http:/;/www.hinduamericanfoundation.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18, 2006) - In a June 28, 2006 memo sent by Senator for Internal Affairs, Mr. Udo Nagel, in Hamburg, Germany, it is noted that Hamburg will immediately begin to offer voluntary return to Afghan refugee families obligated to leave Germany, and if the refugees decline the offer, Hamburg would deport the refugees against their will. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) demanded the immediate rescission of this order.
"This cold-hearted government order ignores the prevailing conditions in Afghanistan, which seems to be fast returning to a state of lawlessness and violence. The German threat to deport Afghan refugees comes despite the U.S. State Department's advice to German authorities to reconsider the fate of the refugees," said Ramesh Rao, Member, Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation.
Among the many Afghan refugees are Hindu-Afghan refugees who will face even more dire conditions if they return voluntarily to Afghanistan or are deported to Afghanistan. In a recently released report on Hindu human rights, "Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights (2005)," HAF stated that many Hindus currently do not send their children to school in Afghanistan fearing persecution and ridicule. Hindu temples and Hindu crematory grounds have been occupied by Muslims, and the Afghanistan Government under President Hamid Karzai is seeking to re-open the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, a Taliban-era office that meted out medieval forms of harsh punishment for acts considered offensive according to Sharia law. "The U.S. State Department should immediatel y oppose the proposed German measures and encourage a more humanitarian policy for a people who have suffered too much already," said Ramesh Rao.
"This cold-hearted government order ignores the prevailing conditions in Afghanistan, which seems to be fast returning to a state of lawlessness and violence. The German threat to deport Afghan refugees comes despite the U.S. State Department's advice to German authorities to reconsider the fate of the refugees," said Ramesh Rao, Member, Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation.
Among the many Afghan refugees are Hindu-Afghan refugees who will face even more dire conditions if they return voluntarily to Afghanistan or are deported to Afghanistan. In a recently released report on Hindu human rights, "Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights (2005)," HAF stated that many Hindus currently do not send their children to school in Afghanistan fearing persecution and ridicule. Hindu temples and Hindu crematory grounds have been occupied by Muslims, and the Afghanistan Government under President Hamid Karzai is seeking to re-open the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, a Taliban-era office that meted out medieval forms of harsh punishment for acts considered offensive according to Sharia law. "The U.S. State Department should immediatel y oppose the proposed German measures and encourage a more humanitarian policy for a people who have suffered too much already," said Ramesh Rao.
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July 21, 20061. German Deportation Order on Afghan Refugees Unconscionable
http:/;/www.hinduamericanfoundation.orgWASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18, 2006) - In a June 28, 2006 memo sent by Senator for Internal Affairs, Mr. Udo Nagel, in Hamburg, Germany, it is noted that Hamburg will immediately begin to offer voluntary return to Afghan refugee families obligated to leave Germany, and if the refugees decline the offer, Hamburg would deport the refugees against their will. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) demanded the immediate rescission of this order.
"This cold-hearted government order ignores the prevailing conditions in Afghanistan, which seems to be fast returning to a state of lawlessness and violence. The German threat to deport Afghan refugees comes despite the U.S. State Department's advice to German authorities to reconsider the fate of the refugees," said Ramesh Rao, Member, Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation.
Among the many Afghan refugees are Hindu-Afghan refugees who will face even more dire conditions if they return voluntarily to Afghanistan or are deported to Afghanistan. In a recently released report on Hindu human rights, "Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights (2005)," HAF stated that many Hindus currently do not send their children to school in Afghanistan fearing persecution and ridicule. Hindu temples and Hindu crematory grounds have been occupied by Muslims, and the Afghanistan Government under President Hamid Karzai is seeking to re-open the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, a Taliban-era office that meted out medieval forms of harsh punishment for acts considered offensive according to Sharia law. "The U.S. State Department should immediatel y oppose the proposed German measures and encourage a more humanitarian policy for a people who have suffered too much already," said Ramesh Rao.
2. The Business of Temple Hair Offerings
NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 9, 2006: Ever wonder what happens to all the hair that is shaven off devotees' heads at temples in India....... This news piece gives food for thought about a little-known industry that has blossomed from devotees' shaved heads. According to this article, hair worth about US$136 million collected from temple barbers is shipped from India, one of the largest exporters of human hair, to factories in China while the United States imported hair worth $82 million during the 2004-05 fiscal year from India. Jaswanth Soundarapandian, regional director of the government's council on hair export, said, "There has been a steady rise in demand from China. However, while it remains our biggest buyer, the burgeoning hair fashion trends in countries like the United States of America and European countries have helped to expand trade." The news item clarified, "Exporters say buyers from countries such as the United States pay $1.50 for a strand of hair that expensive beauty salons may then weave into extensions or wigs that can sell for between $1,500 and $3,000. Exporters say that Hollywood is one of the biggest consumers of human hair." Apparently the famous temple in Tirupati is the largest hair supplier and in the last year the temple sold over 3 million kilos of hair for about 1 million dollars. The temple now employs over six-hundred barbers. One hundred of these barbers are females that service the 4,500 to 20,000 female devotees who devotedly offer their hair to God on a daily b asis.
3. Sanskrit Can Be Fun, Says US Youth Network
NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 16, 2006: A recently launched web portal by a group of young people in the US directs you to a video of a "Sholay" (a Bollywood blockbuster) skit and the "Aati Kya Khandala" Hindi film song--both in Sanskrit--that they performed at an Indian event in the US. This is one of the many new methods that the "umd_samskritam" group, comprising of students from the University of Maryland and young professionals from the area, have adopted to promote spoken Sanskrit in daily life. The group launched their web site, here, July 11. The youth network believes that there is a lot of practical value in the classical language of India, which also is the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism apart from being the oldest attested Indo-European language. "Umd-samskritam began as a collaboration between DESI, a student group at the University of Maryland, and Samskrita Bharati, a voluntary NGO that seeks to promote Sanskrit. Its motto is "Rachayema Samskrita Buvanam," which means "We shall create a Sanskrit world." Having grown to over 160 members and about 15 volunteers by May 2006, the group pushed for their web site, in addition to coordinating Sanskrit activities in the Washington, DC, area. The web site aims to function as a repository of Sanskrit resources, link together Sanskrit activities around the world and "promote Sanskrit through fun" as well as encourage online activities such as blogging and forums. Volunteer Srilatha Kuntumalla says July 11 was chosen for launching the website as it was "Guru Poornima," a day traditionally observed in India in honor of gurus or teachers. Students offer prayers and guru dakshina (offerings) to their teachers for guiding them and imparting knowledge. The umd_samskritam group wanted the web site to be their guru dakshina to their teacher and Samskrita Bharati volunteer, Rajesh Rachabattuni. Currently, the website has mp3 versions of stories, songs, conversations and videos of skits that were performed during various Sanskrit workshops. The group's goal is to help create such web pages for various regions in the US where Sanskrit groups are already active.
4. Australia's Sri Venkateswara Temple
HELENSBURGH, AUSTRALIA, July 11, 2006: Helensburgh is one of the famous abodes of Lord Venkateswara in the southern hemisphere and is located in a picturesque hill about 31 miles South of Sydney, Australia, according to a short report sent by S. Karthikeyan. It was started in 1978 by a small group of devotees with a vision to build a Hindu temple according to Vedic principles. The selected site met all the required attributes: virgin land, surrounded by forests, located on an island, a water source close by and adjacent to an ocean. The temple is now a major pilgrimage center in Australia bustling with devotees. A significant and popular addition to the temple in recent times is SVT Vidyalaya, a program which conducts spiritual classes on the first Sunday of every month. Aimed at imparting overall knowledge of various aspects of Hindu philosophy, the classes include: chanting of slokas, bhajans, classical music lessons, and explanation of spiritual texts. The program also teaches children and youth to perform pujas at home according to proper rituals. More information on the temple, called the Tirupathi of the southern hemisphere, can be found at the URL above.
Australia has attracted thousands of Hindu immigrants from all over the world. Sydney has a vibrant dharmic community with a rich cultural and classical heritage. It is not surprising to find many yoga schools, several centers for Ayurvedic healing, numerous meditation centers, and holistic science listed in the yellow pages. Naturally this has evinced a keen demand in learning Sanskrit. The first school to teach Sanskrit to school children between the ages 6 to 18 will commence classes on July 23, 2006, at Marsden Road Public School in Liverpool, Sydney. Run by the School of Vedic Sciences Inc., the school aims to promote Sanskrit as the medium of learning for understanding texts like Ayurveda, Yoga Sutras, etc. and aims to conduct classes for all groups with the focus on spoken Sanskrit.
5. Swami Maheswarananda to Visit Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 21, 2006: Sri Paramhans Swami Maheswarananda (affectionately known as "Swamiji") will be bringing his tour, "Spiritual Development for World Peace" to Washington, DC on September 9, 2006 at 7:00 PM. The evening program will take place at Yoga in Daily Life National Center, 2402 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301. For more information, please call 703 299 8946 or click URL above .
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