<p>"While some of the extreme violence against South Asians, Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs occurred immediately after 9/11, we come together here to share the way that post-9/11 policies have created an atmosphere of fear for many community members," said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of South Asian Network at a hearing in Artesia, California, over the weekend.<br /><br />"Daily tasks taken for granted, like a young girl walking home from school or a taxi driver taking a customer around town, became difficult then and still remain difficult. Now, add in today's growing anti-immigrant sentiment. We need to meet at this historic moment and remind ourselves what we can do," Kulkarni said at the hearing co-sponsored by South Asian Americans Leading Together and State of California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.<br /><br />"I was held at gun point and called a 'bloody f*ing Arab' and a 'Stupid Muslim' in my own Los Angeles grocery store," says Mujibar Badal, a community member who experienced a hate crime in November 2001.<br /><br />"I could not walk back into that store for a year and even now, ten years later, I still have trouble sleeping at night," he added.<br /><br />Speaking on the occasion, Congresswoman Judy Chu stressed on the need to continue to speak out about the discrimination faced by South Asian Americans and other Americans since 9/11.<br /><br />"We must make sure that it does not go unnoticed and build larger coalitions of people who will stand up when racial and religious profiling happens," she said.<br /><br />"As we approach the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, it is important for us as a community and nation to recommit ourselves to the fundamental American value of Justice for All," said California Assembly member Mike Eng.<br /><br />"Nearly a decade has passed since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but many South Asians are still living with the lingering effects of racism and anti-Islamic fervor," he said.</p>
<p>"While some of the extreme violence against South Asians, Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs occurred immediately after 9/11, we come together here to share the way that post-9/11 policies have created an atmosphere of fear for many community members," said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of South Asian Network at a hearing in Artesia, California, over the weekend.<br /><br />"Daily tasks taken for granted, like a young girl walking home from school or a taxi driver taking a customer around town, became difficult then and still remain difficult. Now, add in today's growing anti-immigrant sentiment. We need to meet at this historic moment and remind ourselves what we can do," Kulkarni said at the hearing co-sponsored by South Asian Americans Leading Together and State of California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.<br /><br />"I was held at gun point and called a 'bloody f*ing Arab' and a 'Stupid Muslim' in my own Los Angeles grocery store," says Mujibar Badal, a community member who experienced a hate crime in November 2001.<br /><br />"I could not walk back into that store for a year and even now, ten years later, I still have trouble sleeping at night," he added.<br /><br />Speaking on the occasion, Congresswoman Judy Chu stressed on the need to continue to speak out about the discrimination faced by South Asian Americans and other Americans since 9/11.<br /><br />"We must make sure that it does not go unnoticed and build larger coalitions of people who will stand up when racial and religious profiling happens," she said.<br /><br />"As we approach the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, it is important for us as a community and nation to recommit ourselves to the fundamental American value of Justice for All," said California Assembly member Mike Eng.<br /><br />"Nearly a decade has passed since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but many South Asians are still living with the lingering effects of racism and anti-Islamic fervor," he said.</p>