Got this passed along to me from the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund... In Michigan, SALDEF is calling on authorities to investigate the recent vandalism of a Sikh congregation's place of worship as a hate crime: Sikh Gurdwara Vandalized; SALDEF Calls for Hate Crime Investigation.
The facility, which has been under construction in Sterling Heights and was not yet occupied, was defaced with graffiti that included vulgar language, racial epithets, drawings of a cross and a gun, and references to the September 11 attacks:
According to reports directly from the gurdwara management committee, the vandalism happened between the evening of Feb 5th and the morning of February 6, 2012. The graffiti included vulgar language, racial epithets, the use of what appears to be a cross, a large drawing of a gun, and references to the attacks of September 11th.I don't see how anyone could not classify this as a hate crime. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Sterling Heights Police Department. For further information, go to the SALDEF website here.
The new site of the gurdwara has been under construction and is due for completion this summer, leaving it uninhabited when the crime took place. The construction has been ongoing, and recently the exterior had been painted, with the graffiti now taking up a large area on the building’s front wall.
No witnesses have come forward yet, but anyone with information regarding this situation should please contact the Sterling Heights Police Department directly.