Hindus, appalled by the reports of vandalizing and desecration of Hindu temple in Louisville, are urging Kentucky Governor Matt G. Bevin to urgently visit this temple.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged Governor Bevin to visit the vandalized Shree Swaminarayan Temple Kentucky and meet the dismayed Hindu community in Louisville area to reassure them; which would be important and meaningful for the community.
Besides bolstering the morale of Hindu community of Kentucky, Governor Bevin’s visit would also fulfill his own “Vision for Kentucky”: “Protecting and Strengthening Our Communities”; Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, noted.
Rajan Zed further said that it was shocking and heartbreaking for the US Hindus to observe the hard-working, harmonious and peaceful Kentucky Hindu community receiving such signals of hatred and intimidation. Kentucky Hindus had made lot of contributions to the state, nation and society and continued to do so; Zed added.
As an interfaith gesture; Zed urged Roman Catholic Archbishop of Louisville Joseph E. Kurtz, Episcopal Bishop of Kentucky Terry Allen White and area leaders of other religions to also visit the vandalized temple to show their solidarity with the shocked Hindus.
Rajan Zed, however, thanked Bevin for his Twitter and Facebook posts on January 31, which stated: Saddened by the reprehensible and inexcusable vandalism that occurred at a Hindu temple in Louisville…In a state & nation that protect and celebrate religious liberty, this is unacceptable…Police investigators are working hard to find the perpetrators…Justice will be served.
Reports suggest that this vandalism, desecration and apparent hate crime (between Sunday night and Tuesday morning) at Shree Swaminarayan Temple Kentucky resulted in deity image sprayed with black paint, broken windows, walls spray-painted with inappropriate messages and graffiti, knife stuck in the chair, emptied cabinets, etc.; causing damage to this house of worship and sending the Hindu community in a state of anguish.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.1 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.