Hundreds show up to Sikh temple for Wisconsin memorial

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SURREY (NEWS1130) – A crowd of people gathered for an evening of prayer and remembrance at a Surrey temple, to honour those killed in the Wisconsin shooting.

Amid chanting at the Guru Nanak Sikh, elders from the Sikh community stood solemnly and mothers held their children. It was all to honour the six victims of a terrifying hate crime at a temple just like the one they were praying in.

Bikramjit Singh Sander, president of the temple, says the multi-cultural gathering is an act of solidarity for a community in mourning. “Any community that [this would] happen to would be horrified and… right now, and it’s not just the Sikh community, but everyone is horrified. It’s a tragedy that things like this still continue.”

“Hopefully, [we will] say a prayer not just for the victims and the families, but also for these kinds of mindsets. May God bless them with a better mindset and give them a better life so they can really enjoy their life instead of living their life in hatred.”
    
Sander hopes people of all cultures will find healing and peace after what many are calling senseless killings.

BC NDP leader Adrian Dix was at the vigil. He praises the values and resilience of the Sikh faith.

“Anyone who knows the Sikh faith knows the commitment to generosity and equality,” he says. “So, this isn’t an issue for people of the Sikh faith to move forward, it’s an issue of equality.”

Dix adds the Wisconsin shooting was an act of racism and hopes the governments across North American continue their commitments to human rights.

A gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee on Sunday in a rampage.

Wade Michael Page played in white supremacist heavy metal bands and posted frequent comments on Internet forums for skinheads, repeatedly exhorting members to act more decisively to support their cause.

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