The World Sikh Organization of Canada says it is “deeply troubled” after an early-morning attack at an Edmonton gurdwara left two people injured and reportedly involved the desecration of Sikh scripture.
The WSO said an intruder entered Nanaksar Gurdwara at about 5 a.m. Friday and attacked people inside. Two individuals were taken to hospital with injuries.
The organization said preliminary reports also indicate Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh holy scripture, was attacked during the incident.
Police were at the scene Friday morning and the gurdwara was closed to the public as the investigation continued.
The WSO said it was awaiting confirmed information about the circumstances of the attack and any possible motive.
“We are deeply troubled by what has happened at Nanaksar Gurdwara this morning, but unfortunately we cannot say that we are surprised,” WSO President Danish Singh said.
“We have been warning for quite some time that anti-Sikh hate is rising in Canada and that, if it is allowed to continue unchecked, hateful rhetoric can translate into threats and actual violence.”
The Edmonton incident follows reports of threats against Sikh places of worship in Calgary.
Calgary police confirmed Thursday they were investigating threatening calls made to two gurdwaras in northeast Calgary, including the Dashmesh Culture Centre. The WSO said the threats reportedly included calls for Sikh places of worship to be demolished.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas condemned the threats.
The WSO also pointed to an incident earlier this month involving Sikh truck driver Talwinder Singh Atwal at an Edmonton Walmart.
Atwal reported being subjected to comments about his religious identity before being physically assaulted. He said he was punched and pushed and had his beard pulled. Video showed Atwal on the ground with his dastaar partially removed.
The Edmonton Police Service Hate Crimes Unit is assisting in that investigation.
The organization also cited the March killing of 22-year-old Birinder Singh in what was described as an apparently unprovoked highway shooting near Leduc. The WSO previously called on investigators to consider whether hate played a role in that case.
Singh said Sikhs are facing hostility from several sources.
“The Sikh community is being targeted from multiple directions,” he said.
“We are seeing increasingly aggressive far-right and anti-immigrant racism directed at visibly identifiable Sikhs, alongside a sustained campaign of disinformation and vilification originating from India that attempts to portray Canadian Sikhs and Sikh political expression as extremist or dangerous.”
The WSO earlier this year released a report titled Understanding & Addressing Anti-Sikh Hate in Canada, based on more than 1,600 survey responses and consultations.
According to the organization, more than 80% of respondents said anti-Sikh hate and discrimination had increased during the previous five years.
Nearly two-thirds reported experiencing verbal harassment, while more than 70% of victims said they did not report incidents because of fear, a belief reporting would accomplish little or a lack of confidence in institutional responses.
The report said 91% of visibly identifiable Sikh respondents reported having been targeted, while 65% said the experiences had significantly affected their mental health.
The WSO said its study identified domestic racism and xenophobia, along with what it described as transnational repression and disinformation linked to India, as major drivers of anti-Sikh hate.
“Threats against gurdwaras followed by an attack must be treated with the utmost seriousness,” Singh said.
“Governments and police cannot simply express concern after each incident and then move on. We need concrete action to confront anti-Sikh hate, protect places of worship and ensure that threats and hate-motivated incidents are properly investigated.”
The WSO is urging gurdwaras across Canada to review their security procedures and remain vigilant.
It also called on Edmonton police to investigate whether hate or bias played a role in Friday's attack and asked federal, provincial and municipal governments to work with Sikh organizations on enhanced security measures for places of worship.
“Anti-Sikh hate cannot be allowed to become normalized,” Singh said.
