Naked Intruder Charged with Hate Crime for Desecrating Sikh Temple
Hate crime charges are pending against a man accused of desecrating a Sikh temple in the city of Spokane Valley, Wash., apparently in the mistaken belief he was damaging a mosque and sending a message to ISIS.
Sheriff’s deputies found 44-year-old suspect Jeffrey C. Pittman standing naked, holding a ceremonial sword inside the Sikh Temple of Spokane.
Following the latest incident in Spokane Valley, Pittman was booked into jail on charges of armed burglary, malicious mischief and malicious harassment based on religious discrimination – Washington’s version of a hate crime, The Spokesman-Review reported in today’s editions.
“Our hearts are broken,” said Subarna Nagra, a member of the temple, told the newspaper.
Priest Gurjeet Singh Aujla said the temple’s Guru Granth Sahib holy book -- containing accumulated teachings of Sikh gurus -- was defaced and pages were ripped.
The holy book is considered an embodiment of the eternal guru and is a sacred part of Sikhism. It is opened every morning and the priest selects a passage that becomes the daily focus for prayer and meditation. In the evening, the book is returned to a bed just off the altar and put under covers to let the gurus sleep.
The intruder desecrated and vandalized the temple’s altar, the holy book and bedding, causing an estimated $30,000 in damage, the temple’s leaders said.
As word of the incident spread, the mayors of Spokane, Spokane Valley, along with a host of other public officials and religious leaders, including members of the Muslim and Jewish faiths, gathered to publicly denounce the hate-crime.
After Pittman was arrested, temple members offered him their traditional morning chai tea and expressed sympathy for the suspect and his possible mental and drug-abuse issues.
“I am definitely hurt,” Nagra told the newspaper. “At the same time, we are a compassionate community.”
There has been a series of hate crimes throughout the United States perpetrated by suspects -- motivated by anti-Muslim bigotry -- who mistakenly target Sikhs and their places of worship. The Sikh Coalition has told Hatewatch that since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, carried out by Muslim extremists, Sikhs have been disproportionately targeted for hate crimes.
