Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

I write to the athlete who directed an unsolicited slur at me outside the parking garage last Tuesday afternoon (3/5). You were warming up in uniform along with your peers around 3:30 and tastelessly exclaimed “Bin Laden!” when you saw me ascending the stairs.

The sight of my turban probably impelled you to audibly equate me with our modern-day Hitler, and you were obviously unaware that most people who continue to wear turbans outside their homeland are Sikhs.

In fact, we are monotheists from India whose entire religion can be reduced to a holy trinity of divine remembrance, honest work, and selfless charity.

As an athlete who strives to achieve self-discipline by balancing intense physical training with equally rigorous academic obligations, you are held to a higher standard than most people. Courage, strength, and good sportsmanship elevate an athlete to the rank of full-fledged statesman.

Indeed, you are a torchbearer for our University, and a potential role model for thousands of football fans.

I wish you much luck in your endeavors. And I want you to know that your unforgettably hurtful comment thoroughly ruined my day.

Godspeed,

Raj Singh