Religious Hate Crimes On the Rise: Gurdwara, Mosque Attacked in US

A Gurdwara in Los Angeles and a mosque in Philadelphia are the latest targets of religious hate crimes.

Religious hate crimes appear to have become a fad. (Photo: iStock)

Hate crimes are on the rise in the US, with two religious institutions being the latest targets. The attack on a Gurdwara in Los Angeles, California, and on a mosque in Philadelphia have come just a week after the San Bernardino shooting and a short month since the terrorising Paris attacks.

In Los Angeles, Sikh leaders called for an investigation after anti-ISIS graffiti was sprayed across the walls of a gurdwara. 

We believe that the Gurdwara Singh Sabha was vandalised because it is a Sikh house of worship. We call on local and federal agencies to investigate this vandalism as a hate crime and request increased law enforcement security at the gurdwara immediately.

Gurjot Kaur, Sikh Coalition Senior Staff Attorney

The truck of a Sikh community member was also vandalised, with “F*** ISIS” and other gang references sprayed on it and the Gurdwara.

Buena Park Police said they were investigating the incident that reportedly happened between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

We are concerned about the safety and security of our community members. We are of the opinion that this is a hate crime and that this is a direct result of a possible backlash from the San Bernardino killings.

Satnam Singh Chahal, Executive Director, NAPA

Crimes against Sikhs have been erupting in spurts since 9/11. In September, a Sikh man was thrashed after being called “Bin Laden”.

In another incident, a severed pig’s head was found outside a Philadelphia mosque early Monday. The caretaker of the Al Aqsa Islamic Society found the pig’s head near the front door around 6 am Monday.

Officials have released footage from a CCTV camera showing the severed head being thrown from a car window. A red pickup truck is seen slowing down in front of the mosque on Sunday night before circling the block. An object can then be seen coming from the passenger window.

It’s worse now than it was after 9/11, which is really frightening.

Marwan Kreidie, Head of Philadelphia-based Arab American Development Corp.

The mosque’s longtime caretaker, Nabil Ibrahim Khalil, said someone left a voicemail message calling Allah “a piece of pork s---” one day after the Paris attacks, according to the New York Daily News. The unidentifed caller’s number was handed over to authorities. Investigations to find the culprits are underway.