Members of Hindu temple destroyed by fire plan to raise funds for Notre-Dame
Destruction at the Paris cathedral brought to mind a pair of post-9/11 attacks on holy sites in Hamilton, Ont.
This story was originally published on June 21, 2019.
Subhash Dighe says a chill went through his spine as he watched the news on April 15. As fire ravaged the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, memories of another fire came to mind.
Dighe was woken up by a phone call on Sept. 15, 2001 ー four days after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City. He learned that the Hindu Samaj Temple in Hamilton, Ont., of which he was a founding member, was on fire.
"It was everything crumbling down," he told Out in the Open host Piya Chattopadhyay of the sight when he arrived at the temple. "The roof had gone, and real devastation all over the place, as if somebody had put a bomb in there."
Javid Mirza, president of the Muslim Association of Hamilton, got a similar call early that morning. A police officer told him the Hamilton Mountain Mosque was burning. He raced over, only to discover a broken window, but no fire.
"Then the officer told me, 'No, it's not here. It's your other mosque," Mirza said. "I knew he was talking about the Hindu temple."
Mirza then headed for the temple, which was "completely burned" by the time he arrived.
A multi-faith community 'came together'
Members of his mosque had dealt with hateful incidents since the 9/11 attacks. In that context, the fire at the temple set him on edge.
"When you see a white person walking into the mosque, you're paying attention," he said. "Islam is a faith, it's not a nation, so you see people of every race, every colour coming into the mosque, but you were so suspicious at that time of everybody."
Three men were charged and eventually pleaded guilty to two counts each of mischief – one for the fire at the temple, and the other for the damage at the mosque.
"But these events are the type of thing that bring people together," said Dighe. "We all – Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Jews – we got together, holding hands together around the burnt temple, and we prayed in our own languages together. That, to me, is a lasting memory."
A multi-faith community, including the members of Mirza's mosque, came together in Hamilton to raise funds for the temple's reconstruction. The new temple currently stands on the site of the old one.
Paying it forward to Notre-Dame
Now, Dighe plans to pay that kindness forward.
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris held its first mass last week since a fire destroyed its roof and spire on April 15. French president Emmanuel Macron has set a goal to rebuild the structure within five years, a project that could cost more than $1 billion.
"We want to raise some funds," Dighe said of his temple's membership. "It may not be all these mega-billion dollars or something, but it's a gesture on our part of actively doing something for it."
Mirza, too, believes people of all countries and religions should come together for Notre-Dame.
"It's like, me being a Muslim person, Mecca is the holiest place for me," he said. "If something was to happen there, whatever it takes, you rebuild it.
"It's the same thing with Notre-Dame. It's a huge holy site for my Christian brothers and sisters all over the world, and it should be rebuilt."
This story appears in the Out in the Open episode, "Holding On".