Donald Trump's bigotry effect: Sikhs in US raise $400,000 to create awareness about their religion

QUICK PILL

• This is the first time Sikhs have raised this high an amount to spread awareness about their faith in America.

• This is a historic moment for the Sikh community in America. Never before have we had the opportunity to tell our story to our fellow Americans and that time has come now: Kaval Kaur, National charter member of NSC.

Sikhs in the US state of California have raised a record USD 400,000 for a national media campaign to generate awareness amongst Americans on Sikhism in the backdrop of increasing hate crimes against the community.

This is the first time that Sikhs have raised such a high amount to spread awareness about their faith in America.

Read: Economics 'Trumps' bigotry: Donald Trump mocks Sikhs but loves India's growth story. Wait, what?

The previous record is of USD 90,000 in National Sikh Campaign's Los Angeles Gala last year. At a fund raising gala in San Francisco Bay Area, television advertisements created by AKPD, President Obama's campaign media team, were unveiled, a statement said.

Last year, the NSC had hired the services of AKPD and Hart Research Associates which is headed by Geoff Garin, Hillary Clinton's former chief strategic advisor, to develop the messaging and framework of these advertisements.

"This is a historic moment in the history of the Sikh community in America. Never before have we had the opportunity to tell our story to our fellow Americans around the country and that time has come now," said Kaval Kaur, National charter member of NSC and host of the event.

Among the attendees were prominent Sikh entrepreneurs, leading Silicon Valley IT professionals, doctors, owners of trucking companies, and officials of all gurdwaras in the area.

"We, Sikhs, need to change the narrative and present the correct image of who we are, showcasing how we are totally integrated into the American society and not only as victims," said Rajwant Singh, co-founder of NSC, who presented the overview of the campaign and appealed to the audience to donate for the cause.

There have been a number of incidents of attacks and discrimination against the community in the US.

A 68-year-old Sikh man was stabbed to death in California's Fresno city on 1 January, while in December another elderly Sikh man was brutally assaulted by two persons in Fresno.

Changing narrative built by Trump and the likes?

File Photo

Republican hopeful Donald Trump, known for his caustic remarks and attitude towards Muslims, refugees and certain ethnicities, had recently attacked a Sikh man. Why? Because of the latter's turban.

The Sikh man was escorted out of a Donald Trump rally at Muscatine High School, Iowa.

This happened after the man interrupted Trump's speech by displaying a banner that read 'Stop Hate'.

Trump then pointed to the crowd, referring to the protester and another person accompanying him, and said, "He wasn't wearing one of those hats, was he? And he never will, and that's OK because we got to do something folks because it's not working."

With PTI inputs