A Hindu Temple was vandalized in a Muslim suburb in the Netherlands, a local regional broadcaster reports. According to the Chairman of the Temple, Siddharth Ramdhani, the act was deliberate. He said that Hindus were harassed even during their own festivals, not only during Ramzan.
He went on to add, “The temple is a mess. The windows were broken by several large stones that were found inside. They were probably thrown from a fairground opposite the temple. They had to make a considerable effort because both windows are double glazed.”
The same agency had earlier reported a pro-ISIS demonstration in the area back in 2014.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tRF2FxPrj8]
The attack on the Temple in the Netherlands appears consistent with some radical Islamist attacks in India. There have been several incidents in the past where Hindu Temples and property have been attacked by members of the Muslim community in a fit of religious fervour.
For instance, it was reported last year that a man named Sikandar Ansari had entered a Temple in the Saria region in Giridih district in Jharkhand late night and ‘damaged some things there.’ In Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich region, an Eid Milad Ul Nabi procession turned violent after participants began resorted to looting and vandalism.
In West Bengal, Muslim groups had entered a school without permission, roughed up students and teachers and forcibly celebrated the prophet’s birthday. The same school was vandalized as it prepared to celebrate Saraswati Puja.
More recently, communal clashes had erupted in Bihar after the desecration of a Hanuman idol. There have been numerous reports of Ram Navami processions being attacked as well. In another instance, a Sadhvi had decided to sell her Temple due to constant harassment from a particular community and throwing of meat near the Temple.
