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The graffiti was
discovered on the exterior of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Buena
Park and included the word Islam - spelled "Islahm" - and a
reference to Islamic State militants, said the Sikh Coalition,
an advocacy group for the Sikh community.
The defacement, discovered on Sunday, came days after a Muslim
couple massacred 14 people at a holiday party in San Bernardino,
California.
The graffiti, much of it illegible, also included some gang
references, the Sikh Coalition said in a statement.
The group said the gurdwara - a place of worship for Sikhs - had
reported the incident to the Buena Park police and had asked
local and federal authorities to investigate the incident as a
hate crime.
A spokesman for the Buena Park police told the New York Times
that officers were increasing patrols around the building and
had opened a hate crime probe.
"The writing, because of what it is and because of the history
of Sikhs being targeted in the past for retaliation after
terrorist attacks, we are investigating it," Corporal Bret
Carter told the paper.
Sikhs say they have been singled out increasingly for harassment
since the Sept. 11 attacks, with perpetrators believing
incorrectly that they are Muslim extremists because of their
turbans and beards.
In September, a Sikh man was attacked and badly beaten in
Chicago by a suspect who pulled up to his car yelling racial
slurs, including, "Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin
Laden," the coalition said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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