India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Highly upset Hindus concern ten break-ins in the last three months in Temples in Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada.
Reports suggest that the break-ins resulted in thousands of dollars of cash stolen from donation boxes, property damage, removal of jewelry adorning deity idols, ransacking of the office, missing gold-plated silver flute from the hand of statue of Lord Krishna; sending the area Hindu community in a state of anguish, which now feels targeted. Affected temples include Mississauga Hindu Heritage Centre, Brampton Gauri Shankar Mandir, Brampton Jagannath Temple, Brampton Maa ChintpurniShrijidham Temple, Hamilton Hindu Samaj Temple.
Rajan Zed, a Hindu community leader said that it was appalling for the worldwide Hindus to hear about such incidents happening to houses of worship; thus causing heartbreak to the hard-working, harmonious and peaceful area community members. Canadian Hindus had made a lot of contributions to the nation and society and continued to do so; Rajan added
He urged Canadian Minister of Public Safety Marco E. L. Mendicino, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger to take this issue seriously and urgently and launch swift action to put an end to such crimes and make sure that such incidents did not happen in the future.
Also it would be appropriateif Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins from Archdiocese of Toronto, United Church Moderator Richard Bott, Metropolitan Anne Germond of Anglican Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario and area leaders of other religions strongly condemn these vandalizing acts at places of worship and also visit the affected temples
Hinduism is, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.2 billion adherents