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Mandeep Kaur
Professor Melton
English 5
May 1, 2016
Hate Crimes
Terrorist, the assailant said. Go back to your country, Bin Laden! he continued
saying, as he repeatedly punched Inderjit Singhs face. It began when Inderjit Singh was on his
way to the grocery store. A car behind him, driven by a Caucasian man, was causing him trouble
so he decided to pull to the side and let the man pass. Instead of passing, the man got out of his
car and used it as an opportunity to tell Inderjit, a man of the Sikh religion, to go back to his
country while physically assaulting him. Singh had done nothing wrong. He was only making a
causal trip to the grocery store. His turban and long beard caused him to be identified as
different, and to the Caucasian man, different was threatening. Singh is now a hate crime victim
as well as a survivor. By definition, hate crime is a crime motivated by racial, sexual or other
prejudice which typically involves violence. In Inderjits case, he was attacked because of racial
and religious reasons. There are multiple reasons as to why hate crimes occur, but the foundation
of the causes is rarely known. Individuals can understand why hate crimes occur and ways they
can be prevented by analyzing events that have caused hate crimes to rise against people of
different race/ religion, why hate crimes are committed, and ways hate crimes can be prevented.
Tragic events have occurred that have increased the rates of hate crimes. These events
have created a deep hate in Americans that lead to violence. For example, September 11, 2001
was the biggest event that sparked hatred. After the twin towers fell and many people lost their
loved ones, hatred began on anyone who fit the terrorist description. According to the New

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York Times, Pre 9/11, the rate of hate crimes in a year ranged from twenty to thirty people a year.
In the same year of 9/11, hate crimes had risen to five hundred individual, post 9/11 the numbers
went to one hundred and fifty to two hundred individuals a year. It is interesting to note that
many Americans associated and still associate any Muslims and Sikhs with terrorism. They label
the whole group with the actions of just a few. Other events, such as the recent attacks in Paris
and Brussels increased the nations hatred. It has led to more people stereotyping against Sikhs
and Muslims and making them feel as if their nation is being threatened. Through further
research, we can determine what states had the most crimes and see what other races were
affected by these tragic events.
Hate crime has become a big societal problem. Many individuals tend to commit hate
crimes or make racial slurs because of their lack of knowledge. Ignorance plays the biggest roles
in hate crimes. Assailants do not know the background of the types of people they are attacking.
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, ignorance occurs because people are too
terrified of others who look different. Instead of learning about the differences and accepting
them, they look down upon them and will try their best to make the differences go away. Terror
tactics are used, which includes hate crimes. Another reason hate crimes are committed is
because the attacker grew up in an environment that was hostile, so he/she will be violent and not
trust other when they grow up. They will have a mindset that since they have been brutalized
their whole lives, it is ok to brutalize others. For example, if the assailant was raised in violent
environment, it would cause the person to grow up with a violent nature. A third reason people
commit hate crimes is because they have a low self esteem. In order to help them boost that
esteem, they commit crimes against minorities. This make them feel like they are in power and
have control in situations.

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Hate crimes can be prevented. The rate of hate crime can significantly decrease if current
generations do their part in educating the youth. The power of education goes so far. By exposing
younger kids to diversity from the time they are young, the kids will most likely be use to the
fact that the world is made up of different people. For example, if children are put into schools
that are diverse rather than schools that are more dominant in one race, the child will be exposed
to other races and religions and be friendly towards those differences because their minds are so
innocent. Also, hate crimes can be prevented through education. Instead of assuming an
individual is a terrorist just because they have a long beard or fit the stereotype of that a
terrorist is, the person who is making the assumptions should go educate themselves. Instead of
stereotyping, they could go up to the individual and ask them why they have a long beard and a
turban or they can do their own research to educate themselves on the differences. With further
research, any one is able to learn about a culture and religion, as well as how to put a stop to hate
crimes.
Hate crimes are more common that people believe. Different events have taken place in
the past that have caused many people to hate individuals who fit the terrorist stereotype. It is
evident that hate crime assailants feel a lot of emotions and there are numerous factors that have
influenced the assailant to have violent nature. Hate crimes will never completely stop because
not everyone has an open and accepting nature, but there are numerous ways an individual can
help decrease the numbers. Through more research, people can find more events that have
caused the increase in hate crimes, find more information on why a person commits hate crimes
and finally, they can research more ways on how to end hate crimes. I would continue this
research by interviewing a victim of hate crime myself so I can get a first hand source. Also I
would dig deeper on why people commit crimes.

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Works Cited
"Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Are Still Five times More Common Today than before 9/11." The
Washington Post. 01 May 2016.
Bose, Adrija. "Inderjit Singh Mukker, Chicago-Area Sikh, Allegedly Attacked And Called
Terrorist, Bin Laden." The Huffington Post, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 May 2016.
"Hate Crime." Nation Crime Prevention Council, Apr. 2015. Web. 01 May 2016.