ST. LOUIS, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2003: Security is being stepped up for the Hindu Temple of St. Louis that was firebombed twice in a week. Federal agents are trying to determine if the attacks were youthful mischief or hate-fueled religious bigotry. No one was injured by the attacks as the temple’s massive metal doors blocked the first firebomb, and flame-retardant carpeting limited damage from the second, which was thrown through a window. There was no immediate indication if the February 23 attack was related to one that same day at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City in Shawnee, Kansas, about 250 miles away, where someone broke the glass front door and caused $700 in damage. Temple officials were concerned about whether the violence could escalate, possibly involving someone who wrongly equates Hindus with Islamic extremists. Several mosques and temples across the country and Canada have been vandalized since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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