Hindu school teacher goes missing in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A Hindu school teacher was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified people while on her way back home from school near the Pakistan Radio Colony on Saturday afternoon.
Faqir Chand, the father of the missing 25-year-old woman Sapna Rani, said his daughter is a teacher at the Peshawar Science Academy near Ayub Flour Mill on GT Road.
While talking to The Express Tribune, he said Rani went to school at around 7:45am on Saturday morning and when she did not return till 4:00pm, the family started to worry.
After trying in vain to locate her, Chand’s nephew Suraish Kumar went to the Paharipura Police Station to lodge a missing report after which ASI Sardar Ali Khan registered a case and launched investigations.
Bindya Rani, the kidnapped woman’s grief-stricken mother, said “We don’t have an enmity with anyone,” and pleaded to the government to do everything in its power to find her daughter.

Courtesy:tribune dot com dot pk

Read More

'Hindu Garjana' Has Cops on Their Toes in Tirupati

• 
  
  Pontiffs of various Hindu mutts during the ‘Hindu Garjana’ in Tirupati on Friday. The meeting was organised as a protest against the construction of the Heera International Islamic University at Tondavada near Tirupati | EXPRESS PHOTO
  

The ‘Hindu Garjana’ organised in the temple town put the police on tenterhooks for some time. Heavy police bandobust was seen at the TUDA grounds where the meeting was held and also at the Islamic University at Tondavada against which the Hindu outfits held the protest.
The Tirumala Tirupati Pavitrata Samrakshana Vedika (TTPSV), which proposed the meeting, was denied permission by the authorities concerned. With this, Vedika leaders threatened to besiege the University, if they were denied permission to hold the meeting at TUDA grounds.
However, as tension started to build up, the authorities gave permission at the last minute but did not take any chances and put tight security at the university.
All the lanes leading to the Islamic University at Tondavada, more than 10 kilometres from Tirupati, were barricaded and policemen deployed there. They did not allow anyone to go near the premises.
Policemen kept guard even in bushes and small bylanes that lead to the university premises to prevent anyone reaching there.
Armed police and special parties were also deployed aniticpating trouble.
At TUDA grounds too, police and paramilitary forces were deployed around the premises to prevent any attempt to take out a rally or the activists to proceed towards the university.
Police heaved a sigh of relief after the meeting passed off peacefully and the activists left the place.

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

Read More

Our Hopes Were Dashed, Say Pakistani Hindus

The Hindu Hindus from Pakistan demonstrating at Jantar Mantar on Friday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar 

A group of 29 Hindus from the Sindh province of Pakistan have been demonstrating at Jantar Mantar here for the past four days to demand that the Indian Government provide them food, shelter and jobs.

On October 5 this year, the group entered India legally, seeking a better future for themselves. However, they were allegedly asked by customs officials at Munabao in Barmer district of Rajasthan to hand over the jewellery they had carried.

According to Panju Mal, who sold off his farm in Hyderabad and bought jewellery with the money, they entered India in the hope that they would be accepted.

“But all our hopes were dashed when the customs officials at Munabao, which borders Pakistan, insisted that the women remove their jewellery items like bangles and earrings. They told us that jewellery was taxable. Since we did not have Rs. 5 lakh to pay, we had to leave them there,” he told The Hindu.

The group went to a local police station and had an FIR filed. “But the FIR was filed on behalf of four women and not all eight whose jewellery is with the officials. The FIR is in Hindi, which we cannot read. We were given phone numbers which nobody picks up,” he said.

He added: “We want the Indian Government to give us jobs so that we can feed our families. Wherever we go people ask to show our identity cards. Our month-long tourist visa has expired and we have no money.”

He is worried about his mother, a senior citizen, whose blood sugar level has increased alarmingly but he cannot buy medicines for her.

At the moment, there are 1,114 Hindus, of which 50 are children and 30 are women, from Sindh at Jantar Mantar who came to India on tourist visas at different days.

Conversant in English, Parthi, who studied Humanities from the Government Girls College in Hyderabad, said the job prospect for Hindus in Pakistan is pretty bleak.

“In Government jobs, 95 per cent are reserved for the majority. And the minorities have only five per cent jobs. We have no future there and this was the reason we have come to India.”

Like others, Narain Das too sold off his shop and used the money earned from it to prepare jewellery.

“Now our deplorable condition has become similar to beggars. We do not have a house to live in and our women and children are braving the inclement cold weather of Delhi. We plead the Indian Government to give us roti, kapra and makan.”

Pointing out that an important reason for abandoning Pakistan was that Islam was taught in schools, Mr. Das said from nursery to Class V it is compulsory for all schools to teach Quran.

“After a three year gap, students are again taught Quran from Class IX to XII. Our children can recite the holy text of Muslims but we do not want our children to convert to another religion.”

He said the Panchayat in Hyderabad had paid Rs.13 lakh to authorities to construct a cremation ground for the Hindus. “But it was not constructed. In 1947,

Hindus in Sindh were living in large numbers but now only 13 lakh are staying. We could not migrate to India because we were working under zamindars.”

He shows a photocopy of his passport to show that he has permission to stay in Delhi, Jodhpur and Mathura.

A burly man, Khemchand was a commission agent at a vegetable market in Karachi but is now living in a hand to mouth condition.

“But we are happy to be in India. The truth is that majority of Hindus in Pakistan want to settle down here. But only a limited number of people get visas.” 

Courtesy:the hindu dot com

 

 

 

Read More

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal Stable

Thursday, Dec 19, 2013, 18:30 IST | Place: Gurgaon | Agency: IANS

Ashok Singhal.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal's condition is stable, a doctor said on Thursday.
The 87-year-old Singhal, the former international president of the Hindu organization, was admitted to Medicity Medanta hospital here Monday for general checkup and treatment.
"His vitals are stable and parameters were under acceptable limits," a senior doctor at Medicity said.
"Singhal had a complaint of high blood pressure and blood sugar," he said.
Singhal was international president of the VHP for over 20 years until stepping down Dec 20, 2011 due to ill-health. He was succeeded by Raghava Reddy.

Source:dnaindia dot com

Read More

8 Awami activists get death for murder of Hindu man

Eight student activists of the ruling Awami League were sentenced to death and 13 others were given life terms on Wednesday by a fast-track court in Dhaka for hacking to death a Hindu man during a nationwide strike in 2012.

“They (the eight) will be hanged to death,” pronounced tribunal-4 judge A.B.M. Nizamul Haque at the packed courtroom as six convicts appeared in the dock.

During the 10-minute proceedings of the day, the court observed that Biswajit Das’ murder case is quite different from the others. It took place in the broad daylight instead of night which was heinous and deplorable killing, the court said.

Two other death penalty convicts and 11 of the 13, who were awarded the life term, were tried in absentia as they were on the run to evade punishment.

Under the Bangladeshi law, the High Court must review death penalties even if the convicts do not appeal against the lower court’s verdicts.

The Chhatra League activists hacked to death the 24-year-old tailor on the street in Old Dhaka’s Bahadur Shah Park area on December 9, 2012 during the opposition enforced blockade. The incident was captured live on television cameras.

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) is the student front of the Awami League.

Sutrapur police filed a murder case in this regard on the same day. On June 2, 2013 charges were framed against the 21 Chhatra League activists. The murder drew flack on the ruling Awami League.

Reacting to the verdict, Mr. Das’s brother said, “I am satisfied...we got justice.” 

Courtesy:thehindu dot com

Read More

'Hindu god' Littledean cannabis couple spared jail by judge

• 
  Gloucester Crown Court
• 
  Katarzyna Dryden-Chouen
• 
  Gloucester Crown Court
• 
  Katarzyna Dryden-Chouen

HUSBAND and wife Katarzyna and Clive Dryden-Chouen have walked free from court after growing vast quantities of cannabis which they claimed they would burn as a spiritual offering to a Hindu god.
The couple not only had numerous plants in various states of growth, but kilograms of harvested crop when police raided their Littledean home last year.
Their diaries also contained entries which police thought indicated they had been supplying the drugs to other people.
But after hearing their two young children, one of whom has learning difficulties, would suffer if they were jailed, the judge imposed suspended sentences.
Clive, 60, and Katarzyna, 47, had been charged with possession with intent so supply and money laundering relating to a quarter of a million pounds which had passed through her hands.
But following a three-week trial at Gloucester Crown Court, a jury cleared them of those charges, leaving just the production offence, which they had admitted.
Police raided their home in Church Street in August last year and found 15 established and 41 juvenile plants as well as kilograms of plant matter, including flowering heads. They also recovered the paraphernalia for growing the plants, more than £12,000 in cash and the diaries which also detailed the cultivation of the crop.
In the lounge was a shrine to the Hindu god of Shiva, who has a close association with hemp.
Fiona Elder, for Katarzyna, said her client was using a lot of valium at the time and went too far in her religious devotion.
She said: “She took a course in this particular part of her life when she became obsessed, I think for want of a better word, with cannabis and its properties and the spiritual side of it.
“Your Honour will also know at the same time it was revealed in evidence, and the subject of one of the charges on the indictment, the increasing use of valium.
“She seemed to become what she eventually said in evidence, dependant upon that. It had an impact on the way she behaved in that period.”
She said they had two young sons, who social services said were well brought up, but the impact on them of her being jailed would be immense.
Robert Duval, for Clive, said: “He has come within an iota of destroying his own family. The stability of it and the financial future of it.”
He said the money recovered had been signed over to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and they would be pursued for any other unpaid tax.
Judge Alistair McGrigor said: “The jury found you not to have been supplying cannabis to others throughout those years and not to have made any criminal property.
“This was effectively an excessive self production for your own consumption.”
Giving them credit for their plea he said: “There is a matter that goes against your credit: you have two young children at home that rely on you.
“You had filled the house with the accoutrements of cannabis production and that along with your behaviour would have had an affect on your children.
“If you were to go into prison this would cause further considerable hardship to your children. That is why this is going to be dealt with by way of a suspended sentence.”
He imposed 10-month jail terms suspended for two years and ordered they each do 120 hours of community service.

Courtesy:gloucestercitizen dot co dot uk

Read More

Jamaat-Shibir men defy joint patrol, chase Hindus

Panic haunts around 600 families belonging to the Hindu community at eight villages of Bawra and Jongra unions in Patgram upazila under the district as Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir launched several attacks on the minority community during the last two months.
Lastly on Sunday midnight, Parapukur Mandir, a heritage temple at Shafinagar village of Bawra union was attacked and six idols of gods and goddesses were vandalised there, during the countrywide hartal called by Jamaat.
Joint forces started patrolling the areas on Monday night but the minority people are too panicked to lead a normal life as Jamaat-Shibir activists continued threatening them to withdraw the cases filed for attack on the minority people.
Seeing a few Hindus walking along Baura-Shafinagar road in Patgram upazila yesterday, Jamaat-Shibir men chased them.
“Shafinagar is our native village, Bangladesh is our motherland, we were born here and we want to die here. But our peaceful living is threatened due to repeated attacks by Jamaat-Shibir men,” said Harendra Nath Roy, caretaker of Parapukur Mandir.
“Due to frequent attacks and threats by Jamaat-Shibir men many Hindus are still out of their homes. Around one hundred Hindu families in the village are virtually barred from moving freely in the local bazaar for weeks,” said Sunil Chandra Sen, 48, a leader of the local Hindu community.
Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men attacked Hindus in the area and vandalised, looted and torched 18 shops on October 27, during the countrywide 60-hour hartal enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance, locals said.
On October 29, a case was lodged with Patgram police station accusing 111 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men in connection with the incident.
Local Hindus blamed Bawra Union Parishad (UP) chairman Habibul Haque Basuniya and UP member Habibur Rahman Manik for ‘instigating’ the Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men to attack on the minority people.
Denying the allegation, Habibul Haque Basuniya said he formed a peace committee comprising 25 members from both the Muslim and the Hindu communities in the village to restore peaceful environment yesterday noon.
Around 60 Hindu families at Ghoshpara village of Jongra union in Patgram upazila are also passing their days amid panic as Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised and looted five shops and two houses of Hindus there on November 28, during the BNP-led opposition called three-day countrywide blockade.
A case was lodged with Patgram police station accusing 40 people including three identified Jamaat and Shibir leaders for the incident.
“Many people in the village, including myself, are still staying away from homes as Jamaat-Shibir men continued threatening us,” said Dhanjit Chandra Ghosh, a local.

Courtesy :The daily star dot net

Read More

House Rejects President’s Decree For Allocating A Seat For Hindu Community

Sunday, December 15, 2013
Kabul (BNA) The House of People while rejecting the decree of President Karzai with respect to allocation of a seat for the Hindu community of Afghanistan, emphasized on the punishment of the perpetrator of violence against a woman in Herat province.
Chaired by Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi speaker of the house of People, the members of the house strongly condemned the violent act against the women and called it against Islamic teachings.
The members of the House touching on cutting of lip and nose of Mrs. Sitara by her husband in Herat and killing of the girl in Baghlan said that non-punishment of the perpetrators of such criminal acts by the judicial organs causes increased violence against women in the country.
The meeting also issued a statement condemning violence against women urging the government and judicial organs to punish the perpetrators of violence against women.
The house of people discussed the decree of President Karzai for allocation of a seat to the Hindu community and rejected it and called it against the Constitution of the country.

Courtesy: bakhtarnews dot com dot af

Read More

Modi supporter American Hindu group opposes SC’s gay sex ruling, US govt ‘concerned’

The US on Wednesday voiced concern about a ruling by the Supreme Court of India which reinstated a colonial-era ban on gay sex that could see same-sex lovers

LGBT activists protest against Supreme Court's verdict on homosexuality, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI PHOTO)

Members of LGBT community react after the judgement of Supreme Court against the section 377 in Mumbai, India.(Photo by Satish Bate / Hindustan Times)

LGBT activists protest against the Supreme Court verdict which validated the section 377 of IPC, in Mumbai. (PTI PHOTO)

Indian sexual minority community members participate in a Rainbow Pride Walk in Kolkata. (AFP PHOTO)

An Indian sexual minority community member gestures over a rainbow flag while participating in a Rainbow Pride Walk in Kolkata. (AFP PHOTO)

LGBT activists protest against Supreme Court's verdict on homosexuality, in New Delhi. (PTI PHOTO)

An LGBT activist reacts after the Supreme Court's verdict on homosexuality at the Supreme Court lawn in New Delhi. (PTI PHOTO)

Activists of LGBT community react after Supreme Court's verdict on homosexuality, in Mumbai. (PTI PHOTO)

An LGBT activist reacts after the Supreme Court's verdict on homosexuality at the Supreme Court lawn in New Delhi. (PTI PHOTO)

LGBT activists burst balloons during protest against the Supreme Court verdict which validated the section 377 of IPC, in Mumbai. (PTI PHOTO)

Members of LGBT community react after the judgement of Supreme Court against the section 377 in Mumbai.

imprisoned.



The Hindu American Foundation, a small but increasingly influential supporter of Narendra Modi, became a surprising opponent of SC’s turnaround on gay sex.

It joined many pro-gay rights groups in the US and in India to condemn the apex court’s decision overturning a lower court’s order decriminalizing homosexuality.

"No law should interfere in a consensual relationship of two individuals behind closed doors," said the foundation’s director of public policy Harsh Voruganti."

Why SC order criminalising gay sex is being trashed

"We had hoped that the Indian Supreme Court would have upheld the lower court's progressive decision."

The foundation supports BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and successfully lobbied against a congressional resolution against him recently.

The state department also opposed the ruling, reluctantly expressing concern under persistent questioning.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, "We oppose any action that criminalises consensual same-sex conduct between adults in general around the world."

Asked what she specifically thought about the Indian Supreme Court decision, she said, "Any action that criminalises consensual same-sex conduct between adults that doesn’t recognise that fundamental freedoms of people include their right to sexual orientation – those are issues that we certainly would be concerned about, as we are here."

Courtesy:hindustantimes dot com

Read More

Amnesty fears attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh after execution

Execution of a top leader of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for war crimes in Bangladesh could lead to reprisal attacks on minority communities, especially Hindus, a leading human rights watchdog has warned.
Bangladesh executed Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah, infamous as the "Butcher of Mirpur", for 1971 war crimes last night, making him the first politician to be hanged for such crimes. "At this volatile time many people including minority Hindus are at risk of reprisal attacks....they are at particular risk of violence now the execution has been carried out," said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International's Bangladesh Researcher.
"Authorities must ensure that anyone at risk, especially Hindus are given the protection they need at this tense time. Whole villages were burned down in the violence against Hindus this year and no one has been brought to justice," he said in a statement.
"It is also crucial that all politicians in Bangladesh make it crystal clear to their supporters to refrain from human rights abuses, and that attacks on Hindu communities are unacceptable," said Faiz.
Jamaat cadres have targeted Hindus over the International Crimes Tribunal trials of the party's leaders relating to the 1971 liberation war. Many of the prosecution witnesses have been Hindus.

Courtesy:dnaindia dot com

Read More

The Frightened Tale of Kauar Char

“I was entering my kitchen at around 10:00 AM. It was November 14 when suddenly around two thousand people broke into our yard, and later on our entire village carrying lethal weapons. Setting acts of arson. They plundered some gold ornaments, a TV, a refrigerator and a wardrobe out of my home. Within minutes my sweet home turned into ashes before my very eyes,” said Champa Rani Halder (age: 34).
It was Champa Rani and some fellow women of her village Kauar Char who were narrating their witness account. The horrendous tale of their plight to us on November 22 morning when a small team of us, a handful of former members of Dhaka University film society, visited the affected area. We caught up with them just after a communal harmony meeting (Sampriti Samabesh) was over in the panic stricken village. District Commissioner (DC) of Barisal, local Union Parisad Chairman from the present ruling party, Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO), locally Elected MP from Awami League, members of Maha Nagar Puja Committee and members of Anubhab Samabay Samity (a Hindu community based Cooperative Society) were present in the meeting in presence of the villagers from both the villages: Kauar Char and the nearby village from where the attack came.
The unpleasant incident occurred at Kauar Char is known to all. A young man named Parvez Gazi was murdered on November 14, 2013. It was in the evening when he came to the neighbouring village of Kauar Char. The murder took place in the heat of the moment. Till now Parvez Gazi’s murder is shrouded in mystery. But the problem is the two alleged “killers” who were basically outsiders and had fled the scene while many innocent men, absent on the spot on the day, were arrested with their families harassed
Now who are the real perpetrators behind the fabrication of an ill motivated rumor that ignited mob sentiments to attack their neighbouring village? Some locals have testified on condition of anonymity that the local Union Parisad Chairman of Awami League may be one of the initiators as he could not secure a handsome number of votes from this Hindu village in last general elections. The students of Broja Mohan College of Barisal who pioneered the mob attack are proven cadres of Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL). The deceased Parvez Gazi’s elder brother is a leader of BCL Barisal. One police officer, on the condition of anonymity, informed that the onus of this arson attack and plundering of the Hindu village basically happened due to the callousness and negligence of the concerned administration.
We grieve and mourn the untimely death of Parvez Gazi and demand stern punishment of the killers. But what can justify plundering 16 families of a minority village?
The writer is Communication, Website and List-Serve Manager of Gender and Water Alliance (GWA).
Email: audity.falguni@gmail.com
Courtesy: the daily star dot com

Read More

Criminals smash tombs, Plough land to occupy Hindu Cemetery

A portion of the cemetery, meant for cremation and in some cases burial, of the Hindus in Saidpur municipality under Nilphamari district gets ploughed by land grabbers who also demolished three tombs of the Hindus in the cemetery during the last few days. PHOTO: STAR

Influential land grabbers smashed three memorial tombs to illegally occupy land of the only cemetery of Hindu community in Saidpur municipality under the district.
The 1.29-acre land comprising plot No 21 at Kundol mouja under Saidpur municipality is a khas land, which is recorded as cemetery of the Hindu community, according to official document of upazila land office.
Visiting the sight on Tuesday morning, it was found that some people were ploughing about 30 decimals of the occupied land of the cemetery in its east to cultivate potato there.
“Since my childhood, I saw bringing of dead Hindus to the cemetery for funeral. But local influential people including Abdus Sattar and Shahjahan engaged day labourers on December 4 to smash and remove old memorial tombs and occupy cemetery land,” said octogenarian Md Amin, a resident of the area.
Nawsad Parvez, owner of Northern Cold Storage beside the cemetery, said,
“Hindus use it for burning dead bodies and spread the ashes in the Khorkhoria River flowing beside. They also buried some dead bodies in the cemetery and built tombs in their memory.”
At the north side of the cemetery, Hindus built a spacious room for keeping dead bodies safely in case of natural calamity. Priests recite holy verses there during the funeral.
During Tuesday’s visit, it was found that iron grills of windows and the door made of heavy iron bars of the room were stolen.
A vested quarter committed the crime to grab the cemetery land, said a few locals.
When contacted, Abdus Sattar, one of the alleged grabbers, said the land which was claimed by Hindus as cemetery land was their paternal property and they inherited it lawfully.
Another alleged grabber Shahjahan Ali said the Hindus’ claim was not right, as they had measured the land with genuine surveyor following land map. He however remained silent when this correspondent asked why they never forbade Hindus in the past to bury dead bodies and make tombs there.
Amit Kumar Roy, general secretary of Saidpur unit of Hindu Kalyan Society (welfare association), said, “Occupation of the cemetery land has hurt the sentiment of local Hindus. We lodged a written complaint to Saidpur UNO regarding the matter on December 8 and also recorded a general diary in local police station. If the local administration fails to ensure justice we will launch an agitation programme.”
Saidpur UNO Shafiqul Islam said, “I along with the officer in charge of Saidpur police station visited the spot on Tuesday afternoon and found the allegation to be true. I directed assistant commissioner (Land) to mark the cemetery area without delay. We have also identified the grabbers and legal action will be taken against them.”

Courtesy: thedailystar dot net

Read More

Hindu Mission Hospital Founder Felicitated

Gurumurthy speaking at the function | Aravind

The Hindu Mission Hospital and Valluvar Gurukulam felicitated D K Srinivasan, founder of Hindu Mission Hospital and various other non-profit organisations, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, for his service to the community.
 S Gurumurthy, eminent columnist, economist and auditor said, “The reason we are here is because we want to let everyone know that the only way more people dedicated to community service can be created, is if we appreciate the service to society that people like DKS have done.”
The felicitation ceremony was attended by several prominent persons including N Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Padma Shri awardee Shanti Ranganathan, prominent carnatic artiste Balamuralikrishna and Srinivasan K Swamy to mention a few.
S K Swamy told the story of how the small clinic, the brainchild of DKS, had grown into the giant it is now. “Every penny that came to us he put into expanding the HMH. He even got students all over India to contribute 1 paise per brick for the new building,” he pointed out. The felicitation function was in line with the sentiments expressed by Gurumurthy with which he concluded his tribute.

Courtesy:  newindianexpress dot com

Read More

Hindu group proposes monument at Oklahoma State Capital

• 
  A statue of Hindu Lord Hanuman, such as this one, is being proposed for a state Capitol monument. AP file
  

Just days after the news broke that a Satanic Temple in New York City is seeking to build a monument to Satan on the grounds of the Oklahoma Capitol, a Hindu organization announced this week that it, too, would like to build a monument there, to one of its chief deities.
Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, emailed his request to the Oklahoma State Capitol Preservation Commission.

Zed, of Nevada, said in a press release that Hindus want to erect a statue of Lord Hanuman, a Hindu deity "who was greatly revered and worshipped and known for incredible strength and was (a) perfect grammarian."

He said the statue would raise awareness of Oklahomans about Hinduism.

Commission Chairman Trait Thompson, who also is a senior policy adviser for Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman, said he had received the request from Zed and had referred him to the website, which has all the application forms.

"I suppose when one group gets some publicity, everyone else wants to make their point," he said.

Is there any chance a Hindu statue will be built at the Capitol?

"I can't speak for the commission," Thompson said.

"If they follow through and put forth a good application, it will be voted on. It's hard to say. There are a lot of factors."

The commission was formed in 1982 to oversee the preservation and restoration of the Oklahoma State Capitol building, and later, the Governor's Mansion. As controller of the public display of art objects there, it recently oversaw the installation of a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol.

Hari Musapeta, spokesman for the Hindu Temple of Greater Tulsa, said he had not heard of Zed or the Universal Society of Hinduism.

He said he would "need to learn about the man and the organization," before commenting on the application.

He was familiar, however, with Lord Hanuman, which he described as "a powerful god, the No. 1 Hindu deity after Lord Rama."

He said Tulsa has some 5,000 to 8,000 Hindu families, many of them professional people from India.

Zed declined an interview, and said everything he was prepared to say was in the press release.

According to his website, he is an Indo-American and Hindu statesman who gave the first Hindu opening prayer in the U.S. Senate, was invited by the president of the European Parliament to a meeting in Brussels to discuss Hindu issues, and has delivered prayers at several state legislatures.

Several Oklahoma lawmakers responded negatively to the request by a Satanic Temple to put a monument to Satan at the Capitol. The request apparently was in response to the recent installation of the Ten Commandments monument.

Bill Sherman 918-581-8398

bill.sherman@tulsaworld.com

courtesy:tulsaworld dot com

Read More

Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims blast Rick Santorum on ‘equality’ comment

Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus are accusing Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum of bigotry and ignorance after he said that “equality” is solely a Judeo-Christian concept.
“Where do you think the concept of equality comes from?” Santorum said on the campaign trail last Friday (Jan. 20). “It doesn’t come from Islam. It doesn’t come from the East and Eastern religions. It comes from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Not everyone agreed.
“Sen. Santorum’s presidential campaign is now playing to the lowest common denominator of religious bigotry and prejudice by attacking Eastern religions and Islam,” said Aseem Shukla of the Hindu American Foundation. Santorum’s comments, Shukla added, “show a profound ignorance of the teachings of Dharma spiritual traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.”
Santorum’s campaign did not answer repeated requests for comment.
Critics said Santorum — a devout Catholic — not only has his politics wrong, but also his history.
For example, in the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, the god Krishna writes, “I look upon all creatures equally; none are less dear to me and none more dear.”
“Indian religions predate Abraham, Jacob and all that Rick Santorum was talking about,” said Sulekh Jain of Sugar Land, Texas, chairman of the International School for Jain Studies. “All souls are equal in every way. All feel pain and all feel pleasure. This concept is deeply embedded in the whole philosophy of Jainism.”
Sikhs, who also trace their religion to India, were equally upset.
“In Sikhism, all human beings have equal status in the eyes of God. No differentiation in status or ceremonies or rights is made between men and women, rich and poor, foreigner and countryman, high caste or low caste,” said Manbeena Kaur, education director for the New York-based Sikh Coalition.
“Sikhs have had this belief in and practice of equality as a spiritual mandate long before the political revolutions that brought freedom to America and much of the Western world.”
Buddhism expert Toshie Kurihara argues equality was a foundational teaching of the Buddha.
“The Buddha preached against the caste system and advocated equality of all people. From the beginning, Buddhism espoused the concept of equality of all people,” she wrote last year in the Journal of Oriental Studies.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said it would send Santorum a copy of the Quran, Islam’s holy text.
“The Quran is the best refutation of Mr. Santorum’s inaccurate and offensive remarks,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a CAIR spokesman.
The group cited Quran verses and sayings of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad that supported equality. For example, Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, “All people are equal as the teeth of a comb.”

Copyright: For copyright information, please check with the distributor of this item, Universal Uclick.

 

Courtesy : washingtonpost dot com

Read More

Pakistani Hindu Refugees Stage Demonstration outside UN Office on Rights Day

By Express News Service - NEW DELHI

Published: 11th December 2013 07:32 AM

Last Updated: 11th December 2013 07:32 AM

 

• 
  
  Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot interacting with displaced Hindus from Pakistan, in Jodhpur| PTI

Over a hundred Hindu refugees from Pakistan held a protest outside the office of United Nations (UN) here on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
 They submitted a memorandum addressed to UN Secretary General Ban-ki-Moon at the United Nations information centre demanding Indian citizenship to refugees. Protestors said that para-military religious terrorist outfits in Sindh have been harassing and terrorising Hindus.
The trail of harassment, murder, abduction, kidnapping of girls and their forced conversion as well as un-consensual marriages with the Muslims backed by the security establishment.
 Such a situation is resulting in a gradual exodus of Sindhi Hindus from their historical and indigenous land - Sindh, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, said Khemu Kalani (name changed), one of the protestors who along with 114 other Hindus came from Sindh province of Pakistan on a tourist visa to India via Rajasthan.
“These crimes committed against Hindus fall in the category of crimes against humanity and violation of various United Nations covenants, conventions, treaties, resolutions and instruments, particularly of the Article II, III, and IV of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” said Swami Om of the Hindu Veer Sena, who was accompanying the protestors.
Gomti, 39, could not hold back her tears as she recalled tales of horror of young Hindu women being abducted, raped and converted in Sindh province of Pakistan. She is among the 750 Pakistani Hindu people who have fled Pakistan and come to Delhi. Ganga, a 42 year old woman (name changed) said that she left Sindh province of Pakistan and has come to Delhi with her husband and their six children.
 “We are called as kafir (or the non believer) in Pakistan; our children are not allowed to study in schools unless they convert to Islam and read the kalma. Wives of Hindu men are picked up and raped.
“When we go to police station to register complaints, the police drive us away saying rape is no big deal, has he taken anything from you?,” said Gomti, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Nahar Singh, a Delhiite who has given shelter to over 750 Pakistani Hindu refugees who came to Delhi over the past 18 months said, “ All they want is to live with respect and be allowed to stay as Hindus; the Government of India should grant them citizenship.”
Nahar Singh said that the refugee have already appealed to the President of India and all major constitutional authorities in the country including the Prime Minister, but in vain.
Nahar Singh added that thousands of these victimised Hindus, as well as their human rights defenders have sought refuge in India, where they no doubt face various legal, economic, and social issues.
The Centre, which has to either accept these refugees on the humanitarian grounds by recognising their refugee status or confer them the citizenship of India, has not come forth with any concrete decision.

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

Read More

Slokas for a ‘giant of history’

Over 100 world leaders, including President Pranab Mukherjee and US President Barack Obama, came here on Tuesday in an unprecedented act of homage to Nelson Mandela, calling him a “giant of history”. Sanskrit slokas were read out from the Hindu scriptures in a moving ceremony at Soweto’s FNB Stadium as tens of thousands of South Africans gathered to pay homage to the anti-apartheid icon who died last Thursday.
“It is hard to eulogise any man... How much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation toward justice, and in the process moved billions around the world,” Mr Obama said in a 20-minute speech with references to the struggle for racial equality in Africa and America.
Mr Mukherjee, who headed a high-level Indian delegation that included Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, called Mandela an “icon of irreversible social and economic change” who had “never diminished his commitment to his kind of ‘satyagraha’ against injustice and inequality”. Mr Mukherjee said Mandela’s “stoic determination, patience and magnanimity reminded us, in India, of the revolutionary methods of Mahatma Gandhi”.
Mr Obama too likened Mandela to Mahatma Gandhi as well as America’s Martin Luther King Jr. “Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistance movement — a movement that at its start held little prospect of success. Like King, he would give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed, and the moral necessity of racial justice,” the US President said, to huge applause from a crowd of over 80,000 who braved the rain to attend the rare event.
The other leaders present included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Britsh PM David Cameron and several predecessors, French President Francois Hollande and his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapakse, former US Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and a host of others.
As multi-religious prayers were held, a person of Indian origin recited Sanskrit slokas to say Mandela has attained immortality and people were offering “humble worship” so that he leads the world from darkness to light.
Mr Mukherjee, who was warmly received as he entered the stadium and was seated next to South African President Jacob Zuma, recalled how when Mandela had visited India in 1995 as post-apartheid South Africa’s first President, he had visited Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, and said “it was for him a homecoming, a pilgrimage”. The President added: “We pray for his eternal peace. Madiba lived a life of sacrifice
and privation as he pursued a seemingly impossible goal for his people — and the world is richer for his legacy.”
Mandela’s widow Graca Machael, separated wife Winnie Mandela, children and grandchildren attended the ceremony. His funeral is due to be held in his childhood home, Qunu village in the Eastern Cape, on December 15, and it will be a private affair.

Courtesy:asianage dot com

Read More