Hate crime arrest in NY attack on Sikh professor
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
A man accused of pulling the beard of a Sikh professor before a group of young men who had called the professor "Osama" and a "terrorist" attacked him, has been arrested and charged with a hate crime, police said Saturday.
Christian Morales, 20, was charged with aggravated harassment in connection with September's attack on Columbia University professor Prabhjot Singh, who suffered a broken jaw.
Singh, 31, was walking home with a friend in upper Manhattan when he was approached by a group of 12 to 15 young men, he said days after his attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"I heard, `Get him. Osama.' I heard `terrorist.' And I felt somebody grab my beard," Singh said then.
He was then kicked and punched in an attack that ended after other people intervened, police said.
Singh didn't return a message seeking comment Saturday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Morales was in custody and was unavailable for comment. A phone number for him was out of service, and it was unclear if he had an attorney.
Detectives from the hate crimes task force are investigating the case.
Sikhism is a peace-loving religion that originated in India and preaches equality and a commitment to justice. Its practitioners have been targeted by attackers who in some cases confuse Sikhism and Islam because Sikh men and boys are required to wear turbans and beards.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Singh co-authored a 2012 op-ed in The New York Times accusing the federal government of failing to accurately measure the extent of anti-Sikh violence in response to the August 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee that left six people and the white supremacist gunman dead.
In the op-ed, Singh and his co-author argued that it is wrong "to assume that every attack against a Sikh is really meant for a Muslim." They said Sikhs have historically been targeted.