# Pak Boys Shear



## GITIKA KAUR (Jun 17, 2007)

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*[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]Pak boys shear Sikh student's hair in NY[/FONT]*


[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]WASHINGTON: A commonplace schoolboys' fracas acquired an ugly communal hue in New York City when two Pakistani students forcibly cut the hair of a Sikh boy following an altercation. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]The incident happened at the Newton High School in Queens, a New York City borough that has a large population from the sub-continent. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]According to local news reports, the assault took place in a school bathroom after the students began insulting each others mothers and the exchange escalated. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]The Pakistanis allegedly grabbed the victim, 15, removed his turban, and cut his hair. The Sikh faith requires followers not to cut hair. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]Umair Ahmed, 17, and another unnamed Pakistani boy of 15 were arrested by the NYPD and face charges of unlawful imprisonment, coercion, menacing and aggravated harassment. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]The name of the victim was not released. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]Another student who provided the scissors but didn't take part in the attack at Newton HS was also arrested. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]One report attributed to police chief Raymond Kelly said the Sikh boy had tried to apologize for the altercation but Umair would only settle for a cutting his hair. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]A Department of Education spokeswoman told the New York Sun that the incident was ''horrifying'' and said the school will offer counselling to the victim. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]The Sikh rights group United Sikhs, which is active in monitoring hate crime against Sikhs, did not return calls seeking comment. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]According to the rights group Sikh Coalition, the police said the Sikh student was 'cowering in the corner' as his hair was forcibly cut. The boy's hair, which used to be below his waist, is now at shoulder level. The boy's mother and the boy are both very distressed, the Coalition said in a statement. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]However, the Coalition commended the Hate Crimes Taskforce of the New York City Police Department for its prompt investigation of this matter. It is working with its community partners in New York City to determine an appropriate response to this horrible incident, the Coalition said. It will also independently review why Queens County prosecutors declined to prosecute two other students who were arrested as a result of the incident, the statement said. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]New York City has a large sub-continental population (in the region of 250,000), including many Sikhs. Indians and Pakistanis typically share a cordial and even warm relationship, particularly those who speak a common Punjabi language, and there has rarely been any tension between the two communities. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]However, the incident also serves to underscore the increasingly negative and extremist image of Pakistani youth in the west, much to the dismay of the liberal and professional Pakistani class. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]Earlier this week, a Pakistani sophomore student at the University of Texas in Dallas was convicted of a weapons charge after prosecutors said he took part in military training for jihad. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, Serif]There have been several such cases in the US where young Pakistanis have been prosecuted for jihadist activity, even as the government of Pakistan has exerted itself to send students abroad in an effort to remain globally engaged and competitive.[/FONT]

THANKZ AND REGARDS
GITIKA KAUR KHALSA


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## Arvind (Jun 21, 2007)

As the news report said - According to local news reports, the assault took place in a school bathroom after the students began insulting each others mothers and the exchange escalated.

In my eyes, both are at fault equally.


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## Neet84 (Jun 21, 2007)

How can mutual insults be equated to; 
i) Destorying God's gift without consent
ii) Physical assualt 
iii) Breaking the law


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## Arvind (Jun 21, 2007)

Neet ji,

I am not defending Umair. My first question is - who gave the right to the sikh boy to insult other person's mother (emotional assault!) ? who started the altercation? Who provoked whom on what grounds? First we should have answers to these questions.

Regards, Arvind.


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## kds1980 (Jun 21, 2007)

Arvind said:


> Neet ji,
> 
> I am not defending Umair. My first question is - who gave the right to the sikh boy to insult other person's mother (emotional assault!) ? who started the altercation? Who provoked whom on what grounds? First we should have answers to these questions.
> 
> Regards, Arvind.



Dear arvind ji

boys in teens or in early twenty's do engage in these type of insults it does not mean
one should hurt religious sentiments of another.All sikh boys are not sant.By cutting the hair of the boy he has hurt the sentiments of not only boy but also of his family and his relative's. by your logic if a muslim boy insult the mother of then sikh boy it is perfectly o.k.
for sikh boy to stuff pork in the mouth of muslim boy.


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## Neet84 (Jun 21, 2007)

With all due respect; I don't think you need the details you listed.  If we all reacted violently when being "emotionally assaulted" what would the world look like?  

Look at the result of their actions- regardless of the exact wording of the insult.  Name-calling and insult throwing resulted in hurt feelings, cutting a Sikh's hair without consent results in inflicting someone to compromise their faith.


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## Neet84 (Jun 21, 2007)

kds1980

Good analogy, couldn't agree more.


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## Arvind (Jun 21, 2007)

Friends, I just expressed my opinion.

With respect to you all,
Arvind.


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## kds1980 (Jun 21, 2007)

Hurting religious sentiments of another person does not remain a persnol issue it become's the issue of the entire community..Imagine if a muslim boy stuff beef in the mouth of hindu boy or a hindu boy stuffing pork in the mouth of muslim boy.It could 
trigger mass riots in india.on the other hand insulting other's mother or sister is a reguler
which happens on daily basis.


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## Arvind (Jun 22, 2007)

kds1980 said:


> on the other hand insulting other's mother or sister is a reguler which happens on daily basis.


:}--}: What sounds regular to you is totally unacceptable.

With Regards, 
Arvind.


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## kds1980 (Jun 22, 2007)

Arvind said:


> :}--}: What sounds regular to you is totally unacceptable.
> 
> With Regards,
> Arvind.



i am not saying it is acceptable but retaliating with hurting religious feeling of other could trigger mass riots


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