December 23, 2001
Source: The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17683-2001Dec22.html
On December 23, 2001, The Washington Post reported, "Cleaning Up After Attack of Ignorance: Sikhs Respond to Vandals at Temple Site." Following vandalism at their building site, the local Sikh community "expressed fear that vandals incensed by the Sept. 11 attacks had taken out their wrath on the site of the Sikhs' new temple." The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime. The article noted that "The Washington area has the nation's fourth-largest Sikh community, with about 10,000 followers, most in Fairfax and Montgomery counties."