The Chairs of the Boards of ADL’s Mountain States Region and the Colorado Muslim Society joined together in a statement extending sympathy to the Sikh community after the shootings in Wisconsin.  In a letter published in the Denver Post on August 10, 2012, ADL Regional Board Chair Andrea Shpall and Colorado Muslim Society Board Chair Khalid Hamideh wrote:

We join together to express our deepest sympathy to the Sikh community, and to express our dismay that once again a minority group has apparently been targeted because they believe or look differently from others.

We live in a community of differences — different faiths, different national origins, different races — and it is vitally important that we all learn to respect and accept each other. Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other faiths all contribute to the vitality of our nation; all of us deserve to live free of fear that we could be targeted because of our identity.

In the face of this tragedy, as well as the recent burning of a Muslim mosque in Missouri, we stand resolved to working together to foster better understanding for all. It is up to each of us to learn about our neighbors and welcome them as partners in creating a truly respectful community.