New Delhi (CNN) The victim of a possible hate crime in Washington state Friday would not be the first Sikh to be targeted.

Since 9/11, Sikh-American groups say members of their religion have faced discrimination and abuse because their long beards and turbans make them more visible than other minority groups.

According to the FBI, anti-Muslim hate crimes in the US surged 67% last year, to levels not seen since 2001.

Highly visible

In a statement, the Sikh Coalition, America's largest Sikh civil rights group, said that Sikhs are often targeted for hate crimes in part "due to the Sikh articles of faith, including a turban and beard, which represent the Sikh religious commitment to justice, tolerance and equality."

In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh commanded all Sikhs to wear the " Five Ks " in order to identify themselves as a member of the Khalsa Panth, an army of the devout.

Young Indian Sikhs participate in a turban tying competition in 2014.

The " Five Ks " are: Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (a steel bangle), Kanga (a wooden comb), Kaccha (cotton underwear) and Kirpan (a steel sword).

Devout Sikh men don't cut their hair or shave because they believe you must maintain your body in the way that God created you. Turbans are worn as a way to keep heads covered out of respect when in public and in religious spaces.

Sikh women often cover their heads with a long scarf called a chunni or dupatta.

Photos: American turban For Sikhs, the turban is not about culture, it's an article of faith that is mandatory for men. The turban is also a reason why Sikh men have been targeted and attacked in America, especially after 9/11. Turbans were featured in "The Sikh Project," a 2016 exhibition that celebrated the Sikh American experience. British photographers Amit and Naroop partnered with the Sikh Coalition for the show. This photo is of New York actor and designer Waris Singh Ahluwalia, who was kicked off an Aero Mexico flight in February after refusing to remove his turban at security. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: American turban Harpreet Kaur, a producer at Maryland Public Television, founded Sach Productions, a media organization that creates films focused on minority issues. She was the first Sikh reporter in Washington. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: American turban Harmandeep Singh, a high school senior in New York, arrived from India in 2014. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: American turban Ishprit Kaur's mother is a nurse and inspired her daughter to become one, too. Kaur was also drawn to the medical field because her father is battling Parkinson's disease. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: American turban Japjee Singh, like many Sikh kids, was bullied for years in suburban Atlanta schools. In 2014, the Department of Justice settled a landmark case with the DeKalb County school system that paved the way for better protection from bullying. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: American turban Maj. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi was born in India but grew up in New Jersey. He was the only Sikh child in his public school and became the first Sikh American to be granted a religious accommodation to serve in the military since a 1980s ban that prevents Sikhs from serving. Kalsi deployed to Afghanistan and now works to end religious discrimination in the military. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: American turban Retired engineer Lathan Dennis-Singh was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where he befriended reggae superstar Bob Marley. He converted to Sikhism 48 years ago at his college in Michigan and has been living in Fairfax, Virginia, for the last 30 years. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: American turban Raghuvinder Singh travels from his home in New Jersey to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, every week to see his father, Punjab Singh, who was shot in the face in the 2012 mass shooting there. Punjab Singh remains paralyzed and communicates through blinking his eyes. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: American turban Sat Hari Singh reversed the New York train he was operating on 9/11 and helped save the lives of many people. He worked with the Sikh Coalition to sue the transportation authority over a policy against turbans and won. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: American turban Musician Sonny Singh is a member of the Brooklyn Bhangra band. In his other life, he's a community organizer who leads workshops on race, religion and social justice. Hide Caption 10 of 10

Hate crime

In the first month following 9/11, the Sikh Coalition documented more than 300 cases of violence and discrimination against Sikhs in the US.

"The threat of hate and racism has become a part of our daily lives," lawyer and activist Valarie Kaur said.

In 2012 a gunman walked into a gurdwara , a Sikh place of worship, in Wisconsin and killed six people.

Sikhs have also been subject to racial profiling outside the US. Last year, designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia spoke out after he was prevented from boarding an airplane in Mexico by local security agents after he refused to remove his turban during a security screening

Ahluwalia said Aeromexico staff and security screeners told him to buy a ticket for a different carrier after he refused to remove his turban.

"I was upset, I had anxiety, I was shaking, I did not speak. And then I realized, clearly, they have not been trained properly. I knew yelling will not do anything. It is about education and the policy," Ahluwalia told CNN at the time.

JUST WATCHED Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia: 'This is about education' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia: 'This is about education' 05:05

Climate of fear

While the White House condemned the recent shooting of two Indian men as "an act of racially motivated hatred," some commentators have blamed Trump for not doing enough.

48 hours since hate-shooting of Sikh man.

Leaders from around the world have spoken.

Where you at, @realDonaldTrump?https://t.co/za4yHS8rip — Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) March 6, 2017

During his first address to Congress last week, Trump said the violence was a reminder that "while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its very ugly forms."

But it's not enough for some.

"A few words of condemnation cannot erase months of President Trump's own divisive rhetoric and his administration's policies targeting and stigmatizing the very communities most vulnerable to hate violence," civil rights lawyer Deepa Iyer wrote last week for CNN Opinion

Sikh-American leaders have called on the President to address the attack in Washington, while others have warned that his words may lead to violence.

"What (Trump) says goes short of being defined as hate, but in the hearts and minds of the lay person is translated as hate," Mejindarpal Kaur, international legal director of global advocacy organization United Sikhs, told CNN.

"They've targeted their hate toward anyone who looks Middle Eastern."