Question costs planning official her post

CANTON, Mich., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A local planning commissioner in Michigan plans to resign after causing an uproar by asking at a meeting if public urination might be a Hindu ritual.

Catherine Johnson brought up the matter during a hearing on the expansion of the Hindu Temple of Canton, The Detroit News reported. She said neighbors had told her they had seen women urinating outside another temple during its groundbreaking and asked if that was a Hindu ritual.

"It was a valid question," Johnson said. "It was something that a few citizens contacted me at home about. I try to ask questions about what citizens in the community would want to know."

Mukesh Patel, a member of BAPS Temple, said there is no such ritual.

"Our religion says we are not supposed to urinate or spit in public. It desecrates other people's property just like in any other religion," Patel said. "It's a misconception and it's offensive."

The Asian Indian community in the Detroit area is growing. Members of the 20-year-old Hindu Temple of Canton want to tear down the existing building, replacing it with a larger structure on the same property. Some neighbors oppose the plan.