Burglars were not the only culprits. A Sikh family was terrorized by Houston police officers after reporting a burglary in the home. It is more than seven years since 9/11/2001. One would have hoped that by now, American law enforcement had been educated and trained to learn the simple fact that "turban" does not necessarily equal "terrorist."
The Harris County Sheriff's Office is investigating allegations that deputies harassed a family of Sikhs whose home was burglarized last week.
Family members say the deputies handcuffed them, roughed them up and taunted them instead of taking a report on the break-in.
One deputy reportedly asked them if they'd "heard about the bombings in Bombay." Another allegedly said he had been to Kuwait and "knew about Muslims."
Since 9/11, misperceptions about Sikhs' religiously mandated turbans and beards have led to an increase in discrimination against Sikhs, according to the New York-based Sikh Coalition.
The family reported the incident to the Coalition, which called for the sheriff's office to fire the four deputies involved and issue a formal apology to the family.
"The allegations, if they're true, are certainly intolerable and inconsistent with our policies," said sheriff's spokesman John Legg.
The deputies could face anything from disciplinary action to termination, Legg said. He declined to release their names pending further investigation.
The rest of the disgraceful story here.
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