The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has followed through on a promise made two years ago to begin tracking hate crimes targeting Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims and Arabs.

The release of a new manual (pdf) on hate crimes by the FBI includes a section that covers members of these groups.

Until now, the Uniform Crime Report did not include hate crime data for any South Asian-American community. Instead, they were just lumped in with all Asian Americans. Supporters of the change said it was long overdue, noting that hate crimes against Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims have gone up since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

 “I’ve been calling for these steps since I got to Congress because they’re important to confronting hatred and increasing public awareness about the crimes committed against often-targeted people. This is a big win for these communities, and a huge win for justice,” Rep. Ami Bera (D-California), the only Indian-American member of Congress, said.

Representative Judy Chu (D-California) said hate crimes against South Asian-Americans have increased 300% since 2001, according to India West. “These are crimes of the worst kind that make entire communities fearful,” she said, adding: “The FBI’s recent updates to the hate crimes database to include these affected groups combined with its new training guidance will improve reporting and build a bridge of trust between law enforcement and these communities.”

Sikhs have been the targets of attacks in several states. In Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a white supremacist murdered six worshipers at a Sikh temple in August 2012. Also that year, a woman shoved a Hindu man onto a New York subway track, killing him. She told police, “I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff, Steve Straehley

To Learn More:

Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines and Training Manual (Criminal Justice Information Services [CJIS] Division Uniform Crime Reporting [UCR] Program) (pdf)

FBI Adds Hindus, Sikhs to New Hate Crime Tracking Manual (Sunita Sohrabji, India West)

FBI Upgrades Latinos to their Own Category in Crime Reports (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

FBI To Start Tracking Hate Crimes Against Sikhs, Hindus and Arabs (by Jaweed Kaleem, Huffington Post)