Our tip lines have been exploding about a New York incident involving a Sikh high school student who was assaulted; his turban was ripped off and then his hair, which had never been shorn, was cut against his will. Unfortunately for those of you who kept submitting the story, there were crickets chirping in the bunker this weekend. Our delay in blogging it was not a reflection of whether we feel the issue was important or not.
Here are the facts I have gleaned from the various links sent in:
- The Sikh boy was trading “Yo Mama”-like insults with two others
- Things got out of hand
- He tried to apologize
- He was informed that the only way to do so would be a haircut (WTF?)
- That’s when he was dragged in to a bathroom and cut
- Two other boys served as “lookouts”
- All the boys may or may not have been friends
- The teenaged defendant is a Muslim of Pakistani descent
- Other desi students said this was anomalous for their school.
From the Queens D.A.’s press release:
District Attorney Brown said that, according to the charges, just after 12:00 noon on May 24, 2007, the defendant, armed with a pair of scissors, approached 15-year-old Vacher Harpal in the hallway of Newtown High School, located at 48-01 90th Street, and stated, “I have to cut your hair.†When Harpal asked, “For what, it is against my religion,†the defendant allegedly displayed a ring with Arabic inscriptions and stated, “This ring is Allah. If you don’t let me cut your hair, I will punch you with this ring.†It is alleged that Harpal initially refused to go into the bathroom with the defendant because he feared that the defendant would hurt him with the scissors.
Once inside the bathroom, it is alleged that Harpal removed his dastar while crying and begging the defendant not to cut his hair, which had never been cut and fell past his waist. The defendant is then alleged to have used the scissors to cut Harpal’s hair to the neckline and thrown the hair into the toilet and onto the floor. [link]
Is this a hate crime? Or just juvenile stupidity and roughhousing gone too far?
If you feel plastic surgery will improve your appearance, go for it. However, keep in mind that these operations are not 100% safe, so be sure you go over it with your surgeon. Thats all I can really say from this vantage point; someone with more medical expertise could give you a better opinion, no doubt.
Oh, LK1, you misunderstand me so. I did not ask for it for an improvement in appearance, just so I’d fit in better in trains and planes and school grounds.
LK1 is the perfect troll – a coward who utilizes the cloak of anonymity provided by the internet to spew forth hate. I seriously do not know what is wrong with you, man – and your virulently anti-Sikh mentality is there for all to see. This thread has become way too ridiculous…it’s time this idiot was banned.
And for the record – Yes, I am a keshdhari Sikh. No, it is not “just a haircut” we are talking about here. And yes, I’d rather die than lose my hair. LK1, you seem to be big on “fair fights” and “testosterone-fueled machismo”…you sure can talk the talk, bud. But you sure as hell can’t walk the walk. Coz I do it everyday, when I walk out as a keshdhari Sikh in America, not as a way of “defying” the “American way of life”, but as a measure of the strength of my conviction.
Ever heard of courage, LK1? I think you could use a fair bit of it.
I went to Newtown in the 90s. It was a rough school even back then but from what I hear it has gotten worse recently. Most of the desis got along fine because we together were the minorities (the majorities were latinos). As an Indian Muslim there is no excuse for what Ahmed did. If someone insults your mother than fight him one on one like a man, but don’t you dare do something hurtful to his religion, that is uncalled for. I hope Ahmed gets punished although that 7 years in prison might be a bit too extreme.
I don’t doubt your conviction. What I am asking is why would you need financial compensation and or a lengthy prison sentence to make you feel better when your supposed conviction is undermined by an immature 17 year old. That kind of “religious” conviction is beyond me.
Is this thread still running? LK1, I have to say, you have nuclear plutonium levels of hatred running in your veins, no matter how you try to dress it up, you’re just a vicious little bigoted thug. Amitabh is right, your post 189 makes that clearer than anything else. It’s fascinating to watch you squirming your way around justifying your bully boy bigotry towards Sikhs — but the relief comes from knowing that in real life, you are probably a little coward too scared to act on your violent racist hatreds.
Huh? Why is he immature? You already said you would do the same, and you probably have fantasies of doing the same, you nasty little racist vicious thug.
Grow some balls and take it on the street, not with a boy, but someone the same size and age as you, see what happens. Until then, you’ll just be like all racists and Nazis — a small man, small in every single way, tiny, small, miniscule, irrelevant, stewing in your own piss and vinegar resentments, a small and frightened and pathetic little no mark.
Yep, I would have done the same if it was me at his age. Unlike you, I am honest enough to admit it.
Wouldn’t you say that 1 year of school suspension (as I suggested before) is adequate, for inappropiately touching someone else? The idea of any prison time is ridiculous. This was a prank gone awry, not a pre-meditated crime.