GLEN OAKS, Queens — Just one day after being released from the hospital, Hindu priest, Swami Ji Harish Chander Puri shows PIX11’s Jennifer Bisram his bruises and abrasions all over his body, including his face.
“I’m in a little pain,” he said from a bed at his
He said around
Police arrested 52-year old Sergio Gouveia in connection to the attack. He’s being charged with assault, harassment and criminal possession of a weapon. Police say they're looking into whether this is a potential hate crime.
People who attend the house of worship say they believe he was targeted, adding his attacker screamed things like, “this is my neighborhood,” during the incident.
“He’s wearing his religious clothes just walking around the block,” said worshipper Sanjeev Jindal.
“The fact that was dressed religious wear def made him stick out,” said another worshipper Radha Bakshi.
This comes after President Trump took to twitter this week to target four democratic congresswomen including Minnesota's Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born US citizen, prompting send her back chants from thousands at a rally in North Carolina days later.
"We are concerned since yesterday what is going on in our neighborhood,” said Jindal.
Back in
"Sometimes people have no control,” he said.
"I hope we could all come together in some way,” added Bakshi.
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Sadhana Calls On NYPD to Investigate Attack of Swami Harish Chander Puri as a Hate Crime
Bigotry and xenophobia does not distinguish between Hindus
and Muslims, or black or brown skin. When the
We are deeply heartbroken by reports of a brutal attack on
Swami Harish Chander Puri Ji, priest of the Shiv Shakti Peeth temple in Glen
Oaks,
Thankfully, Swami Puri Ji is recovering, and is praying for
the man who attacked him. We stand with this compassionate warm-hearted leader
and the Shiv Shakti Peeth community, and invite all of our interfaith and
community allies in the Queens /
May justice be served, and may love prevail over this hate we are seeing here and all over the country. We all belong here!
Oṃ dyau shantirantarikṣaṃ shantiḥ
Pṛthivī shantirapaḥ shantiroṣadhayaḥ shantiḥ
Vanaspatayaḥ shantirviśvedevāḥ shantirbrahma shantiḥ
Sarvaṃ shantiḥ shantireva shantiḥ sama shantiredhi
Oṃ shantiḥ shantiḥ shantiḥ
-- Yajur Veda
Unto The Heaven Be Peace,
Unto The Sky And The Earth Be Peace.
Peace Be Unto The Water,
Unto The Herbs And Trees Be Peace.
Unto All The Gods Be Peace,
Unto Brahma And Unto All Be Peace.
And May We Realize That Peace.
Aminta Kilawan-Narine, Sunita Viswanath, Davanie Singhroy, Samir Durvasula, Nikhil Mandalaparthy, Udit Thakur and Gautham Reddy,
Executive Board of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus
Community and Faith-Based Signatories:
Rev. Dr. Karyn Carlo,
The Rev. Kaji S. Dousa, Senior Pastor,
The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church
The Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, Executive Minister, Middle Collegiate Church
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Marc Greenberg, Executive Director, Interfaith assembly on homelessness and housing
Simran Jeet Singh, Sikh community leader
The Rev. Dr. Clyde Kuemmerle,Executive Director, Ecclesia
Ministries of
Rev. Dr. Karyn Carlo,
Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director, Greater
Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, President,
(Signatories being added at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17sLtqAf8iSH88M_NNcmLlamfKHgE27yUreh3-o_wV-g/edit?usp=sharing
I am not a religious person because I studied almost all religions and cults of the Globe. I like to see all religions wither away to trash. But; it is barbaric to attack any religious person. If a religious person is not attacking you; leave them alone. Let them live, perish or explode in their belief as long as they are not a threat to anyone else.
Incidents like this are due to the religious & political hatred propagated by criminals to remain in power. It is unfortunate to see ignorant & idiots support this barbarian attitude in the name of their religion & attitude. E Malayalee should not tolerate the articles & comments . White extremists monitor all the media. When they find support from ethnic community, they become a torpedo. Anyone who supports a racist is a racist.
Sad to see the attack on any human due to his skin colour. Hope e Malayalee will stop promoting racists and their articles & comments. They might have voted for trump or they are religious fanatics. But they too are not immune or safe from hatred just because they support trump.-andrew
Pity The Nation
Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again. [ Khalil Gibran's poem- posted by andrew