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HAF Needs
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HAF provides a voice for
the Hindu American community by interacting
with the government, judiciary, media, think tanks, academia and
public fora about Hinduism and issues of concern to Hindus in
America and around the world.
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HAF to Hold Programs in New York and London |
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HAF invites you to the Hindu American Foundation’s Hindu
Awareness Campaign presentation in New York! From May 21-22 in
New York, you will have the opportunity to meet with HAF leaders
from across the country and other supporters in our community,
learn about HAF's achievements and plans, and find out how you
can be a part of HAF. |
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Date:
Saturday, May 21, 2005. Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Location: The Hindu Temple Society of North
America, 45-57 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11355.
Phone: (718) 460-8484.
Web:
http://www.nyganeshtemple.org/.
Please RSVP by May 15 to:
Date:
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Location: Bhuvaneshwar Mandir, 86-06 101st Ave,
Queens, NY 11416. This is in Ozone Park.
Phone: 718-843-0542.
You must register by May 15 with Pandita Indrani at
i_rampersad@yahoo.com
or 718-529-3966, Ramesh Kalicharran at 718-291-9090, Pandit Prakash
Gossai at 718-843-0542, or Dr. Tara Singh 718-849-0289 and:
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The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) invites you to the Hindu
American Foundation’s Inaugural programs in the United Kingdom!
From May 14-15 in London, you will have the opportunity to meet with
Dr. Mihir Meghani, President of HAF, and other supporters in our
community, learn about HAF's achievements and plans, and find
out how you can be a part of HAF. |
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Date:
Saturday May 14, 2005. Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Program:
UK Launch of the HAF Report on The Status of Hindu Human Rights in
South Asia at a press conference convened by the Hindu Forum Britain
(http://www.hinduforum.org)
Location: The Regency Hotel, Cromwell & Harrington Room,
100 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5AG. Web:
http://www.regency-london.co.uk/ and Tel: +44 20 7373 7878
RSVP
by May 13 with Maniv Pathak at maniv.pathak@hinduforum.org
or Tel: +44 20 8965 0671, or
Date: Saturday May 14, 2005. Time (Sometime during
sabha/satsang): 7:30 pm-9:30pm
Program:
Hindu Awareness Campaign presentation at BAPS Mandir
Location: Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS), 105-119
Brentfield Road, Neasden, London NW10 8LD. Web:
http://www.swaminarayan.org/globalnetwork/europe/london.htm and
Tel: +44 8965 2651
RSVP
by May 13 to
Date:
Sunday, May 15, 2005. Time: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Program:
Debate convened by the Hindu Council UK (http://www.hinducounciluk.org)
titled “Locating Hinduism, in the Transnational space of the 21st
century”
Location: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (UK Centre), in Art
Gallery, 4a Castletown Road, London W14 9HE,
(nearest tube
station – West Kingston/Barons Court). Web:
http://www.bhavan.net/ and Tel:
+44 20 7381 3086/4608.
RSVP
by May 14 to anuja.prashar@hinducounciluk.org or
For further information:
Please
contact HAF.
Support HAF - Click here to become a member |
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HAF Meets with the Simon Wiesenthal Center |
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May 2, 2005
LOS ANGELES, CA:
Dr. Mihir Meghani, President of the Hindu American
Foundation (HAF), met with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of
the Simon Wiesenthal Center (http://www.wiesenthal.com/), on April
20, 2005. Dr. Meghani and Rabbi Cooper discussed human rights
problems in general, and those faced by Hindus and Jews in
particular. Rabbi Cooper expressed deep concern at the growing
anti-Semitism in Europe and America, the threat of Islamist
terrorism, and the worrisome decline in the Jewish population in the
U.S. and the consequent loss of and threat to Jewish identity.
Dr. Meghani highlighted the problems facing Hindus worldwide. Some
of the topics discussed included laws and government policies in
India that unfairly discriminate against the Hindu majority
population and a political culture that repudiates the 5,000 year
old Hindu heritage of India. He also expressed concern about the
non-pluralistic views of the new Pope, aggressive proselytization
campaigns funded by Christian agencies targeting Hindus and
Buddhists, Islamist terrorism, and Hinduphobia pervasive in the
media and academia worldwide.
Both leaders agreed to work together to promote tolerance and
harmony by continuing to explore common values and themes that would
bring Hindus and Jews closer together for a better world. Dr.
Meghani thanked Rabbi Cooper for extending his hand of friendship to
Hindus and for his recent visit to India. Rabbi Cooper thanked HAF
for its leadership role in the Hindu American community and the
Hindu civilization for being one of the only civilizations that in
its long history has never persecuted Jews.
For further
information:
Please
contact
HAF.
Support HAF - Click here to become a member |
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HAF Commends Agha Khan for Commitment to Pluralism |
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The Hindu American Foundation wrote a letter to His Highness
the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili
Muslim community, commending him for
his recent
$40 million investment for the establishment of the Global
Centre for Pluralism in Canada. |
April 30, 2005
To His Highness the Aga
Khan,
On behalf of the Hindu
American Foundation (HAF), I would like to commend you, as the
spiritual leader (Imam) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community,
for the establishment of the Global Centre for Pluralism in Canada.
Furthermore, we are pleased that the Government of Canada has also
pledged support towards the development of this institution. We hope
that your magnanimity and commitment to pluralism will inspire
members of other faiths to come forward and embrace this concept as
well.
At HAF, we believe that
pluralism must be a fundamental part of any nation that values
diversity, democracy and multiculturalism. HAF will support your
efforts to promote pluralism as this concept has always been a
central component of the Hindu faith as articulated in an ancient
Sanskrit hymn: “Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti” meaning
“Truth is one, the wise call it by many names.” We strongly
feel that acceptance of pluralism is the only way to bridge
religious divisions and to bring together people of all faiths
during these troubled times.
Representing the 2
million strong Hindu American community, HAF is dedicated to
providing a voice that educates government, media, think tanks,
academia and public fora about Hinduism and issues of concern to
Hindus locally and globally. We would like to meet you and your key
representatives in the near future to discuss ways we can
collaborate to promote pluralism together. You may learn more about
HAF and our efforts at our website at
www.hinduamericanfoundation.org.
Sincerely,
Pawan Deshpande
Member, Executive Council
Hindu American Foundation
For further
information:
Please
contact
HAF.
Support HAF - Click here to become a member
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HAF Responds to Hinduphobic Article in LA Times |
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The Hindu American Foundation responded to a Hinduphobic
article,
"Defying Tradition" (April 24, 2005) in the Los
Angeles Times where, an Indian Missionary Father D'Mello urges
the new Pope Benedict XVI, who holds other religions as
'deficient', not to yield an inch to 'extremists'. The writer
Paul Watson also equates Hinduism with the worship of cows and
snakes. HAF points out that it is indeed Christianity that
holds exclusivist views whereas Hinduism is tolerant and
values pluralism. |
Dear Editor:
Paul Watson's "Defying Tradition", April 24, 2005, promotes
Hinduphobia rather than balanced reporting. The article says
that Father D'Mello "battles for souls against the myriad
beliefs of Hinduism" and urges Pope Benedict XVI, who holds
other religions as 'deficient', not to yield an inch to
'extremists.' In fact it is the Pope, when he was Cardinal
Ratzinger, who expressed extremist views by denigrating Hinduism
as a religion of "false hope" that guaranteed salvation based on
a "morally cruel" concept of reincarnation resembling a
"continuous circle of hell." Such Hinduphobic views anger Hindus
and build distrust. Hinduism is a peaceful and tolerant religion
that believes in pluralism.
Urging Hindus "to place their faith in Christ instead of the
cows, cobras and other beings they revere" is deeply hurtful and
ignorant. Hinduism's reverence for nature is not a central
principle in and of itself, but rather the outgrowth of a
philosophy that sees the divine in all of creation. As the
Bhagavad Gita says, "For one who sees Me everywhere and sees
everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me"
(Gita 6:30).
For true peace and harmony, there needs to be understanding,
tolerance, and pluralism. Missionaries like Father D'Mello
promote their own exclusive views at the expense of other belief
systems and thereby create a cycle of distrust that ultimately
leads to conflict.
Sincerely,
Swaminathan
Venkataraman
Member, Executive Council
Hindu American Foundation
For further
information:
Please
contact
HAF.
Support HAF - Click here to become a member
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