In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Muslims and Arabs in the US faced intense discrimination and harassment due to perceived connections to the attacks. While Arabs and Muslims were the focus, Sikhs, Somalis, and other people perceived to have Middle Eastern ancestry or connections were also targeted. They experienced slurs and violence from other members of the public including demands to remove hijabs or turbans, housing and employment discrimination, and physical attacks.

This image shows "Jathedar" Sidhu, who fled religious persecution in his native India and moved to the US in 1995. He used an alias for his first name because of potential retaliation by the Indian government. As a baptized Sikh man, Sidhu wore a turban and did not cut his facial hair. Sidhu was interviewed about his experiences and said he told his son to avoid going out in public and his wife not to answer knocks on their door, spoke about the unprovoked murder of a Sikh gas station owner, and about being confronted by a customer at his Post Office job. However, Sidhu also affirmed his gratitude and affection for the US, saying, "I still love America more than India. They saved my life. Not everybody is bad here. Some people, they are racists... They were bad before. They are bad now." This photo was taken for a Seattle Post-Intelligencer series about discrimination and harassment since 9/11, published on the one year anniversary of the attacks.

Caption information source: "Proud Sikh can't forget the backlash," as told to Vanessa Ho, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 11, 2002, page A13.