A Hindu temple in the Greater Seattle area of Washington State has been vandalised on the eve of Mahashivratri, with its walls spray painted with a swastika sign and the words “Get Out” scrawled in large letters.
Temple functionaries discovered the graffiti on the outer wall of the shrine as they assembled on Sunday morning for the usual weekend rush of devotees and preparations for the Mahashivratri festival.
No individual has been arrested or any group identified so far for the act of hatred, which is being investigated by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department as a case of “malicious harassment”.
“Somebody did that because they are upset, offended or maybe they don’t like this big temple,” said Nitya Niranjan, chairman of the Hindu Temple Cultural Centre, Bothell, Washington State. “It’s amazing that someone would use our own (swastika) symbol in reverse and put something like that out like this is their country. I thought we were living in America.” The temple authorities said they were expecting close to a thousand devotees for the Shivaratri celebrations.
The vandal(s) apparently carried their hate-filled graffiti to a nearby school, this time targeting Muslims, local media reports said. The wall of the Skyview Junior High School that takes pride in honouring “diversity and inclusivity” was smeared with the slogan: “Muslims Be Gone”.
“These offensive messages do not reflect the values or culture of our school district or greater Bothell community. District crews are working quickly to remove the vandalism, and the Bothell Police Department is investigating,” the Northshore School District authorities said in a statement.
A popular shrine that caters to the large Indian population in and around Seattle that is home to top tech firms like Microsoft and Amazon, the Hindu temple held a major consecration ceremony last May.
Even as police investigations continue, Snohomish County executive John lovick sought to reassure a large group of devotees at the temple on Monday night, saying, “Snohomish County is not only a safe community, but it is also a welcoming community. You are so welcome in this community.” “I’m telling you now that we’re going to do everything we can to try and find the person who did this and bring them to justice,” said lovick.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) issued a strong condemnation. “The timing of this crime, occurring before a major Hindu festival, warrants special attention from law enforcement,” said Jay Kansara, HAF’s Director of Government Relations.
“We are encouraged by the ongoing thorough investigation of the Bothell City Police Department. HAF will continue to engage through the local community with city, state, and federal officials until the perpetrator is brought to justice,” Kansara said. HAF has been concerned over the rise of incidents of anti-Hindu vandalism. last August, a ‘murti’ of Shiva at the Vishwa Bhavan Hindu Mandir in Georgia state was desecrated with black paint. There have been incidents of similar vandalism in loudon County in Virginia.