An Arizona man is being remembered as the first person to die in post-9/11 bias attacks, which began after hijackers crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot and killed at a gas station in Phoenix by a man seeking to avenge the 9/11 attacks. Sodhi, a Sikh business entrepreneur from Mesa, was helping plant a flower bed at the time. His killer mistook him for an Arab Muslim because he wore a turban and beard. Sodhi was remembered this week in a memorial service marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Faith leaders say the terror attacks released a dangerous wave of white supremacy and Islamophobia. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, hate crimes against U.S. Muslims spiked and have remained high ever since.
AZ Entrepreneur Remembered As First Post-9/11 Bias Attack Victim
AP