A turbaned Sikh protester was escorted out of a Donald Trump rally held in Muscatine High School, Iowa, on January 24.
AP Trump in Iowa
The sikh man, Arish Singh, displayed a banner which read ‘Stop Hate’, in the light of a statement made by the GOP front runner last month, saying temporary ban will be imposed on Muslim’s entering the US.
AP Singh Protesting against Trump
Singh is the former editor of a local newspaper ‘Little Village’ and a comedian by profession.
Sporting a red turban, Singh along with the second protester were escorted out of the rally with Trump waving his hand and saying, “Bye. Bye. Goodbye.” and the crowd chanting “USA…. USA… USA”.
Even as social media erupted with regards to what happened in Iowa, Singh took to twitter and said:
I am not a Muslim. But you don’t have to be a Muslim to stand against anti-Muslim bigotry #MakeAmericaGreatAgain https://t.co/nkrkKdUzOP
— Arish Singh (@arishish) January 25, 2016
When asked why he decided to raise his voice and interrupt the speech, Singh said it was due to series of remarks that Trump had made in the past including his suggestion that all Muslim immigrants to the US should be banned.
Singh said that such comments have coincided with a rise in incidents of xenophobia and bigotry against both Sikhs and Muslim Americans.
IB Times Trump at one of his rallies
Soon after the Iowa incident. Singh, who is a resident of Chicago gave an interview to an online newspaper and added:
“I am not sure what he meant when he used the word “hat”. But if he thought I was a Muslim, I would not have a problem with that because we all have to stand with the Muslims and reject the hate that is being directed towards them. How can anybody stand up and say Muslims should be banned from this country?”
Singh then went on to add that that he plans to take his peaceful protests to Trump’s other rallies as well.
When asked what he thought about people confusing him to be a Muslim, Singh said:
‘Those people who cannot tell the difference between a Muslim and a Sikh should be embarrassed of themselves. But I stand with the Muslims and I will always do what I can to stop the hating.”
Here is what happened:
Even as the news about Singh being escorted out of Iowa’s rally, and Trump’s response to his protest spread like wildfire, people on Twitter made it into a debate.
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Here are few of the responses:
Trump hasn’t denigrated Sikhs, yet we speak against him anyway. Why? Because our tradition is to stand against injustice, in all its forms.
— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) January 24, 2016
A #sikh foolishly opposes #trump and creates a mess for his whole community in USA, who are already face misconception of being islamic
— गोबिंद (@GovindGuru88) January 25, 2016
@realDonaldTrump we will never wear hats #Sikh #Singh #Kaur #Warriors #NeverWorried #OneLove #TURBAN4LIFE #StopHate pic.twitter.com/r0PCxrBksi
— SWAT UK (@SwatLondon) January 25, 2016
‘If #DonaldTrump thought I was a #Muslim, I’d be proud’-turban-wearing #Sikh who interrupted rally #Respect #salute https://t.co/cKPUiHKUyP
— Lone Star (@sa1ra7) January 26, 2016
After 9/11 bigoted #Americans killed a #Sikh believing him to be Arab. Shameful behavior https://t.co/HvxfbHsrKF
— King Cyrus (@PersianPolitik) January 25, 2016
Donald #Trump is the definition of ignorant. Mocking a Sikh man for wearing a #turban? Disgusting.
— Avi (@aviks_) January 26, 2016
America…someone who wears a #Turban is a #Sikh and Sikh people are 1 of the most polite people in the #UK https://t.co/sdHAIAcjvb
— Liam Hanlon (@lphanlon84) January 25, 2016
Personally feel that Donald Trump’s comment on the Sikh protester wasn’t aimed at insulting Sikh community.
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— Rohit KV (@RohitBJP) January 25, 2016
