'I am ... what America looks like,' says Indian/American Sikh who led police to bombing suspect

Captured off a CNN video

Harinder Bains: 'I am ... what America looks like"

A SIKH/AMERICAN business owner is being hailed as a hero for helping police find and arrest Ahmad Khan Rahami, suspected for planting and exploding bombs in New Jersey and New York last weekend.

Harinder Bains, the bar owner in Linden, N.J., found Rahami sleeping in the doorway of his bar on Monday (Sept. 19) after being notified by Bains, owner of Merdie's Tavern.

Bains said he was watching CNN on his laptop from another business across the street. At first, he thought he was some "drunk guy" resting in the vestibule. 

"When I heard about the attacks and realised the suspect was sleeping in a doorway across the street, I did what any American would do. I called the police. I'm not a hero. The police are heroes; the EMTs are heroes; everyone who is working to bring New York and New Jersey together today is a hero," Bains told reporters

"I'm just a regular citizen doing what every citizen should do. Cops are the real heroes, law enforcement are the real heroes," Bains told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

When officers responded, Rahami pulled out a handgun and opened fire, striking an officer in the chest. A foot chase followed, during which Rahami shot at a police car, causing a bullet to graze another office in the face. The chase ended when Rahami was shot multiple times.

He was taken to a hospital for surgery. Rahami was not initially cooperative with police who tried to interview him, a law enforcement official said.

Bomb suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami

Federal prosecutors charged Rahami on Sept. 20 with use of weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, destruction of property by means of explosives, and use of a destructive device during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.

Rahami faces four counts in connection with the Sept. 17 bombing on West 23rd Street in the Chelsea section of Manhattan and the placement of a second explosive device a few blocks north on West 27th Street, according to the complaint.

A separate federal complaint, filed yesterday (Sept. 20) in New Jersey, charged Rahami with six counts — including two more for use of a weapon of mass destruction — related to the Sept. 17 morning bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and the discovery of an explosive-laden package Sunday night near the Elizabeth, New Jersey, train station.

Authorities said the investigation surrounding Rahami continues saying they are seeking the whereabouts of his wife, who reportedly left the U.S. a few days before the bombings; and two men seen on video who removed the second bomb from the duffel bag it was in and left with the baggage. Authorities stress the two men are being sought as witnesses, not as bombing suspects.

Rahami first came to the United States in 1995 as a child, after his father arrived seeking asylum, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2011, according to a law enforcement official who reviewed his travel and immigration record.Rahami traveled for extended periods to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last five years, officials said. While in Pakistan in July 2011, he married a Pakistani woman. Two years later, in April 2013, he went to Pakistan and remained there until March 2014, visiting Afghanistan before returning to the United States.

Bains said as a Sikh/American, he understand that "I could have been mistaken for the perpetrator. My faith teaches me justice and tolerance for all and I know that I'm lucky to live in a community that shares this view."

Bains, who had immigrated from Chandigarh in 1996, stressed that after any attack, Americans should target people based on evidence of their role in the crime and not because of their faith or their country of origin or their accent.

"I came to this country from India 20 years ago to create a better life for my family. I am a father of four and a proud American citizen. I am also what America looks like," he said to Newsday.

Bains said America is strongest when all Americans stand together in the face of violence "intended to divide us."

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The Sikh Project: Photo exhibit launches in New York City Sept. 16

ENTER HERE for a sampling of the The Sikh Project.

THE FIRST-EVER art exhibition exclusively featuring Sikh/Americans will premiere in New York City on Friday, September 16.

The Sikh Project, features the work of acclaimed British photographers, Amit and Naroop, in coordination with the Sikh Coalition, features nearly 40 portraits of Sikh/American men and women that explore the style and significance of the Sikh articles of faith. The exhibition, which will be free to the general public from September 16-25, will also highlight generations of Sikh/American history that embodies perseverance and progress as Americans commemorate the 15-year anniversary of 9/11.

The Sikh Coalition, which was formed immediately after 9/11, will also be celebrating its 15-year anniversary. “As we commemorate this important milestone for our organization, we felt that the moment was right to examine the beauty of the Sikh faith, the strength of our collective spirit and to do so in a way that further educates Americans,” said Executive Director Sapreet Kaur.

In addition to the thousands who will visit the exhibition in person, media coverage of the Sikh Project is expected to reach millions more as the Sikh Coalition launches a communications plan to publicize the exhibition.

“We are really proud to be working with the Sikh Coalition to bring this project to the United States this September,” said Amit and Naroop. The photographers, who are generously volunteering their time to this project, launched the original British version of the photography exhibition titled The Singh Project in 2014.

The photographers with one of their subjects in The Sikh Project.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Sikhs experienced a spike in persecution and hate crimes because they were often mistaken for Muslims. Sikh-owned businesses were vandalized, Sikhs were beaten or verbally abused, Sikh temples were targets for vandals, some were burned. Sikhs were detained at airports or kicked off of flights. Both male and female adherents of Sikhism often refrain from cutting their hair and wear turbans to demonstrate devotion to their faith.

"The consequences of 9/11 were disastrous," Amit and Naroop wrote. "One subject we photographed for the exhibition told [us] before 9/11 people would look at him and say, 'Hey, there is a genie.' After 9/11 they would say, 'Hey, there is a terrorist.' "

Many of the series' subjects have experienced discrimination, but all have stayed true to their beliefs in the face of bigotry—a commitment the photographers hope will inspire gallerygoers.

"People viewing the images or attending the exhibition should feel like they have gained some knowledge about Sikhs, but also some more knowledge about themselves," the pair wrote. "They have just seen a bunch of people who will stay true to their beliefs regardless of persecution and prejudice. The question is, would you be willing to do the same? Would you stand up for what you believe in?"

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Sikh/American soldier allowed to wear his beard and turban

In a precedent-setting ruling issued last week, Capt. Simratpal Singhwill be allowed to keep his beard and turban while serving in the U.S. Army.

A U.S. Army captain who sued the U.S. military for discrimination in March has won the right to continue serving on active duty while allowing him to continue wearing his turban and beard as required by his Sikh beliefs.

The U.S. Army released its decision on March 31 to grant Sikh/American Simratpal Singh “religious accommodation” to the rules against facial hair and headwear,

“My military service continues to fulfill a lifelong dream,” Singh, a West Point graduate who earned a Bronze Star in Afghanistan, said in a press release. “My faith, like many of the soldiers I work with, is an integral part of who I am. I am thankful that I no longer have to make the choice between faith and service to our nation.”

By all accounts, Capt. Singh is a model soldier: A West Point graduate, a Ranger, one of the Army's elite fighting units, and a recipient of the Bronze Star 

Starting in December, U.S. Army Captain Simratpal Singh received a series of temporary accommodations from the military to brandish a beard and turban — outward displays of faith worn by most Sikh men — through March 2016. Although the Army has granted dress code exceptions for off-duty Sikh officers since 1984, the accommodation marked the first time in 10 years the military has allowed an active-duty Sikh solider to grow a beard for religious reasons.

“In a political context where minorities are being marginalized and attacked routinely, it is critical that our nation’s largest institutions and employers — like the U.S. military — show the country that America embraces diversity,” Simran Jeet Singh, the Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition, told The Huffington Post.

The Army press release states that “the Army intends to gather information to develop uniform standards for religious accommodations” which will most likely affect a separate lawsuit filed last week by three other Sikh/American soldiers.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Instagram sparks an instafix: The power of social media overcomes racial profiling

Waris Ahluwalia modeled H&M clothing for a billboard above the store in New York's Time Square.

THIS STORY couldn't have happened five years ago. With the increasing dominance of social media, you can get the world's attention in minutes. Almost as fast, you can start getting reactions.

Waris Ahluwalia is a model and actor. His face is up on a giant billboard in New York City's Times Square above the H&M store. The billboard is historic in that it was the first time Sikhs were featured in such a prominent ad and what is arguable the center of the America's public square. 

The first indication we knew something was amiss with Ahluwalia was his Instagram  saying that AeroMexico would to let him on their flight from Mexico City to New York City. Apparently, his turban and beard, both elements of his religion, was enough to bar him on the airline's plane even though restrictions were  put in place to catch radical Muslims.

“I was about to board, and they asked me to remove my turban,” Ahluwalia said, referring to the religious headgear typically worn by Sikh men. “That’s not something I’m willing to do in front of everyone. It’s like asking someone to remove their underwear in public.”

“I said that’s not going to happen,” he said. “Then another gentlemen came by and said that I would not be getting on any Aero Mexico flight.”
Then the international media caught whiff of the story, his friends in the entertainment industry joined the fray to support him and the airline's action became an international incident. 

The Sikh Coalition began a campaign protesting the treatment of Ahluwalia.

Finally, the snowball effect of the negative publicity pushed the airline to relent and realize the error of its ways. Ahluwalia was offered a ticket to New York City. But Ahluwalia refused the ticket until the airline apologized.

The airline posted on their website said that AeroMexico “recognizes and is proud of the diversity of its passengers,” the statement said. “Every day we work to ensure strict compliance with the highest safety standards, while we respect and value the culture and beliefs of our customers.”

“We apologize to Mr. Waris Ahluwalia for the bad experience he had with one of our security elements while boarding his flight to New York in the Mexico City International Airport. This case motivates us to ensure that security personnel strengthen its care protocols, always respecting the cultural and religious values ​​of customers.”

However, Ahluwalia's predicament can no longer be seen as an isolated event. Like so many Sikhs, Muslims and Arab Americans have been stopped and searched beyond airports' normal screening measures. The racial profiling that occurs is happening to other Asians as well with the increasing terrorist activities in Indonesia and the southern Philippines. 

Islamaphobia often extends to untrained passengers who simply feel uncomfortable with men who wear turbans and beards. Feeling uncomfortable is enough to get people escorted off of airplanes.

Four Muslim and Sikh men are currently suing American Airlines for allegedly removing them from a flight without cause in December, and in the same month, an influential Sikh commentator for MSNBC was asked to show passengers on a plane her breast pump to prove she wasn’t a terrorist.

Compliments to Aeromexico to see and admit their error but the profiling that is being done by airport personnel is happening all too often and proof that further training is needed. 

For more news about Asian/American &Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

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