OLYMPIA -- Recent vandalism against Hindu temples in the metropolitan Puget Sound  was condemned today by Gov. Jay Inslee as "acts of intolerance, intimidation and violence." 

Inslee, who was joined by Hindu and Muslim community leaders at his weekly press conference, said the vandalism against the temples in Bothell and Kent, plus some anti-Muslim graffiti sprayed on a Bothell junior high, was disturbing.

"Who you pray to, and whether you pray, doesn't determine whether you're an American," Inslee said. "Hindus and Muslims are clearly part and parcel of the state of Washington."

A swastika and the words "Get Out" were sprayed on a Hindu temple in Bothell last month, and "Muslims get out" was sprayed on a nearby junior high school. Broken windows and graffiti was found at a Hindu temple in Kent last weekend.

 

---

---