There, wedged among reports of the carnage in New York and Washington and the search for suspects, was a photo of a man with a long, black beard and a neatly wrapped turban being led from a train station in handcuffs. Providence, R.I., police had caught him on a train with a knife.

Dr. Singh knew right away the man was a fellow Sikh, and the knife was his kirpan, a small ceremonial dagger carried as a reminder of their duty to defend the weak.

Sher J.B. Singh, a Virginia man, was held for six hours, charged with a misdemeanor and released. Although authorities said he had no connection to the terror attacks, the message to Dr. Singh and other Sikhs was clear: You look like terrorist Osama bin Laden, so watch out.

''Basically, he was singled out,'' Dr. Singh said.

In many ways, Americans' treatment of minorities during international turmoil can be seen as a measurement of how tolerant and open-minded this so-called melting pot really is.

America has come a long way since the government rounded up Japanese-Americans into holding camps during World War II, but the phenomenon of citizens lashing out at those with roots in the nations they fight has been here from the start and might never go away, sociologists say.

German businesses were bombed at the outbreak of World War I. Iranians were cursed, beaten and even deported during the hostage crisis of 1980. Mosques were vandalized soon after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, which turned out to be the work of a white Persian Gulf War veteran rather than an Arab terrorist.

Kirpans are small knives or swords carried by Sikhs as a reminder of their duty to defend the weak. After last week's terrorist attacks, police in Providence, R.I., arrested a Sikh carrying such a knife. At left, ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

In the current crisis, which the government is steadily linking to hijackers of Arab origin and the Saudi-born Mr. bin Laden, it seems some people are out to get anyone who looks like a Middle Easterner or a Muslim.

E.M. Beck, head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia, said such misdirected acts are born out of fear and frustration.

''For years, media has sort of associated two words together: Muslim and terrorist,'' Mr. Beck said. ''They become directly linked, and it's going to be hard for people to dislink them.''

Road rage

For that reason, Naeema Kaleem, a 29-year-old physician's wife from Martinez, had been avoiding trips to the grocery store since Tuesday. She found out her fear was justified Friday afternoon while driving along Old Petersburg Road to pick up her 4-year-old son from day care.

Mrs. Kaleem, who was born in Pakistan and has lived in the United States for 12 years, said two teen-agers in a Jeep started tailing her. She tried to let them pass, but they pulled into her path and blocked her.

She said she backed up and drove around them, and the Jeep followed her. The boys made gun gestures with their fingers, aiming imaginary pistols at her. She said they called her names, and said, ''Go back to your country, wherever you came from.''

''I didn't know if they had a gun or something,'' Mrs. Kaleem said. ''I had my 8-month-old son in the back. I was just scared.''

They eventually turned and left her alone. She believes they harassed her because she was wearing her hijab, a head cover worn as part of the Islamic faith.

Dr. Harinderjit Singh, an Augusta eye surgeon, says Sikhs are in danger of being the victims of hate crimes because of their appearance and customs. ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

''I love America more than my (native) country,'' she said. ''I'm as American as they are. A hijab doesn't make a difference.''

People who carry out hate attacks usually are the economically powerless - those who have little education, who struggle to get by and have little chance of improving their lives, said William Reese, a sociology and criminal justice professor at Augusta State University.

But when terrorists topple major landmarks and destroy part of the nation's military headquarters, it's bound to make masses of people feel powerless, and more will be prone to such base behavior, he said.

To some, persecuting foreigners, or those they think are foreigners, is as symbolic as the destruction of the twin towers, Dr. Reese said.

''Unless you're a native American, everyone here came from somewhere else,'' he said. ''We tend to forget that.''

Ignorance and anger

A traffic incident also unnerved Madanjit Singh, a Sikh who has lived in this country for 30 years and works at Savannah River Site. He said a driver tailing him on Evans to Locks Road sped toward him as though he were going to strike him, then braked at the last minute.

Of course, Mr. Singh can't be sure it was hate-motivated, but because he was wearing a turban he can't help but wonder.

Sikhism originated from elements of Islam and Hindu but stands apart from both. The 500-year-old religion, the world's fifth largest, originated in India, so most of its members aren't Arabs.

But they often have dark skin, and their religion calls for them to wear head covers and not to trim hair or beards. They typically have Singh somewhere in their name. About 45 to 50 Sikh families live in the Augusta area, said Dr. Singh, the eye surgeon.

What to do What to do if you are the victim of a hate crime: Report the crime to police immediately. Document the incident. Write down exactly what was said or done. Take photographs if needed. Act quickly. Decide on the appropriate action to be taken. Consider issuing a statement from community leaders or starting a letter-writing campaign. Stay on top of the situation. Announce results to the same people and organization originally contacted. Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations Web site

Since Tuesday, dozens of attacks against Sikhs have been reported, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest, none in Augusta. Churches have been set on fire, an elderly man was attacked with a bat, and members have been shot with paint-ball guns.

Muslims and Arab-Americans have fared far worse. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has logged more than 200 incidents since Tuesday. A man nearly ran over a Pakistani woman in a parking lot. A crowd chanting ''USA! USA!'' tried to march on a mosque. A Moroccan gas station attendant was attacked with a machete.

In Augusta, someone spray-painted profanity directed at Mr. bin Laden on a sign outside the Islamic Society of Augusta's mosque in Martinez the night after the attacks. The next day, a man called in a bomb threat to a hotel on 15th Street owned by Indians, whom he insisted were Muslim.

Suffering twofold

Islamic Society President Shariq Hashmi said the majority of his neighbors have been kind. Still, he hired a Richmond County sheriff's deputy to park outside the mosque during Friday prayers.

Earlier that afternoon, a man pulled up by the front door and handed a copy of a Miami Herald editorial penned by Leonard Pitts Jr., which was directed at the terrorists.

''Give this to your pastor. This is what we're going to do to you,'' the man said, according to Mr. Hashmi.

Mahsoub Elnaggar, the Islamic society's imam, or minister, talked about harmony and living in peace during his lesson Friday. That evening, a member told children they don't have to be ashamed of what happened in New York and Washington just because they are Muslim.

Like all Americans, the Muslim community is reeling from those horrific events, Mr. Hashmi said.

''Above all this, we are also suffering from the hatred and stereotyping from people,'' he said. ''We are suffering from both sides.''

Islamic leaders fear attacks will grow worse in the coming weeks, as authorities zero in on the perpetrators and the death toll grows. Politicians are telling the country to brace for a long, dirty conflict.

How far has America come in racial tolerance?

Dr. Reese said people will know the answer to that in a week or two. He suspects the public hasn't seen anything yet.

Associated Press reports were used in this article.

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.