We are ‘resilient’: Charlotte Sikh faith center stays open despite recent vandalism.
In 2002, when Ajay Partap Singh moved to Charlotte, he and other Sikhs gathered in their homes for services because they had no other place to worship.
And when a Gurdwara opened in 2003 in north Charlotte, it was a proud moment for the local Sikh community, he said. Nearly two decades later, with a growing Sikh population the Gurdwara Sahib Khalsa Darbar opened on East Arrowood Road.
Families now had another place to worship in a space that also doubled as a community center, Ajay Singh said.
But a recent string of vandalism acts at the Gurdwara in south Charlotte has members concerned for their safety. Sikh community leaders say they want a more thorough investigation from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
“It’s shocking for us to experience things like this,” Ajay Singh said. “We’re a small community in Charlotte and these are the only two places for us to gather.”
Sikhism is the fifth largest religion, with more than 25 million people around the world practicing, according to the Sikh Coalition. Across North Carolina, there are roughly 6,900 Sikhs out of 10.5 million residents, according to the 2021 American Community Survey.
Vandalism at the south Charlotte Sikh house of worship started last fall with trash being thrown around the area, Ajay Singh said. Another time, members discovered the security cameras were damaged. On Jan. 3, a window near the worship room was destroyed. Two days later, a window was broken near a room for children, he said.
Guadwara members filed a police report after the January incidents, he added.
When asked, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said there were no police reports between Dec. 1 and Jan. 13 at the Gurdwara on East Arrowood Road. Police did not respond to a Charlotte Observer inquiry on whether there was an active investigation there.
A GoFundMe page has raised over $29,000 to help cover the cost of the repairs and install a safety fence.
“We really need law enforcement to step up,” Pawanjit Singh, a member of the Gurdwara, said. “They need to find who is doing this and why they are doing this.”
Singh is a last name adopted by male Sikhs, according to the Sikh Coalition.
The community does not know the motive or who is committing the acts, Pawanjit Singh said. No one was present at the Gurdwara when the acts occurred. There has not been another major incident since Jan. 5.
The muted response from police could be for a variety of reasons, Pawanjit Singh said. Police may not prioritize it due to dealing with a multitude of other crimes or a lack of funding, he said.
It could also be a lack of education on Sikhs, Pawanjit Singh said.
“90 percent of police officers probably do not know who Sikhs are,” he said. “When they don’t know they can’t relate to what an act of vandalism at a Sikh temple means.”
The federal government did begin to track hate crimes against Sikhs until 2013, according to the Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group. This was only a year after a mass shooting happened at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin Gurdwara, where six were killed and four more were injured. A seventh person died from his wounds in 2020, the New York Times reported.
“These recent acts bring back the memories of how the community has suffered over the years,” he said.
‘We’ve always been resilient.’
Last Sunday, hymns sung in Punjabi could be heard throughout the Gurdwara in south Charlotte. Men, women and children gathered for the service and for the feeling of community. At the end of Sunday’s service, one young newcomer introduced himself saying it was his first time visiting.
Despite the acts of vandalism, it was important Sikhs in south Charlotte still had a gathering space, Rajdeep Singh, a Gurdwara board member said.
“There’s all kinds of emotions when these things happen,” Rajdeep Singh said. “We’ve always been resilient.”
The house of worship also serves as a Gurmat, a faith school, attended by more than 40 kids, he said. The school teaches Pubjabi, history and hosts leadership classes. In addition to the Sunday services, there are monthly youth led services. This center is the heart of the Sikh community in south Charlotte and has helped attract Sikhs to the city, Rajdeep Singh said.
“What we have seen is more people moving here because we have these services,” he said.
A lot of the local Sikh community includes immigrants, according to Jaspal Singh, another Gurdwara member. For them, the house of worship creates a cultural and spiritual togetherness with others, he said.
“In an era where we recognize how important community is for one’s mental health and spiritual health — this is the kind of place we need,” Jaspal Singh said.
The Gurdwara in north Charlotte has had similar acts of vandalism after opening in 2003, before a barricade was erected around it, he said. This was challenging because the Sikh religion is about openness, he said.
“The Gurdwara is an open area where people of all faith, backgrounds and social strata are welcomed,” Jaspal Singh said. “It’s almost counter-messaging that for security reasons we have to make it less open.”
Following Sunday’s service everyone gathered to enjoy the langar — a vegetarian community meal — served at the Gurdwara and open to all.
This continued openness follows the Sikh faith, Ajay Singh said. It’s why he would like to meet whoever the assailants are, he added.
Not to be punitive, he said, but to invite them to the Gurdwara and show what it means to the Sikh community in Charlotte.
This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
