In the days following the deadly attack on the Sikh Temple a 10 year old Sikh girl from Virginia wrote this moving letter to America. HuffPost Religion is proud to share it with all those concerned to create a better America for all people.
I am only 10 and don’t know about all the religions but the recent shooting in Wisconsin got me wondering about other religions. I watched the coverage on TV (for once my parents seemed OK with it) and the reporter kept saying that temple seemed to have been mistaken for a Muslim place of worship. Then, I heard another person saying “Sikhs are not Muslims.” I started thinking what if we were? It would still be wrong for Mr. Page to come in the place of God and shoot people.
My parents always told me to respect other religions but to know my religion well. My parents let me take Bible studies in kindergarten and participate in the Christmas play but they also taught me about my temple and things important to Sikhs.
I was not born then but have learned about 9/11. It was horrible when Osama bin Laden attacked the Twin Towers. A lot of Muslims were wrongly thought of. A lot of people think that if one person is bad in a religion, everyone in that religion is bad. I think that statement is not true. No matter what religion, we should never misjudge a person. If someone is a different color or is from somewhere else you should try to get to know them and you might learn something new. You will also make someone feel good and at home if you just talk to them and learn about their background.
I think that Mr. Page hurt Sikhs because he might have mistaken Sikhs as Afghani people. It doesn’t make it any less horrible as Afghani people are great people as well. We need to stop hurting each other and create a world of peace and tolerance. We are the only people who can change this world.
Again, I am only 10 and don’t have all the degrees yet but I think my thoughts are shared by many, definitely by my family. I feel that we need to all be Americans first and stand up for American values. My teachers have taught me that our Constitution believes in liberty for all. I hope we can all respect the Constitution that our founding fathers set forth for us.
Thank you for reading and let us all be united against hatred.
Tarina