Bothell community comes together for victims of hate speech graffiti

Published 4:36 pm Monday, February 23, 2015

The Hindu Temple in Bothell and Skyview Junior High School were vandalized with hate-speech graffiti on Feb. 15. The hate speech on the Hindu Temple had a swastika and the words ‘Go Home,’ whereas the school had a swastika and ‘Muslims be gone’ and ‘Muslims get out.’

While the malice-filled spray paint had been painted over by late on Feb. 16, the scar on the community remains.

According to Nit Niranjan, of the Bothell Hindu Temple, the graffiti was found on Feb. 15 by one of the temple’s volunteers. However, there has been another side to this event with an outpouring of support from greater Puget Sound region and local organizations for the Hindu and Islamic communities.

“This incident showed us the kindness and love of our neighbors and religious organizations,” Niranjan said.

Many Bothell citizens have spoken out against the vandalism and hate speech.

“I know that we as a Bothell community care for our neighbors and we support and stand up for what is right,” wrote former city council candidate and resident of Bothell Nadia Mustafa in an opinion piece to the Reporter. “I hope and pray for my fellow citizens that God keeps us all safe and away from any danger. I also hope that those individuals who engaged in recent vandalism, make the right choices in the future and adhere to the American principles. Our togetherness is what makes America strong.”

The initial impact of the hate speech was difficult to deal with for some members of the Hindu community and the Bothell community as a whole.

“We did not expect this in Bothell, so it was a shock and painful,” Niranjan said. “This is why we pray to [Shiva].”

Niranjan notes that a celebration to Shiva occurred just after the hateful graffiti. The celebration for Shiva was to remove demons and negative traits, such as hate, anger, ego, jealousy and lust, and helps to make people better human beings.

“Our culture/religion emphasizes good karma and being good human beings,” Niranjan said.

The Hindu temple has been enhancing community outreach programs on their campus, including free yoga and meditation sessions on Sundays.

They have also protected their campus by installing security cameras at the Hindu Temple.

The campus of Skyview Junior High School was also hit with hate-speech graffiti, however, kids were on holiday break when the graffiti was found.

“We are deeply disturbed by the vandalism at Skyview Junior High School. Here in Northshore School District, we take great pride in fostering a safe, nurturing learning environment that values and honors diversity and inclusivity,” a statement from the school district said. “These offensive messages do not reflect the values or culture of our school district or greater Bothell community. District crews worked to quickly remove the vandalism, and the Bothell Police Department is investigating.”

Ironically, the swastika was originally and still is part of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist religions representing divinity, reverence, love and peace. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party used the symbol for propaganda starting in 1920 and it became a symbol for their movement. Since that time, it has been known culturally in the United States and Europe as a symbol of intolerance.

As for the perpetrators of the hate-filled graffiti, they are still at large. However, Niranjan has a message for them, too: “Please do not do this again.”