Our struggles are part of a greater movement for equality and dignity in America. It is the old way of fighting that we fight for ourselves; we must stand together to make progress in this country. -Valarie Kaur
With the prejudicial and sometimes violent backlash to the attacks of 9/11 still a reality of life almost 12 years later, it’s no wonder that Muslim-Americans, and groups whose members are often misidentified as being Muslim, like Sikhs, were deeply afraid of an increase in hate after it became known that the Boston Marathon bombers self-identified with Islam. Valarie Kaur, a Sikh-American interfaith activist, award-winning filmmaker and founding director of groundswell-movement.org, has been organizing against religious intolerance since 2001. Her thoughtful article, “For Sikhs and Muslims, Fear After A Terror Attack,” appeared in the Washington Post. Here, Valarie shares some of what she learned in the aftermath of 9/11, a personal loss that followed that attack, and how she sees us changed as a nation during the intervening years.
Scroll down to read the transcript. To hear the entire April 27, 2013 State of Belief Radio program, click here.
Valarie Kaur Interview: State of Belief Radio April 27, 2013
