As worshippers arrived Sunday morning at a Hindu temple in Bothell, Washington state, they were welcomed by a graffiti on the wall. It said “Get out”, with a Swastika sign.
Just a few blocks from the temple was another graffiti — this one on a school wall. And it said, “Muslims Get Out.” It was accompanied by the same Swastika sign.
The neighbourhood was both shocked and disgusted by what many residents told local news outfits was a clear attempt to divide the community along religious lines.
Local police police are investigating.
The Swastika is an auspicious sign in Hinduism; it also associated with Nazis in the West, and their sympathisers including white supremacists in the US.
Though the Jewish community remains the target of most religion-related hate crimes in the US, incidents against Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims have been rising in recent years.
Three Muslims students were killed last week in North Carolina by a man. The police maintain it was over a parking dispute but the FBI is looking into the possibility of it being a hate-crime.
A mosque in Houston, Texas, was destroyed in a fire last week, on February 13, that was described by the local police as a “purposeful act”. There were no reports of arrests.
{{/usCountry}}A mosque in Houston, Texas, was destroyed in a fire last week, on February 13, that was described by the local police as a “purposeful act”. There were no reports of arrests.
{{/usCountry}}A string of hateful graffiti were seen last year in a Virginia state neighbourhood that simply said “No Hindus”. Nobody has been caught yet, despite the announcement of a reward.
“Houses of worship are places where people should be able to be safe, at peace, and inspired to serve others,” said Padma Kuppa, of the Hindu American Foundation.
“Instead, the vandalism of the Hindu temple in Seattle and the arson of a mosque in Houston this past weekend incite fear and result in distrust among communities.”
An Islamic school was vandalised in Rhode Islands Saturday night, with graffiti that said “… Now this is hate crime”. The FBI has opened an investigation into it.