Hindu Samaj temple arson a cultural turning point for city

It took Hamilton police more than 12 years to solve the Hindu Samaj temple arson case, but community organizers say the fire changed the city as soon as it happened.

Police held a Wednesday morning news conference at the temple, on the Mountain, to announce three men had been charged with arson in connection with the fire set just days after the 9/11 terror attacks. Police said it was a hate crime.

• RELATED: Police arrest three men for 2001 attack on Hamilton temple

But for Narendar Passi, the temples president in 2001, the arson didnt directly target Hamiltons Hindus.

People were asking, at that time, if it was a hate crime we said no, Passi told CBC Hamilton.

Ignorance is brought this over on us they did not know the difference between a Mosque, a temple and a church.

This story features audio interviews with three of the people on hand today including Passi, JavidMirza, a past president of the Muslim Association of Hamilton, and temple-goer Dr. Mahendra Deonarain. You can hear those pieces by clicking the play buttons on the left.

In the years following the shocking fire, the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion was founded with the goal of creating a safer, more welcoming and inclusive city.

The Centres executive director Evelyn Myrie, who was at the temple on Wednesday, remembers the months after the fire as a very tragic time, but also a very exciting time, which gave rise to a wider conversation about race and ethnicity in Hamilton.

More and more people, I believe, are engaged in Hamilton than 12 years ago I see much more diversity, Myrie said.

There is a definite shift in the conversation toward building a more inclusive city.

Today, the centre is still at work trying to get ethnic groups engaged in the city and get them into leadership roles.

Hindus hoping to move on

JavidMirza, who was president of the Muslim Association of Hamilton at the time of the fire, said the fire has had a profound affect on the city.

Today, he said, the police charges bring closure. But he hopes the conversation between religious and ethnic groups will continue. Were all Hamiltonians, he said.

Passi said while hes happy police made arrests in the case during a private conversation he asked Chief Glenn De Caire if the accused men had confessed, but said he didnt get an answer his community is ready to move on. People dont want to talk about the fire anymore, he said.