Nine Members of Mormon Family Killed in Mexico

Monday, November 4 nine members of an American-Mexican Mormon family were killed in an ambush by cartel members. The family is part of La Mora a branch of Mormons living in Sonora, Mexico (Gonzalez & Rodriguez, 2019). The family was related to the notable LeBron family, known for its anti-crime activism in the area. There has been a small Morman ranching community living in the area for over 40 years (Gonzalez & Rodriguez, 2019).

La Mora is part of the descendants of Mormon settlers who fled into this area to avoid persecution in the United States for their polygamy during the 1800s (Parke, 2019). However after the church officially abandoned the practice in 1890 some continued it and were consequently excommunicated. The LDS church posted their condolences here: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-statement-mexico-tragedy-2019 but did not recognize the victims as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This story is an example of the impact of religious persecution in American history. Over one hundred years later there still remain small communities of Mormon, or related groups, living where they could settle. Some these areas as can be seen are dangerous. Persecution can cause these religions to spread to unexpected places. Had these groups not been excommunicated by the official Mormon church in the early 20th century, there most likely would be none now living in Mexico.

This story is also an example of the variety of religious movement located around the U.S.-Mexico border. Mormons, Catholics, Indigenous beliefs, and even Muslims all live in and around the border of these two countries. Events on either side end up impacting communities on both.

References

Gonzalez, Daniel and Rodriguez, Adrianna. (November 5, 2019). Suspected drug cartel gunmen kill nine members of a family in ambush in Mexico. USA Today. Retrieved November 6, 2019 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/11/05/mormon-family-killed-by-mexican-drug-cartel/4162955002/.

Parke, Caleb. (November 5, 2019). La Mora, the Mormon offshoot community caught up in Mexico’s brutal drug cartel war. Foxnews. Retrieved November 6, 2019 from https://www.foxnews.com/world/la-mora-mormon-offshoot-mexico-drug-cartel-war.

Death of Prominent Sikh Man

A prominent Sikh police officer from Houston, Texas was murdered Friday, September 27 during a traffic stop (Kaur & Yan, 2019). Officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was the first Sikh member of the Houston Police Department (Kaur & Yan, 2019), a testament to the growing religious diversity in America today. He also fought for a change in the Department’s policy and was allowed to wear his turban and beard, something that all Sikhs are required to wear.

Dhaliwal was a popular deputy on the force, famous for his humor and humanitarian efforts. At the time of his death he was apparently planning on starting up an emergency fund for first responders (Kaur & Yan, 2019). He also helped to coordinate disaster relief after both Hurricane Harvey and Maria, traveling to Puerto Rico to do so. (Kaur & Yan, 2019). Sikh both in Houston and nationwide as well as the public at large have poured out their support. Over $400,000 was raised for the man’s family (Kaur & Yan, 2019). Dhaliwal’s funeral will include Sikh prayers and religious services as well as a large parade from the Houston P.D.

Sikhism, as the article points out, is “the world’s fifth most popular religion, preaches equality and service to others,” (2019). A religion from India, a man like Dhaliwal is an example of the growing prominence of Indian-Americans, which includes the growing prominence of their religions. According to the Pew Research Center, while Christianity declined between 2007 and 2014, non-Christian religions, including Hinduism and others increased by over 1% (2015). While still a smaller increase than that of non-religious groups, it is still an increase and people like Deputy Dhaliwal only give these religious groups’ more prominence in the public eye.

References

(May 12, 2015). America’s Changing Religious Landscape. Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 30, 2019 from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.

Kaur, Harmeet and Yan, Holly. (September 30, 2019). Houstonians honor a Sikh deputy killed in the line of duty by spreading his legacy of philanthropy. CNN.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019 from https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/30/us/texas-sikh-deputy-killed-monday/index.html.