Khalsa Gurmat Center in Federal Way, Washington, was vandalized (Insert: Video grab from one of its congregational prayers)
By Asia Samachar | United States |
Khalsa Gurmat Center, a Sikh centre-cum-gurdwara in Washington, was ‘vandalised and robbed’ yesterday (Sept 18).
“Yesterday afternoon, Khalsa Gurmat Center was vandalized and robbed. The divaan hall was badly damaged, and control panels and windows were broken. Based on video surveillance, the suspect also stole several computers and TV monitors on their way out of the building. Guru Sahib’s swaroop is not kept in the facility during the week,” the centre said in a Facebook update.
“We discovered the vandalism this morning and immediately reached out to law enforcement – Federal Way Police Department, who understand that bias may have been a possible motivating factor and are investigating the incident.”
The centre is working the Sikh Coalition, a Sikh-American advocacy group that defends Sikh civil rights, and the law enforcement to ensure the crime is properly investigated as a potential bias incident against a house of worship.
The dedicated team at Khalsa Gurmat Center, located at Federal Way, Washington, have served the children and their families in the Seattle region of the State of Washington since 2006 and formally incorporated in 2014, according to its website.
The center is an independent community based non-profit organization focused on education, empowerment and civic engagement for kids and community members. To fulfill that mission the center has established an enrichment school for kids; conducted healthcare, parenting, legal clinics; and created collaborative partnerships with different government and non-profit community organizations.
In its update, The Sikh Coalition said will it provide free legal assistance to the sangat and liaise with law enforcement to ensure that the incident is investigated thoroughly. It had also shared a toolkit, entitled ‘Preventing Attacks on Gurdwaras: Resources and Best Practices for Sangat Safety and Security’, and encouraged gurdwaras to check their security cameras and security measures.
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