http://www.sulekha.com/news/newsitem.aspx?...&com=y#focuscom
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A Brentwood man who says a microbrew beer label depicting a Hindu god holding a beer has offended him and Hindus worldwide is suing the brewery.
The Humboldt County-based Lost Coast Brewery intimidates Hindus from practicing their religion, he claims.
"How can you show a god in such a way?" asked Brij Dhir, a Golden Gate University law student and attorney licensed in India. "There are lots of ways of having fun. This is not fun."
Lost Coast owners are considering changing the label of their Indica India Pale Ale. It depicts elephant-headed Ganesh, god of wisdom and remover of obstacles, holding a beer in one of his four hands, and another in his trunk.
"I don't want to offend any Hindu people," said co-owner Barbara Groom.
The company will take the product off the shelves, the brewery's general manger states in an April 26 e-mail to Dhir.
Groom said her Hindu friends don't mind the label.
"They think it's really cool."
Dhir seeks at least $25,000 and his lawsuit mentions that $1 billion would be appropriate to compensate Hindus around the world. He alleges that the brewery has defamed Hindus and caused emotional distress.
Also named as defendants are Safeway, which carries the product, the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the state Attorney General's Office. Dhir alleges it has failed to respond to his requests for action against the brewery.
"It's a hate crime," Dhir said, while drinking tea in his Brentwood home. Incense lingered in the air.
Depicting Jesus Christ, Buddha, Muhammad or other religious figures would also offend him, Dhir said. Even though Lost Coast is willing to change the label, Dhir said he wants a jury to rule that the owners should pay damages for the two years of using the image.
The U.S. Constitution protects the label, an expert said.
Individuals or companies have the right to produce artwork that offends somebody's religious beliefs, said David Greene, executive director of the Oakland-based First Amendment Project.
If the brewers wanted to keep a beer-quaffing Ganesh on the label, they would have a strong chance of doing it, Greene said.
Dhir's suit alleges that commercial products don't have free speech rights.
Commercial speech does have less protection than artistic speech, Greene said. Still, courts usually protect product labeling unless it tells a lie that - like falsifying ingredients or claiming that "the beer will make you a holier person."
Groom said Lost Coast removed the label from its Web site when the owners learned about the suit last week.
Bruce Gerstman covers Contra Costa Superior Court. Reach him at 925-952-2670 or bgerstman@cctimes.com.
Beer ad battles
⢠A federal court in New York ruled in 1998 that the New York State Liquor Authority could not ban the sale of Bad Frog Beer. The label depicts a frog using the second of its four unwebbed fingers as a gesture the liquor authority considered vulgar.
⢠The same year, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Colorado Division of Liquor and Tobacco Enforcement for banning the label of Flying Dog Brewery's Road Dog Ale, which included a scatological word. After a few years of litigation, the division changed its regulations so that the federal government, not the state, approved labels.
⢠Utah-based Wasatch Brewery alluded to Mormonism in its beer labels. The company's Polygamy Porter slogan was: "Why just have one? Bring some home to the wives." In 2003, when a company billboard depicted a woman next to the tag line "Nice Cans," the state senate majority leader called the advertisement offensive and soon sponsored legislation for a tax on beer kegs. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
came via email..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->As long as Hinduism is viewed as a mere 'Cultural phenomenon' ( and not as a powerful world religion that is not going to tolerate such poor portrayals), we will continue to get this treatment. We as Vivekananda Centre London have registered a diplomatically worded protest with Minelli the shoe manufacturers. We congratulate HHR for being watchful on such issues. (Vivekananda would have said, "These youngsters have some fire in their bellies they do not just talk, but act for the Hindu cause.
xxxxxxxx
Vivekananda Centre LondonÂ
Copy of our email to Minelli
For the attention of the Chief Executive
Siège social Minelli
9th May 2005
Dear Sir
We have just been sent an image of one of your designer shoes that show the image of a very important deity in the Hindu religion.
This deity is called Sri Rama. This ancient king preached and practised the idea of living for high ideals and not for material possessions. No king ancient or modern has lived up to such high ideals as did this ancient Hindu king. You may check with the French historians to confirm this. In order not to damage the moral fabric of his nation this king was prepared to abandon his beloved wife. Compare this with the modern would-be king of England. For the sake of gaining a wife he was prepared to risk damaging the ethical code of Church of England! Can you now appreciate how important this king is for Hindus and why he should be respected not only by Hindus but by whole of mankind?
We hope common sense will prevail and you will immediately withdraw these designer shoes depicting the image of Sri Rama.
We await to hear from you.
xxxxxxxxxx
Vivekananda Centre London
http://www.vivekananda.co.uk
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Sahara TV interview HCUK on Hindu Human Rights campaign against use of images of Hindu Gods</b>Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Sahara TV of India, called Hindu Council UK for comments on the Campaign Hindu Human Rights have launched against Minelli, for the degrading use of images of Hindu Gods and Deities.
Anuja Prashar affirmed that Hindu Council UK support this campaign, because we think the thoughtless use of images of Hindu dieties is reflective of the dichotomous positioning of Eastern and Western philosophy in an intolerant society.
Â
Hindu images, in the fashion and retail industry, are always presented to perpetuate the idea of Hinduism as a regressive and immature ideology which is not worthy of being taken seriously. Other religions, do not merit the same treatment because they may be the dominant religion of that particular society or other religions may be less tolerant or even violent in their reactions to derogatory representations of their ideology.
Hindu passivity & tolerance, which are our greatest strength, in this instance are seen to be our weakness and is taken for granted. Hindu ideology and it's depiction are therefore easily used for the marketing gimmicks which incite antagonism towards symbols denoting ethical or moral values. This antagonism and need to challenge morality is symptomatic, of an immature and intolerant society, such as prevailed in the West during the 60's. This behaviour is in direct contrast to the pluralism and tolerance of the Hindu and Universal Vedantic philosophy, which demands respect for all religions and their practises.
HCUK Executive
Hindu Council UK<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Following up on the lostCoast issue , a reply from its General Manager
<!--c1-->CODE<!--ec1-->
I would like to state that the company, Lost Coast Brewery would never
intentionally promote or take a position that would degrade your god or
any god such as Ganesha. This was not intentional and is only a
byproduct of a simple marketing campaign from a small company and was
not meant to bring about any harm.
Please understand that there is no hidden agenda here in using this art
to promote one of our beers. We have no hidden agenda against any Hindu
community member or any religious community otherwise. Lost Coast
Brewery wishes for forgiveness by the Hindu community and Ganesha.
Eventually the product(s) in question will succumb to total removal
from all facets of distribution.
Thank you for allowing Lost Coast Brewery an opportunity to have its
public apology be heard amongst the Hindu community.
Briar Bush
General Manager
Lost Coast Brewery
www.LostCoast.com
BriarBush@LostCoast.com
<!--c2--><!--ec2-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Bomb threat closes Swaha Hindu College in Trinidad & Tobago</b>
Thursday, May 12th 2005
Trinidad Express
There will be no classes at the Swaha Hindu College, St Augustine, today, following a bomb threat made to the school yesterday.
According to a statement issued from the Ministry of Education "the principal of the Swaha Hindu College received a an anonymous phone call," yesterday morning "on an impending bomb threat for May 12, 2005.
The caller advised the principal to keep the students at home, the statement said.
Note: <b>The Hindu minority of Trinidad & Tobago, with their decreasing population, are subject to large-scale discrimination and attacks by Christian missionaries who use forcible conversions, murders, hate-propaganda and temple desecrations as tactics to drive them out of the Caribbean nation.</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Eight years destitute Hindu girl - raped at Bhatia - Tarakanda PS,
Mymensingh ,Bangladesh.</b>
http://www.ghrd.org/cms/index.php?id=21,26,0,0,1,0
Investigative Report of Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD-Dhaka) on the
incident of rape of a destitute Hindu Minor children - Ms.Anjali Rabi Das at
Bhatia, P.S. Tarakanda, Dist. Mymensingh-Bangladesh. Investigation conducted
by GHRD-Dhaka on 13th of May, 2005.
A destitute Minor Hindu Girl - Ms. Anjali Rabi Das aged about 8 years,
daughter of Tongu Rabi Das of Bhatia, Tarakanda P.S., Dist. Mymensingh has
been raped and tortured by a Muslim boy - Al-Amin on 20th of April, 2005.
Case has been filed - Rapist has not yet been arrested by Police.
I, Adv.Rabindra Ghosh, Ms. Biva Rani Biswas and Suvasish Sarkar of
GHRD-Dhaka rushed to the spot from Dhaka by Bus as soon we got news from the
daily newspaper " Ajker Kagoj" dated 26th of April,2005 that a destitute
Minority children has been raped. We reached Tarakanda police station at
about 1 p.m. on 13th of May, 2005 and received the copy of F.I.R. lodged by
the victims' father - Tongu Rabi Das. We perused the FIR and rushed to the
spot were the victim was residing at Bhatia 8 kilometers east from Tarakanda
Police station.
<b>Back Ground Information:</b>
The destitute victim - Ms. Anjali aged about 8 years is the second daughter
of Tongu Rabi Das. She has got two sisters namely - Ms. Shilpi Rabi Das
(10), Ms. Kajal Rabi Das ( 7) and one brother - Ranjit Rabi Das (5) Ms.
Anjali lost her mot her four years ago. Her father is a day laborer. They
have got neither landed property nor any moveable properties. They live on
mercy of one neighbor- Badsha Meah - Badsha Meah gave the destitute plot of
land on that plot they are residing with very miserable condition.
On 20th of April, 2005 at about 5 p.m. Al-Amin - a Muslim boy - a student of
Class X went to the house of Ms.Anjali and called her alluring to show
pictures of Television at his house nearer to house of victim Ms. Anjali
southern side of Anjali's house. Anjali , on good faith, went to his house
Al-Amin. As there was no person in his house and on that opportunity Al-Amin
brought her in his bed room and caught hold of Anjali and opened her wearing
pant and started to rape without her will. Due to persistent rape blood was
pouring. As a result the victim minor children started hue and cry and
Al-Amin caught hold of her mouth so that she can not cry. Anjali came back
from the house of Al-Amin and narrated all this inhuman torture upon her and
the local witnesses saw this inhuman torture upon this child and tried to
negotiate with the father and mother of the rapist till 22nd of April, 2005.
But the police on secret information got the news and started a ! case
through guardian of the victim - Tongu Rabi Das on 23rd of April,2005 being
Tarakanda P.S. case No. 15 dated 23.04.2005 under section 9(1) of
Nari-O-Shishu Nirjatan Ain,2003. Police did not arrest the rapist till
writing of this report.
The motherless destitute Hindu child should be protected and rehabilitated
immediately.
A detailed investigative report of Global Human Rights Defence will follow
soon.
Rabindra Ghosh
Representative
Global Human Rights Defence, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
READ THIS REPORT
http://www.ghrd.org/cms/index.php?id=21,26,0,0,1,0
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>HINDUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN SOUTH ASIA BEING IGNORED</b>
16 May 2005: The human rights of Hindu are consistently being violated in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir, according to a new report by the Hindu American Foundation, which was launched by the Hindu Forum of Britain on 14 May 2005 in London. The launch was attended by prominent dignitaries from the Hindu community, Metropolitan Police, and the media.
The Report on the Status of Hindu Human Rights in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kashmir, concludes thatÂ
human rights violations against Hindus are repeatedly ignored by organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and government commissions. The report says that such bodies are routinely failing to specifically highlight the plight of Hindus in regions where they comprise a minority, especially in Bangladesh which represents an ongoing crisis for Hindus and is of utmost and immediate concern.
The Report, which is launched in partnership with the Hindu Forum of Britain, presents documented instances and a fact-based concurrent analysis of the abuse of the human rights against Hindus, including:
FÂ Â BANGLADESH
·     Over 400 documented attacks have taken place on Bangladeshi Hindus between January and November 2004.
·     Over 300,000 attacks so far include the day to day acts of murder, rape, kidnapping, temple destruction, and physical intimidation.
FÂ Â PAKISTAN
·     Nearly 2 million people, many of them Hindus, are held as slaves in âbonded labourâ in southern Pakistan.
·     Pakistan officially discriminates against non-Muslims through a variety of laws and strictures. Discriminatory laws include the âanti-blasphemy lawâ under which anyone who is accused of criticizing the Prophet Muhammad is imprisoned without trial for long periods of time, and mandatory religious identification in passports.
moreâ¦
Hindus human rights abuses in South Asia being ignored /2
FÂ Â INDIAâS JAMMU & KASHMIR STATE
·     Over 300,000 Kashmiri Hindus have been forced to leave due to ethnic cleansing abetted by Kashmiri Muslims & Pakistan.
·     More than 3,000 Hindu civilians have been killed, and thousands more Hindu police and army personnel have succumbed to terrorist violence.
Dr Mihir Meghani, President of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said: âThe Hindu minority in this region are regular victims of terrorism, murder and religious cleansing and we urge international human rights organisations and governments across the world to acknowledge the full extent of these human rights abuses and take action to address these injustices.
Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary General of the Hindu Forum of Britain, added: âThe report catalogues a series of human rights violations in the region. It is important for the world to sit up and take note of these attacks just as much as it does of human rights violations against other communities. We urge people of conscience to protest against this unacceptable violation of human rights by writing to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lost Coast brewery - NRI sues US brewery over 'Ganesh beer'
<!--c1-->CODE<!--ec1-->
Washington: Offended by the depiction of Hindu God Ganesh on a bottle of beer, an Indian American law student is suing the company for "hurting the sentiments of Hindus worldwide".
Though Lost Coast Brewery has withdrawn the label, Brij Dhir, a Golden Gate University law student who is also an attorney licensed in Mumbai, said he was seeking damages worth US $1 billion from the company for "intimidating Hindus from practising their religion".
 Editor's Choice
Hindu god, beer label don't mix, lawsuit says
Beer 'Ganesh' brews storm in US
Dhir, who hails from Brentwood, said the company's Indica Indias IPA label showed Ganesh holding a beer in one of his arms and another in his trunk.
"How can you show a god in such a way?" Dhir asked. "There are lots of ways of having fun. This is not fun," he was quoted as saying in the Contra Costa Times.
The brewery has e-mailed Dhir saying it would withdraw the product.
"I don't want to offend any Hindu people," co-owner Barbara Groom said.
But Dhir seeks atleast US $25,000 and his lawsuit mentioned that US $1 billion would be appropriate to compensate.
Also named as defendants were Safeway, which carried the product, the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the state Attorney Generals office.
Dhir alleged it had failed to respond to his requests for action against the brewery, the report said. <!--c2--><!--ec2-->
http://headlines.sify.com/news/fullstory...d=13744934
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hindu Human Rights Press Release :
A Response To the Lord Ram Shoes Withdrawal.
10 June 2005
A figure claiming to be a representative of Minelli, the French company behind the offensive shoes of Lord Rama<b>, has emailed Hindu Human Rights to inform us that Minelli has apparently withdrawn the said products from sale</b>. In response to this Hindu Human Rights have replied to raise the following points:
While it is positive development that you have apparently finally responded to our concerns, we have a number of points that we would like you and your company to address. Firstly, we would like you to provide details of your rank and standing within the company and to confirm that you have the authority to enforce such a withdrawal. Also, we would like a timetable and strategy for the withdrawal of these products (for example, what do you intend to do about those shoes you have already sold?). Next, we wonder what you plan to do with these shoes after you have withdrawn them from sale? For instance, it would be unacceptable if you plan to dump these shoes in another country once the publicity is over. Also, as you probably do not know, Hindus consider it a great taboo to destroy images of divinity. Hence the way you dispose of these shoes adorned with our scared images is of special interest to us and should be done with full Hindu rites. Have you made provisions for this?
Moving forward, we would like to know if your company has carried out a review to see how such products came to be sold by you. If so, do you intend to issue a report of this along with a public apology? Additionally, what processes and procedures is your company going to implement to ensure that you do not defame Hindus again?
Lastly, we wonder why you and your company maintained solid silence on this until now? You consistently ignored all of our attempts to contact you as well as numerous other Hindus. Given your track record of ignoring the Hindu community, we must call on all Hindus to join us to register protest to you and your government on Sunday 12 June 2005 outside the French Embassy in Knightsbridge, London in order to ensure that our voice is heard and that your company or any other companies do not do this again. We also urge you to think about the points we have raised and also about how you may make amends for the hurt you have caused. We would like to suggest that your company makes a compensation payment to a suitable Hindu charity which we are happy to nominate to you.
In addition to this there are ongoing issues with the rights of Hindus in France and the discrimination they face. As yet the French government has ignored our concerns. We once again call on the Hindu community to join us in protest to the French government and let the Hindu voice be heard.
We thank you for your support.
Hindu Human Rights
Serving Hindus Worldwide
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
IT SEEMS HINDUS HAVE NO HUMAN RIGHTS
<img src='http://www.faithfreedom.org/Gallery/BangaliHindu.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
This Bangladeshi Hindu was caught in the street. He was brought to the mosque and was beaten to death. His pleads for mercy had no effect on the stone-hard hearts of the Muslim Satan worshippers. They chanted, "kill the kafir, kill the kafir" and shouted Allah u Akbar while Vimal Patak met his agonizing death.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>UK Hindu rally against French intolerance draws thousands of protestors</b>
London 12 June 2005Â - At least a thousand Hindus from scores of Hindu organisations joined the protest against the French manufacturer Minelli and the call for expressing solidarity against religious intolerance in France at the rally organised by the Hindu Human Rights Group outside the French Embassy in London on 12th June 2005.
The colourful protest attended by many prominent Hindu leaders featured colourful banners of Lord Rama, slogans against Minelli and the French Government, chanting of hymns and devotional songs to the accompaniment of Indian drums and cymbals, speeches by Hindu leaders and signing of petitions amongst other things.
Expressing her gratitude to the thousands of individuals and numerous organisations who participated and supported the peaceful protest permeated by passionate cries of âJai Shri Ramâ (Victory to Lord Rama), Sheila Maharaja spokesperson for the Hindu Human Rights group said, âBathed in the afternoon sun, Hindus from all walks of life joined us in a growing Hindu awakening to make it known that we will no longer stand for the defamation of our sacred Lord Rama and the persecution of Hindus anywhere in the world.â
Speaking about Minelliâs apparent offer to withdraw the infamous shoes from sale, she added, âMinelli have yet to respond to our reply let alone offer a full apology. We will not stop this campaign until they have made it clear that they recognise the offence that they have caused, acknowledge their responsibility in a public apology and outline how they intend to move forward from here. There are also the wider issues surrounding this campaign about the treatment of Hindus in France itself. The French government have yet to respond and clarify how they intend to address this. The protest will continues.
âWe are very grateful to Hindu Human Rights for bringing this issue to the attention of Hindus all over the world,â commented Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary General of the Hindu Forum of Britain. âThe rally was a huge success and demonstrated the genuine concern Hindus in Britain and elsewhere have had about the misuse and abuse of Hindu icons as well as the growing intolerance in France. This is the main reason the Hindu Forum of Britain has urged all Hindus to boycott French goods and stop flying Air France.â
The Hindu Forum of Britain has also urged Hindus all over the world to write to the International Olympic Association to express their disgust and opposition to the short-listing of Paris as a possible venue for the 2012 Olympics. âWe are continuing to request outraged Hindus to immediately write to the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee,  Rogge, and express their opposition to the holding of Olympics 2012 in France. After all, this is the country that gave the world the three words âLiberty, Equality and Fraternityâ, and yet they do not wish to give liberty to minority faith traditions, do not wish to give us the same treatment given to the Catholic Church in strict violation of all accepted equality laws, and refuse to extend a hand of friendship and fraternity to us.â
Hindu temples in France are not recognised as âestablished Churchesâ and are therefore not given the same tax rebates that are available to Catholic Churches, some Protestant Churches and a few Synagogues and Mosques. âWe condone the fact that a religion that pre-dates Christianity by thousands of years has not been recognised as an accepted faith tradition by the French Government,â explained Dr Girdhari Bhan, President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK. âIt goes against all accepted norms of human rights in the democratic world.â
Organisations that supported the Rally included the Hindu Forum of Britain, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK, the Hindu Council of Brent, the Hindu Council of Birmingham, the Hindu Council of Harrow, the Hindu Council of the North, Leicester Festival Hindu Council, the Hindu Council UK, the Shri Kutch Leva Patel Community UK, the Federation of Brahmin Associations, the Prajapati Association UK, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation and scores of others.
Letters of protest to the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee opposing Paris as a venue for the 2012 Olympics should be emailed to nathalie.rapin@cio.olympic.org or yasmine.braeckevelt@cio.olympic.org
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b> Sangh forum asks Hussain to withdraw 'Saraswati' painting </b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pro-RSS cultural forum Bharatiya Vichara Kendram on Saturday accused celebrated artist M F Hussain of buckling under fundamentalist pressures in withdrawing the film "Meenaxi-a tale of three cities" while refusing to stop exhibiting his controversial "Saraswati" painting.
Charging Hussain with "sheepishly surrendering to the demand of the fundamentalists", the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram wanted the artist to "stop displaying the 'Saraswati' painting which offended the sentiments of the Hindus all over the world through the depiction of the Goddess in nude".
"If Hussain has the least grain of honesty in him, he must unconditionally withdraw all his offensive paintings and tender unconditional apology. If he does not do it, it will only prove that he is an Islamic fundamentalist, who is happy to insult Hindus or a coward or both", a statement issued by the Kendram's central team said.
"Hussain had ignored protests by Hindus all over the world against his depiction of Saraswati in nude glossing over the Goddess' traditional representation as fully dressed in white robes", it said.
"The so-called secularists had been vociferously supporting Hussain while abusing the protestors as fundamentalists and terrorists out to destroy the artist's basic freedom of expression, betraying sheer hypocrisy and double standards on their part", the statement said <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
while..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Hussain withdraws 'Meenaxi'
  By: PTI
  April 16, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A day after some Muslim organisations took objections to one of the songs in the M F Hussain's recent film 'Meenaxi - A Tale of Three Cities', the eminent artiste today ordered for immediate withdrawal of the film from public shows in the entire country.
"I have told my sole distributor Yash Chopra to withdraw the film from public shows from all over the country with immediate effect," Hussain said.
"Since I have not sold the film, directed and produced by me, to anyone, including Chopra, I would like to stop screening of the film," he said.
When asked for the reason behind it, Hussain said "I have not made the film to make money nor have I sold it to anyone. Therefore, I need not give any reason for withdrawal of the screening of the film to public."
Terming the song 'Noorun-ala-Noor' of the film, starring Tabu in the lead role, as "blasphemous", the All India Ulema Council had yesterday demanded an immediate ban on it.
"The song, picturised on Tabu, contains words which are directly lifted from the text of the Quran," the organisation, supported among others by Milli Council, All India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-Ul-Ulema-E-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami, said, adding "In Quran, the words are used to define the persona of Prophet but in Hussain's film, it is being use to depict the physical beauty of the heroine."
The song has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims, they claimed.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Via - email
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Dear friends,
HRCBM has partnered with ebay to allow raise needed fund for its activities. Support HRCBM and buy from ebay. Make sure you select items that support HRCBM. Generally, items listed in the ebay will select a nonprofit organization, ensure that HRCBM is selected by the items you buy. We receive 10% of the proceeds.
Follow the link below for an example
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=4558982108
Thanks
Dhiman Deb Chowdhury
HRCBM
http://www.hrcbm.org/<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.hinducounciluk.org/bhhrv.asp
<b>11 Hindus of same family roasted alive in Banshkhali, Chittangong </b>
Two Hindu women Ms Kali Dashi and Ms Sabita Rani Gang Raped in MOtbari Kotwal in Jessore district of Bangladesh.
Attack on Hindu devotees, Dieties Property illegally occupied at Rasulpur, Begumganj, Bangladesh
Ms Satabdi Halder(14) a minority Hindu Girl kidnapped for prostitution at Nandipara, Bangladesh
Ms Bina Rani gang raped by four rapists. The police arrested the rapists in presence of HRCBM Activists
Repeated attacks on ISKCON temple and sadhus at Bogla Bazar in Hobiganj District, Bangladesh
<b>OPPRESSED MINORITIES FIGHT BACK!</b>
Article by Gurvir Kainth
Harare - Scores of Asian and European minorities protested actions undertaken by the government of Robert Mugabe by waging a minor 'civil war'. The majority of the once 50,000 strong Indian population has been largely wiped out because of forced deportations, severe intimidation and, in some cases, murder. They also faced religious persecution for their Hindu beliefs under <b>Robert Mugabe's Moral Crusade against homosexuality and Hinduism</b>. Approximately <b>five Hindu temples and religious centers were torn down in the Harare and Bulawayo area</b>. To this day, Mugabe refers to <b>Asian immigrants in Africa as white monkeys</b>.
"He claims to be a devout Roman Catholic who attends service every week with his wife and children. <b>Pope Benedict was quick to condemn the recent demolitions that left nearly 700,000 Zimbabweans homeless, but would not comment on the seizure of white-owned land or harassment towards the Hindu minority." </b>- Anonymous political scientist at UH.
Indians in Zimbabwe recently announced their solidarity with the remaining few thousand whites living in Zimbabwe. As of 1994, there were an estimated 200,000 whites living in Zimbabwe and in the 1970s, there were nearly 400,000. As President Mugabe intensified his anti-white rhetoric throughout the 1990s, few whites believed they would be the victims of an onslaught of daily racist propaganda and vicious attacks carried out against them and their families. Robert Mugabe unleashed his war veterans many of whom were barely even born a few years after official independence in 1980 onto white owned property purchased primarily after 1980, with the actual approval of encouragement of Robert Mugabe's then agriculture ministry.
Whites have recently become the victim of land seizure threats from the Namibian and South African governments, but vow to fight back harder than they did in Zimbabwe. Already, a white farmer in the Bloemfontein area is in court after being accused of gunning down squatters attempting to illegally settle on his property. Another one, near Johannesburg, fed squatters to a lion in a zoo. White farmers in Namibia, most of whom are of German descent, threaten to bring in the German government to help them if their land begins to be taken from them. In Zimbabwe, many disgruntled farmers have begun re-visiting their former properties only to set them on fire in protest. Many landless black Namibians insist that they wish land reform to be conducted in a lawful and constitutional manner and are currently unwilling to engage in a war with whites as the majority of European settlers have armed themselves throughout southern Africa in anticipation for future Zimbabwe-inspired conflicts.
Robert Mugabe remains an icon in South Africa amongst young blacks
Hindu Human Rights Press Release 31th August 2005
<b>Minelli Apologises for Ram Shoes</b>
Hindu Human Rights are pleased to announce that following our protest to the French government, Minelli have apologised to the whole Hindu community for the offence they have caused by representing Hindu deities on their shoes. They have recently sent us all remaining shoes in order to ensure that they are destroyed in a manner consistent with Hindu traditions and sensibilities.
Hindu Human Rights would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all Hindus and Hindu organisations who came together to join us in this successful campaign.
Hindu Human Rights, Serving Hindus Worldwide
from email..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Subject: URGENT - Sign the Petition against
California Textbook Adoption
> Namaste. This fall the California State Board of Education will be voting on the adoption of 12 social studies textbooks to be used in schools throughout California.
The Vedic Foundation has reviewed the sections of the texts on Hinduism and Indian history and culture. Gross inaccuracies have been identified in the information presented in all 12 books including:
Factual errors and demeaning descriptions of Hinduism that contradict the beliefs of practicing Hindus.
Material presented is not important or illuminating, often emphasizing stereotypes.
A biased treatment of Hinduism when compared to other religions. Below is one example which illustrates the problem:
"The monkey king Hanuman loved Rama so much that it is said that he is present every time the Ramayan is told. So look around--see any monkeys?"
The Ancient South Asian World - page 87 - Oxford University Press Teachings such as these promote the rejection of a valuable spiritual and cultural tradition by Hindu youth. Other students build a negative perception of India, her culture and her people.
You can help voice the concerns of the U.S. Hindu community by signing the petition to the State Board of Education members:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/text2/
Please circulate this petition among your friends, coworkers, concerned parents and students.
I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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