Australia: Khalistani extremists desecrate Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple

Case ID : d88290e | Location : Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Date of Incident : Fri, 3 March, 2023

Case ID : d88290e

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

3 March, 2023

Australia: Khalistani extremists desecrate Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Attack on Temples

Case Summary

Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane’s Burbank suburb was vandalised with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti defacing its walls. The vandalism was carried out by pro-Khalistani supporters. The miscreants wrote anti-Hindu, anti-India and pro-Khalistani slogans on the walls near the temple during the vandalization. This is the fourth such incident involving a Hindu temple in Australia in the last two months.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, the Khalistani perpetrators desecrated a Hindu temple with anti-Hindu, anti-India slogans. While it can be said that since the slogans were against the country in particular, the crime should not be documented in the Hindu hate tracker. However, the truth remains that the attack on Hindu temples is in itself reflective of the hostility Khalistani separatists nurture against Hindus. It is pertinent to note that Khalistani separatists harboured specific animosity towards Hindus and their faith and also view India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of their demands for a separate country carved out of India is that India is a Hindu collectivity and the Sikh religious identity is separate from it, much like Islam. Therefore, by the Khalistanis, anti-India slogans are also a manifestation of anti-Hindu sentiments of the Khalistanis and therefore, constitutes a hate crime.