Hindus from various regions in Pakistan face constant kidnappings and abductions by Islamic extremist

Pakistan (CHAKRA) - A Hindu Trader, on his way home from his shop in a Mastung Bazaar,  near the provincial capital, was stopped at gunpoint and taken away by a group of men. In similar cases, Hindu workers are kidnapped by Muslim extremist groups and held for ransom or forced into conversion.

The man, Vijay Kumar has closed his shop and was on his way home when a group of armed men stopped him at gunpoint, snatching him away, according to police.

Police said that witnesses at the scene informed them of some men who they had never seen take away Vijay Kumar as he was on his way home after closing the shop.

The Vijay Kumar has not been found and even after a police report has been made, other Hindu businessmen in the area are not content with police search efforts. They are upset with the government for failing to provide sufficient protection to the Hindu community and other non-muslim communities who are prone to getting robbed or abducted. They hope that the search continues and police efforts are taken seriously to find Vijay Kumar.

An issue with many of these cases is that the families are often to poor to pay the demanded ransom asked by the abductors. This makes the motive of these abductors questionable as they are not targeting members from the rich community, therefore making the possibility that cases like this based on religious hate.

Pakistan has a Muslim-majority population with a decreasing minority community made of Sikhs, Hindus and Christians

Sikh’s in Pakistan are demanding a seat in the Senate or upper house of parliament. They are requesting that a seat be reserved for minorities in the country to have some hope for their community to be represented even in the smallest possible way.

Sardar Ramesh Singh, chairman of Sikh Naujwan Sabha, Pakistan, said that the Sikh community currently has no representatives in the National Assembly of the government. A delegation representing minority communities met with the new minority affairs secretary demanding that the one seat be reserved for the minority community.

Four new seats have been added to the 100-member Senate. They have been added and will be reserved for the minority community during the upcoming March election.

The lawmakers of the four provincial assemblies elect majority of the Senate representatives while a few seats are left to be filled based on recommendations of the government.

During the meeting with the minority affairs secretary, Michael Javed, a Christian representative and leader of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf brought to attention the fact that the government was not able to keep its promise of reserving 5 % of jobs for non-Muslims.

He further stated that after this known fact he finds it hard to accept and believe that four seats will in fact be saved for minority representatives in the March election. He fears that even if a minority is selected, he/she will be forced to resign due to discrimination, and harsh treatment by other government officials and representatives. He also brought to attention the fact that in the minority affairs department in Sindh, the secretary has no place to sit.

Mangla Sharma, member of the Pakistan Hindu Welfare Council stated that although parliamentarians are given financial aid for minorities, it is never used properly and hardly reaches the community members at all.

Ho Chi Minh Order award

(CHAKRA) The Ho Chi Minh Order award was granted to the Head of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue for his hearty contributions to Buddhism in Vietnam and across the world.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, was honoured to reward the 95-year-old VBS head at the Vien Minh Pagoda in Hanoi’s district of Phu Xuyen on the outskirts.

At the honorary celebration, the Deputy Prime Minister shared many great words about the VBS head.  His contributions to the VBS, to the country of Vietnam, and to the rest of the world, were honoured when passing over the award to him.

During the celebration, PM Nhan, spoke highly of the Patriarch, wishing him well-deserved happiness and good health.  He also, thanked all of Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue’s followers, Buddhist dignitaries, monks and nuns both within the borders and outside of it for all their support.

In addition to his gratitude for the Patriarch’s work, PM Nhan stated that he hopes the Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue can continue to share his wisdom with his country and even towards the country’s reform plans.

Hindu Mandir Priest Conference 2012

(CHAKRA) The objective of the Hindu Mandir Priest Conference (HMPC) is sustainability and the advancement of Sanatana Dharma by making the modes of worship meaningful and relevant for the younger generation of Hindus within the United States and Canada. The purohits (priests) play an essential role in the spiritual and cultural welfare of North American Hindu society. The conference will explore ways to make the priests’ roles more effective in meeting the ever changing needs of North American Hindus.

The 1st Hindu Mandir priests’ Conference 2012 (HMPC 2012) will be hosted on April 27-28, 2012 and held in Pittsburgh, USA.

Hindu Priests and religious committee members of temples and institutions are invited to offer their experience and wisdom in specific areas, for everyone else’s benefit.

Some of the detailed discussions will be around the following:

• Connecting with Children and Young Adults
• Personal Growth and Continuing Education
• Shared responsibilities
• Samskaras & Festivals
• Worship practices: Beyond rituals
• Internships, Sabbaticals, Exchange Programs
• Challenges of multiple languages, disparate customs
• Managing devotees demands
• Environmental Considerations
• Employment & Benefits
• Hindu Chaplaincy Program

It is the hope of the organizers that priests may take several new concepts from this conference and implement in advancing the growth of the respective temples. If you would like to contribute in any of the above roles please contact:

Dr. Abhaya Asthana,
Program Co-Chair, HMPC 2012
abhayaji@gmail.com,
508-875-0432H; 508-314-6069M

Shri Sant D. Gupta,
Program, Co-Chair, HMPC 2012
santguptava@gmail.com
703-495-9299H; 703-980-7487M

GOP

(CHAKRA) Hindu Americans are appalled by the recent comments made by Republican presidential candidate and former Senator of Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum, on the eve of last Saturday’s South Carolina primary, according to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). While speaking to a town hall audience, Santorum said that the concept of equality did not come from Islam or “Eastern religions,” but rather from the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Leaders of HAF that had previously worked with Santorum when he served as Senator and even recognized his past work on human rights, were outraged by Santorum’s remarks.

“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, M.D., Co-Founder and Board Member of HAF. “His comments not only demonstrate a disregard for America’s great history of pluralism and religious diversity, but also show a profound ignorance of the teachings of Dharma spiritual traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.”

Santorum, who addressed a crowd of over 200 people at the Clock Restaurant in the small town of Boiling Springs, further declared that Americans should live “responsibly in conforming with God’s laws,” since their rights and equality come from God.

“For Mr. Santorum to present himself as a ‘true conservative’ is to defame the conservative movement that should never allow itself to be conflated with his intolerant message,” added Shukla.

Despite his last-minute appeals to South Carolina voters, the former Pennsylvania Senator finished in third place with 17% of the vote, behind both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, who received 27.8% and 40.4% respectively.

“Hinduism, the world’s oldest spiritual tradition, has long advanced the concept of equality that transcends humanity and is inclusive of the entire creation that is a manifestation of an immanent and omnipotent God,” said Jay Kansara, HAF’s DC-based Associate Director. “Mr. Santorum would do well in joining the millions of Americans who have actually read and drawn inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita and other Dharmic, or Eastern, scripture before making such divisive and ill-informed statements.”

A slaughtered cow that has had its throat slit during prayers

Kerala, India (CHAKRA) - Kunnathunadu, Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha, three taluks of Ernakulam district experienced a shutdown on January 18th, as a result of the inhumane slaughtering of an innocent and pregnant cow. Three individuals belonging to the local Muslim community slit the cow’s throat inside the compound of the Sree Dharma Sastha.

The shutdown began after local Hindu organizations protested against the merciless act of the cow slaughtering.

After the incident, police managed to get hold of the three culprits, Muhammad 49, his son Anas 23 and another male by the name of Razid 18. Of the three one person managed to escape from police custody.

A member of the Sree Dharma Sastha Temple believes that the slaughter was performed to create tension and trouble amongst the nearby residing community rather than for meat. According to him, had the culprits wanted meat they would have simply stolen the cow rather than slaughter it in such a painful manner right in the temple premise. Based on this information, the individual believes that it was a hate crime against Hindus to stir up chaos.

As per previous police reports, the surrounding area has been subject to a rise in Islamist activity lately. Just 25 km away from the area, on July 4, 2010, activists of an extremist Muslim organization had cut off the arm of a Christian university professor alleging that he had blasphemed Prophet Muhammad in a test paper question.

The three men had approached the Hindu temple in disguise of men who had medication for the cow. Once getting into the temple where the cow was, the men barricaded the area with plastic wrap before slitting the cow’s throat and finding a Moulvi from a nearby village to chant prayers that were mandatory after the slitting of throat according to common Islamic practices.

As news spread of the atrocious act, members from nearby Hindu activist groups as well as from the Sangh Pariwar were outraged and rushed to the temple. At the same time, Muslim supporters of the killing of the cow also gathered near the Hindu temple creating a scene of tension, which could escalate to greater trouble.

Protesters gathered and the tension lasted for several hours because protestors were not allowing police to take the culprits and cow carcass away. Once the police, carcass and three individuals were out of the scene, several demonstrations were held thereafter with clashes between Hindu supporters disapproval of the slaughter and Muslim supporters justification for killing the cow in the Hindu temple premise.

It is not sure for what crimes the accused culprits will be charged for in India, but in many western nations this would constitute as a hate crime with very heavy penalties.

You can view a video segment about this incident from local news here:

Rona Mohammed, Zainab, Sahar and Geeti Shafia were Victims of an Honour Killing by their Family in Canada in 2011. The Family had left Afghanistan in 1992 and then lived in Pakistan before coming to Canada.

(CHAKRA) FACT: Since 2002, 12 murders of women in Canada were deemed to be honour killings.

You may have heard about numerous cases of honour killings being perpetrated in various foreign countries. After all, for those of us living in the West (and political North), these types of stories are quite sensational. They highlight how superior our collective and to some degree, composite Western culture is in comparison to the primitive tribal cultures of foreign lands. However, wherever there is a bubble of ignorance, I am there to burst it. Canada, a lovely country known for its open-hearted acceptance of immigrants from a vast array of foreign lands, is quickly becoming a cesspool in which cultures are clashing. These clashes are usually swept under the rug by the host country (Canada) and those who are integrating (at varying degrees) in to the host country.

Luckily, we still have brave and intellectually honest journalists and social activists who make it their mission to shed light on matters such as honour killings. My tasks in this short article are to inform the readers that honour killings do indeed occur in Canada and that we must do more to prevent such atrocious behaviour from occurring here.

For the sake of brevity, I will list a few high profile cases of honour killings in Canada from the last decade or so:

• Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, 24, was a B.C. native who was murdered in Punjab, India in 2000. It is alleged that her mother, Malkit Kaur Sidhu, and uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha of Maple Ridge, B.C. conspired to have Jaswinder killed as she married Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, a rickshaw driver in India. This marriage was not approved of. India seeks the extradition of Malkit Kaur Sidhu and Surjit Singh Badesha.
• Amandeep Singh Atwal, 17, was stabbed to death by her father in 2003 for dating a non-Sikh boy.
• Amandeep Kaur Dhillon was killed in 2009 by her father-in-law in a Toronto-area grocery store where she worked. She had threatened to leave her husband.

These three cases are just the tip of the iceberg. We know about these cases because they were high profile. Heaven only knows how many other cases of honour killings are left undocumented. I do not wish to delve too deeply into an analysis of the problem of honour killings as I would not be able to do it justice. However, I recommend readers to gain valuable insights on the matter by downloading and reading Aruna Papp’s pioneering study for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy:

Papp, A., “Culturally Driven Violence Against Women: A Growing Problem in Canada’s  Immigrant Communities.”, FCPP Policy Series No. 92, July 2010.

While on the subject of Papp’s work, I would like to highlight a key finding from her study on the topic of honour killings. Her study explains that women were killed due to reasons of honour and family shame. More explicitly, the victims were threatened over issues such as refusing to cover their heads, wearing makeup, wearing Western clothes, dating, going to parties, choosing friends the family disapproved of, refusing to marry a man chosen by the family, seeking a divorce from a violent husband and marrying against the families’ wishes. What is the root cause of this problem? Does this not seem symptomatic of families who simply do not understand the concept of social/cultural integration in to new host countries?

I want to conclude by applauding Aruna Papp’s work on the matter of honour killings and culturally driven violence against women. Papp’s study has outlined 14 realistic recommendations to curb the problem of culturally driven violence against women. I most certainly hope that our government and law enforcement agencies muster up the courage to come out of their “political correctness” shells in order to do what is right. I think an even bigger onus is on the communities in which these horrible acts are being perpetrated. They must come together by first accepting the fact that honour killings do happen. The next step would be to have community based programs to assist at-risk individuals and families (many of these programs already exist but they need to be able to expand their operating capacities).

The archaic and barbaric mindset of some individuals must not rule the majority. Old views and old ways have already died out in the Motherland and so immigrant communities should not fight an uphill battle to uphold backward views of the past! Immigrant communities need to do a better job in terms of integrating in to the new societies that they inhabit by taking the good and leaving out the bad (and from an introspective perspective – the same goes for their own cultures).

Signing off,

Abhaya Shanker Dube

Mundeshwari Temple

Bihar, India (CHAKRA) -  The Mundeshwari Temple in Kaimur District is in trouble due to the lack of security and safety measures set up to protect the oldest monuments in India which reside within the temple. The Maoist hit Kaimur district is not safe and thus the centrally protected monuments are not receiving the care and attention they need.

The Mundeshwari Devi Temple (also spelled as Mundesvari) is located at Kaura in Kaimur district in the state of Bihar, India on the Mundeshwari Hills. It is an ancient temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Shakti and is considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in Bihar. It is also considered as the ‘oldest functional’ temple of India.

Last month, thieves tried to break into the main sanctuary area where the monuments are kept but fortunately a potentially ugly situation was prevented before the culprits made it in. The main entrance gates of the over 1600-year-old temple were damaged in an attempt to get inside.

The government has not even assigned five attendants to look after the maintenance and safety of the temple monuments. The temple is located on a 608 feet hill and is known to be the oldest functional temple in the country where prayers still take place on a regular basis as they always have for several hundred years. The few individuals taking care of the temple will continue to do so but they hope to hear from the centre about gaining more resource to maintain the sacred place immersed in history.

Slovakia

(CHAKRA) Hindus have expressed shock at Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights report on Roma (Gypsies) human rights in Slovakia.

Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg, in this report prepared after his recent visit to Slovakia, wrote: “…racist and notably anti-Roma discourse, sometimes of a distinctively aggressive nature, is still common among mainstream politicians in Slovakia. Anti-Gypsyism also often surfaces in the broadcasting and print media…many Roma children in Slovakia continue to receive education of lower quality than their non-Roma peers due to policies and practices resulting in segregation…Progress remains to be made in Slovakia in dealing with past practices and with cases of sterilisation of Roma women without their full and informed consent…disproportionate representation of Roma children among children placed in institutional care in Slovakia.”

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, strongly condemning continuing reported maltreatment of Roma in Slovakia and Europe, said that it was time for Slovakia and other countries of Europe to wake-up and do something concrete to end Roma apartheid.

Europe needed to clarify to the world where it stood on the issue of Roma and how long it would let the clearly visible Roma apartheid continue throughout almost every European locale, Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, asked.

Hammarberg Slovakia report further said: “Generalisations and stigmatising speech targeting members of Roma communities have reportedly been resorted to by politicians across the political spectrum…newspapers being reported for instance to regularly stereotype Roma as people who refuse to work or pay rent, steal and are violent…Instances of police misconduct vis-à-vis Roma continue to be reported in Slovakia…”

Books of the Bhagavad Gita

(CHAKRA) International Gita Society launched it’s a month long program—31 days of Science and Spirituality for the Bhagavad Gita on Gita Jayanti Day “December 5, 20110.” The program was aimed to connect youths to understand the Bhagavad Gita for daily life and to remember world known great Yogis, scientists, philosophers, and literates. Around 500,000 youths joined this program through social media network such as Facebook and Google Plus. The campaign started with an acknowledgement of a world Guru— Swami Vivekananda, and a great Yogi— Shri Guru Ji (2nd President of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)’s contribution in awakening millions of people of Sanatan Dharma. Participants were also briefed about scientist such as Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Father of Atom Bomb), philosopher like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau, and a great political leader Mahatma Gandhi and the Bhagavad Gita’s role in shaping their lives.

Along with this campaign, a worldwide Bhagavad Gita essay competition was also held by IGS. Jaime Murphy of the United States was declared as a winner of the competition. This program concluded on January 5 by paying tribute to great Hindi literate Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan (Father of a legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan). Dr. Bachchan translated the Bhagavad Gita in Avadhi to make it music friendly and popular like Ramayana in 1954. However, this great work is remained unknown and unnoticed by most of Bhagavad Gita readers.

The IGS was founded by Dr. Ramanananda Prasad, Retired U.S.Navy Official and Professor of San Jose State University in 1984. It is a registered, non-profit, tax-exempt, spiritual institution in the US. It has its branches in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Europe, and South American countries.