It's a sad day indeed when even Buddhists become targets of hate crime
Embedded Link
Buddha statue stolen from temple in Edinburgh – BBC News
The theft of a Buddha statue from a temple in Edinburgh is being treated as a hate crime by police.
Google+: View post on Google+
Post imported by Google+Blog. Created By Daniel Treadwell.
That's a shame. I wonder why they're describing it as a hate crime?
+Bodhipaksa Possibly because there's no way this was stolen for money, unless the perpetrators are extremely thick.
There's also been some minor fire damage done to Edinburgh's central mosque this weekend, this may or may not be related but the coincidence seems odd.
This temple is specifically run by (and mostly for) Thai immigrants who mostly keep to themselves but have extended open invitations to us in the past (as they too are Theravada, albeit of a different tradition). It's not hard to imagine it being something targeted at immigrants more than religious people.
but Karma though, right?
+mike quinn Well yes but Karma applies to everyone
I'd think "hate crime" if there was graffiti or destruction, but stealing a Buddha statue sounds more like a drunken "lark."
+Bodhipaksa It's possible and hopefully that's all there is but the police can't afford to be lenient about this if it does turn out to be motivated by anti-religion or xenophobia.
I mean, the thief will get whats coming
I dislike ascribing hate to things not hateful, and not convinced that this is a hate crime with the information at hand.
However, it certainly is douchebaggery at its finest.
+Dave DeBaeremaeker It very much depends on your perspective on these things. I would personally call it a hate crime purely based on the fact that even if the perpetrator(s) were drunk at the time it's unlikely their motivations were like those of a magpie seeing something shiny. This is the removal of a powerful symbol of a local religious community, therefore the community was the target whether for religious or ethnic reasons.
It's essentially the same as toppling gravestones or writing graffiti on Jewish tombs.