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Gurbaksh Bhangal didn't think her colleague was being mean when the co-worker asked her whether she knew the religious fanatic responsible for a recent Middle East bombing.

She was just ignorant, thought Bhangal, who is often mistaken for a Muslim because she wears a turban and scarf.

Bhangal, an international sales representative for US Airways, is a Sikh, a religion begun in India more than 500 years ago that has as much to do with Islam as Catholicism.

But two years after the 9-11 attacks by radical Islamists, Bhangal said Americans still mistake Sikhs -- who wear turbans and long beards as part of their faith -- for Muslims.

Yesterday, Bhangal and the other members of the Tri State Sikh Cultural Society in Monroeville prayed for the victims of Sept. 11 and those caught in the backlash of the attacks, such as an Indian Sikh killed in Arizona by a man who wanted revenge against Muslims.

Their hope is that people continue to educate themselves about various religions and don't paint Eastern cultures with the same broad brush.

"In Pittsburgh, it's a limited community, so people just don't know," said Bhangal. She said she and others feel the heat of wrong assumptions in the curious or sullen stares they get on the street or at the market.

As she spoke at the Sikh gurdwara, or place of worship, members sang hymns in the prayer room next door.

Giani Ji Sucha Singh, the gurdwara's spiritual leader, said, "After 9/11 clearly those targeted wore turbans. People see the turbans and they only see Osama bin Laden."

In fact, Muslims rarely wear turbans except in a few countries, such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, he said.

The Sikh religion began in 1469 and is based on the teachings of 10 gurus, enlightened spiritual leaders. The first, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founded the religion, and the last, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, died in 1708. Sikhs believe in one God who is the supreme being.

They never cut their hair or beards, which are considered gifts from God, and wear the turbans to cover the head and keep it clean.

During yesterday's service, the gurdwara bustled. Members read and sang the holy hymns in the center worship room. In the kitchen, women prepared for the langar, the congregational meal in which all the families sit on the floor for lunch after the service. Their children played nearby.

There are some 500,000 Sikhs in the United States and Canada and more than 20 million worldwide.

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