Local Sikh Community Shocked By Deadly Shooting
By Steve Tawa
MILLBOURNE, N.J. (CBS) -- A small community of Sikhs in Delaware County is reeling from the news that a gunman killed six people inside a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee.
Members of the Sikh community in Millbourne, the small enclave in Delaware County just over the Philadelphia line, say since 9/11, they have made clear that they abhor what happened on that fateful day.
Harinder Singh of the Guru Nanak Sikh Society in Upper Darby says most people wearing turbans in America are Sikh, not Muslim. He says the Sikh community prays for cultural understanding.
"The Sikh community is a very peaceful community. We are totally different than Muslims. I heard that they were confused about Muslims," Singh explained.
The Sikh faith, an offshoot of the Hindu religion, was founded in India. Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair and male followers often cover their heads with turbans, which are considered sacred, and refrain from shaving their beards.
