Hindu Temple In Melville Vandalized, Threats Made: Police

MELVILLE, NY — A person spray-painted threatening and derogatory anti-Hindu messages on the driveway and sign of a Hindu temple in Melville, causing damage, Suffolk police said.

The vandalism was done at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, at 2 Deshon Drive, sometime between 7 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 a.m. Monday, police said.

Suffolk County Police Hates Crimes Unit detectives are investigating the criminal mischief incident as a hate crime.

Anyone with information was asked by police to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS or the Hate Crimes Unit at 631-852-HATE.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the "hate vandalism" in a statement made Monday.

"We condemn this apparently bias-motivated vandalism and urge all community leaders to speak out against the rising bigotry that inevitably results in such attempts at religious intimidation," said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher in a statement.

She urged all houses of worship to refer to CAIR’s Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety guide.

Nasher said CAIR and the American Muslim community "stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry."