Hindu religion is not represented well
THE article “Pastor slated for religious insult” (POST, October 17-21) refers.
“He gloated about converting a Hindu family.” So why does this happen so often to Hindus? Does it not occur to the South African Hindu Maha Sabha that something is wrong?
None of these Sabhas has lifted a finger to acquire a Hindu radio station or a Hindu TV channel. Other faith groups have their own radio stations and TV channels in this country. Why not the Hindus?
If there is a common Hindu platform, there will be a forum where Hindus can interact and discuss issues affecting them, in the same way that other groups do on their platforms. We should emulate Hindus in Britain, the US or even in Trinidad and Tobago.
In Britain, there is a Hindu radio station (Radio Sanskar) and there is BBC Hindi.
In 2006, following years of legal battles at various levels, Trinidad and Tobago acquired their first Hindu radio station for a population of over 300 000 Hindus. This happened after the British Privy Council ordered the government to give the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, led by Satnarayan Maharaj, a radio licence “forthwith”, to promote their faith. Do we have such a platform to promote our faith?
The state was also ordered to pay the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha costs of bringing its appeal to the Privy Council.
If there is no pride in being Hindu, there is no reason for people to stay within their own religio-cultural group.
According to the head of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, Ashwin Trikamjee, “every faith teaches religious tolerance”.
I challenge him to provide specific lines from other faiths that do teach “religious tolerance”.
I can provide many specific lines from other faiths that teach just the opposite.