OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN, August 10, 2012 (yahoo.com): Hundreds of people streamed into a Wisconsin high school Friday to pay their final respects to six worshippers gunned down by a white supremacist at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee. Somber, tearful mourners, most wearing scarves on their heads in the Sikh tradition, greeted victims’ family members with hugs at the Oak Creek High School gymnasium. Six open caskets were arranged inside the gymnasium, with flowers adorning the bodies. A large video screen flashed photos of those killed and injured. Mourners took their seats as Sikh singers sang hymns in Punjabi, an Indian dialect. One of the singers paused to translate some lyrics into English. “Dear God, you have given me this body and this soul. This body is doing whatever you want me to do. You take this soul, this is your soul,” he said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addressed the crowd, telling mourners the Sikh community has shown others that the best way to respond to hate is with love.
US Attorney General Eric Holder, US Rep. Paul Ryan (just chosen as Romney’s running mate for the upcoming presidential elections) and other dignitaries also addressed the gathering.
After the service, mourners planned to return to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin where the six died and three others were critically wounded Sunday morning. There, priests will read the Sikh holy book from cover to cover in a traditional rite honoring the dead called “Akhand Path.” That process takes 48 hours. The members have been repairing and repainting the temple, leaving a single bullet hole in a door jam as a memorial to the shooting victims.