IndiaPost.com - Official's offensive remarks rile Detroit Hindus

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: An embarrassingly derogatory remark against Hindu women by a Canton Township, Detroit official has angered many among Hindu Americans, especially the Indian community in Detroit.

Catherine Johnson, a 71-year old planning commissioner in Canton Township has now offered to resign after she asked at a public forum whether Hindu women urinate in public as part of any Hindu religious ritual. Her shocking and grossly ignorant remark, she claimed, was prompted by neighbors around the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS Temple) told her that during the Temple's groundbreaking ceremony in 2000, several women attending the ceremonies were seen urinating behind the Temple, and so wanted to know if it was some sort of ritual.

According to The Detroit News, Johnson, who has served as a member for 27 years on the panel, said she's quitting because Supervisor Thomas Yack asked her to -- not because she said anything wrong. "It was a valid question. It was something that a few citizens contacted me at home about," she said. "I try to ask questions about what citizens in the community would want to know." The appalled Indian community said the question was an unfair characterization of their culture and a lie, and said the remark underscored stereotypes about cleanliness in India.

"There is no ritual like that. Our religion says we are not supposed to urinate or spit in public. It desecrates other people's property just like in any other religion," The Detroit News quoted Mukesh Patel, 56, an active member of BAPS Temple. "It's a misconception and it's offensive." The story begins with the Hindu Temple of Canton approaching the Township with plans for a $5 million expansion, which involved bringing down the existing structure which looks like any other office building in the neighborhood, and constructing a new one designed in traditional temple architecture. Plans envisage an ornate, 35,000-square-foot, double-domed structure with 25-ft walls, to be built deeper on the property at Cherry Hill, a predominantly residential area near Canton Center.

Neighbors opposed the expansion vehemently claiming that the structure would not blend in with the neighborhood's homes. Rajeev Ramanan, a member of Hindu Temple of Canton, said the statements came from a fear of the unknown. Ramanan told The Detroit News, "It's hearsay to tar the Hindu community. It's a borderline racist comment. It's ganging up against a community. For any race of women, that would be offensive."

Supervisor Yack praised Johnson's service, but said her comments were "off-track" and follow complaints about her being "heavy handed and insensitive." "Cathy wants the best for Canton, but sometimes her approach and the words she selects don't always represent the way we'd like to see her behave," he said told the paper. "With speech comes responsibility. If she hadn't gone down this road she'd still be sitting on commission." Taking a critical view of the local Canton community's "less compassionate side" another local newspaper, the Hometown Life said when the Hindu Temple presented its expansion plan at the Planning Commission meeting, dozens of residents who showed up, voiced their opposition to the project.

But some of the comments went far beyond the typical "Not-in-my-backyard" argument, the Hometown Life said. Johnson's comments on Hindu women, the paper said, were "ridiculous and, frankly, embarrassing" and had nothing to do with the proposed site plan, which is what the commission should be focusing on. "We are not sure what audience Johnson was trying to play to, but she should realize Canton is home to a large Hindu community, and they are not going anywhere," the paper said.

The proposed Hindu Temple meets all zoning requirements, and at about 19,000 square feet, would be larger than some churches in the community. But since nearly all the religious worship facilities in the community are in residential areas, the Hindu Temple would not be unusual in any way, the Hometown Life states. The Indian American community in Metro Detroit has seen a major surge in the last few years, becoming the most populous ethnic group with a 25 percent jump bringing the numbers to 194,000 according to the 2000 Census.

Canton Township itself is home to about 3,000 Indian families. Interestingly, although there are three Hindu temples located within an area of one square mile in Canton, the BAPS Temple authorities are keen on the expansion which they cite is to better serve the growing number of devotees. There are at least 10 other temples in the Detroit suburbs and more are on the way, including one planned in Novi, a Gurdwara -- or Sikh place of worship -- in Plymouth and a $9 million expansion to the 32-year-old Bharatiya Temple in Troy.

Commending the Hindu Temple board for still wanting to work with the neighbors even after the offensive remarks, the Hometown Life says neighbors should accept the fact the Temple authorities own the property and that their plan meets all the Township's requirements. "It's time to stop casting stones and work to work together.

That's what neighbors do," the paper said. As good neighbors, the temple members volunteer at soup kitchens, host health fairs and each year give six $1,000 scholarships to Plymouth-Canton Community School students In this country, it is not unusual for local residents to oppose any massive project in a residential area.

Most usually, the residents feel any out-scaled structure would not fit in with the character of the neighborhood. In Canton too, the residents feel the massive Hindu temple would not blend in with the local architecture. Taking an aesthetic view of the issue, Town Supervisor Yack said, "If every building in Canton looked exactly alike, it'd be a boring place. People can get along and you can accept them you don't have to practice the other person's religion, but can be tolerant of it."