Stop religious intolerance

THE South African Hindu Dharma Sabha says it will not allow anyone to “trample upon Hindu sensitivities with impunity” after a blasphemous post depicting Goddes Luxmi went viral on social media last week.

The post, which was shared on the Facebook group “Savage Memes Anonymous” by user Adrian Snyman from Wynberg, Western Cape, had attracted the attention of many Hindu devotees who reported the post to the Dharma Sabha.

The picture or meme has sexual innuendos.

Sabha president Ram Maharaj, described the post as “despicable, obscene, vulgar, discriminatory and deeply demeaning and invasive of the human dignity of the Hindu community”.

He said it was clear Snyman’s intent was to cause hurt and humiliation to the Hindu community.

“He is fanning the flames of religious hostility and hatred. Adrian Snyman has wilfully and brazenly violated the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act No 108 of 1996 which provides for equal status, treatment, protection and respect for all religions.”

The President of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha Ashwin Trikamjee said the time had come for people to abandon laying complaints and rather “to deal with them in our own way”.

Trikamjee said he had seen the post and reported it to Facebook but has had enough of religious intolerance. “How long are we going to tolerate this for?

“The poster knew he could post it because we (Hindus) are soft targets. He wouldn’t have allowed it if someone posted about his own religion.”

Maharaj said his organisation had since reported the post and Snyman to the SA Human Rights Commission and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.

“In a democratic country like South Africa, rich in religious diversity, it is imperative that all patriotic citizens respect the inalienable right of others to be different in order to enhance social cohesion and nation building.”

It is not the first time the dharma sabha had taken someone to task for religious intolerance.

At the beginning of the year, the dharma sabha also reported Facebook user Daniel Naicker after he posted about the word “Shivlingum” translating to the word ‘f **** d’.

Naicker has since apologised to the dharma sabha.