NEW YORK (RNS) — Since 2008, Shri Shakti Mariammaa has been a safe haven for women and members of the LGBTQ community. But the temple risks closure if it cannot make costly improvements.

“It is a good move. The temple is in a defence zone and attracts huge crowds. Security checks are essential,” he said. J. Mounika, another devotee, expressed surprise at the sudden checks.

Illuminated by a skylight at the center of a small factory-turned-Hindu temple in Queens sits a murti of the Divine Mother — ...