representatives have asked the FBI to track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus and Arab-Americans, noting that anecdotal and non-government data indicate that these crimes have become “a deadly problem” for these communities.
“These groups have all too often been the victim of violent and deadly attacks, and many are targeted with violence for reasons attackers chillingly claim are related to hatred,” the lawmakers said in a joint letter to the FBI Advisory Policy Board.
The latest initiative on a long-pending issue agitating these communities, notably the Sikhs, comes ahead of an expected meeting of the FBI board to take a decision on this matter.
“Excluding Sikh, Hindu, and Arab-Americans in hate crime data collection efforts not only diminishes the safety of these communities, but also weakens the quality of hate crime data overall,” the lawmakers said in a joint letter to the FBI Advisory Policy Board.
The 109 lawmakers to make the call include Joe Crowley, Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ami Bera, the lone Indian-American Congressman, and Tulsi Gabbard, the first-ever Hindu American in the Congress.
According to the Sikh Coalition, community surveys in New York and California have pointed out that “Sikhs may be hundreds of times more likely than their fellow Americans to experience hate crimes because of their religion”.
“We believe that accurately tracking these crimes will strengthen diagnostic and deterrence efforts and help law enforcement officials proactively address these challenges,” said the Sikh Coalition, which has spearheaded the initiative for the past couple of years.
A host of other organisations have supported the campaign. They include the Hindu American Foundation, the American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation league, Indian American Forum for Political Education, Sikh Coalition, and South Asian Americans leading Together (SAAlT).