Melbourne: A newly-built gurdwara has become target of anti-Islamic slurs after it was vandalized and painted with obscene messages in Australia's Perth city. The multi-million dollar Sikh shrine in Bennett Springs was painted with the words like "Aussie pride" and "go home", ABC reported. Security cameras of the gurdwara were also damaged. "We are from India, particularly from Punjab, we have got no relation with any other religion. We are Sikhs and our religion is totally different from any other religion," said the pastor Satjit Singh.

The treasurer of the gurdwara, Aman Deep Singh, said it was very hurtful. "Make the difference between Arabs and Sikhs and above all we all are here, we have left our businesses, jobs. They have done so much damage. They have not actually just done the damage to this temple, they have done the damage to the whole country," he said. Labor MP Margaret Quirk said the racial slurs showed "complete ignorance". "Most of the people that worship in this temple are in fact Australian citizens and this of all weeks; it's particularly shocking," she said. The incident has occurred few days after two Perth mosques and an Islamic school were vandalised and had been painted with slogans.