A Hindu temple was vandalised in Ohio, the United States (US), leaving the building damaged, said several Hindu advocacy groups on Saturday. The Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadthaldham was located in the greater Cleveland locality of Ohio.
According to the groups, the incident happened on Friday afternoon when several people, including priests and devotees, were inside the temple. The windows of the temple were shattered and bricks were thrown at the temple; however, no one was injured in the incident.
"This is real now. Online hate has morphed into a real-world attack on a Hindu temple. Review the video & catch the perpetrator," Suhag Shukla, Executive Director, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a post on X. "We also call on our nation's elected leaders & government agencies to publicly and unequivocally condemn hateful rhetoric against Indian and Hindu American communities."
'Incident of Hinduphobia'
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) has described the attack as "fresh incident of Hinduphobia", urging the police to take appropriate action in the matter and requesting Richmond Heights Mayor Kim Thomas to condemn "such bigotry".
"This comes as Hindus in Ohio begin celebrating Hindu Heritage Month and honor the Divine Feminine through Navratri in less than 10 days," the CoHNA said on X.
Attacks on Hindu temples across US
Several such incidents had taken place across the US last year, which were Indian-American Congressman Suhas Subramanyam condemning them and saying people in the US deserve the right to safely practice their faith without fear. He had underscored the need to continue fighting for increased resources for security at places of worship such as the temples that were attacked.
“Hate has no place in our communities, and that's why I condemn the recent hateful attacks on Hindu temples and mandirs all across the country,” Subramanyam, the Democratic Congressman, had said. “We must be committed to doing more to combat the rise in hate that we're experiencing in the United States and ensure that our communities are protected. So I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do that.”
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