Hindu American Foundation: Air Force Bias, UK & NY programs

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"Mihir Meghani, M.D. [HAF]" <mihir.meghani (AT) hinduamericanfoundation (DOT) org>To:

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American Foundation Newsletter: Air Force Bias, UK & NY programsSat, 11

Jun 2005 18:51:10 -0700

Namaste friends, I hope you are well! If you have not already, please sign up

on our website to receive our weekly newsletter automatically, and to join as a

member or donor! Thanks for your support!

 

Regards,

Dr. Mihir Meghani

President, Hindu American Foundation

www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

 

HAF Newsletter June 2, 2005

Promoting Understanding, Tolerance, and Pluralism

 

 

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HAF provides a voice for the Hindu American community by interactingwith the

government, judiciary, media, think tanks, academia and public fora about

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Inside This Newsletter

HAF CONCERNED ABOUT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AT U.S. AIRFORCE ACADEMY

HAF MEETS U.K. BASED HINDU GROUPS AND OFFICIALS

HAF HOLDS HINDU AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IN NEW YORK

We need your support to continue our workPlease click here to support HAF

HAF Concerned About Religious Freedom at U.S. Air Force Academy

June 1, 2005TAMPA, FL: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) expressed serious

concern over multiple reports that many in the faculty and staff at the

Colorado Springs U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) are abetting the spread of

evangelical Christianity on the campus while fostering a climate of religious

intolerance towards other religious traditions.The Air Force, according to a

statement made in early May, was first made aware of religious prejudice

through a survey in 2004, in which Jewish and other Christians claimed they

were being pressured by evangelical Christians. Although the Air Force created

a program for Respecting the Spritiual Values of all People (RSVP), HAF noted

that according to reports by former chaplains and students from the campus, the

program was

significantly weakened and inconsistently implemented.“These reports of

prosletyzation by senior officers, teachers and chaplains represent flagrant

violations of the American ethos of religious tolerance and pluralism that air

force cadets will be asked to uphold,” said Aseem R. Shukla, M.D., member of

the HAF Board of Directors. “Forcing a narrow religious viewpoint on cadets

when they are far from home for the first time and come to chaplains seeking

spiritual comfort and solace is deplorable.”According to a May 3 report in the

Washington Post, several cadets stated that those who chose not to attend

chapel after dinner at the USAFA are organized into a “Heathen Flight” and

taken to their dormitories; that the “Chaplain of the Year” urged Christian

cadets to advocate that their fellow cadets convert or “burn in the fires of

hell”; that many born-again Christian faculty members push students to become

born-again; and that several mandatory cadet meetings begin with

Christian prayers.A May 28, 2005 statement by the most recent official taskforce

to visit the academy confirmed some instances of commanding officers imposing

religious views on others and demands these officers to be more sensitive to

these issues. HAF members supported these findings but continued to demand

concrete action and disciplinary measures. They expressed particular concern

that Hindus, as followers of a non-Abrahamic tradition that is largely

misunderstood in the U.S., would be even more vulnerable to religious

discrimination and concerted prosletyzation.“HAF strongly opposes any effort to

pressure cadets on the basis of religious affiliation,” said Dr. Shukla. “We

urge the United States Air Force to consider the loss of morale and resentment

prosletyzation effects on students and take definitive measures to restore the

American tradition of real understanding and

pluralism on the campus. Officers abusing this responsibility must face real consequences.”

For further information: Please contact HAF.Support HAF - Click here to become a member

HAF Meets U.K. Based Hindu Groups and Officials

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type="#_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" alt="" o:allowoverlap="f">May 30,

2005LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The Hindu American Foundation concluded a series of

interactions with Hindu organizations based in the United Kingdom (U.K.) &

officials of the U.K. Government’s Home Office. With the goal of trying to

understand the challenges faced by Hindus in the United States of America

(U.S.A.) and the U.K., a series of high level meetings were held with several

Hindu organizations. By the conclusion of the trip, HAF had forged

partnerships with several U.K. Hindu groups to further issues of importance to

Hindus in the U.K. and U.S.A. and promote pluralism and understanding.

Dr. Mihir Meghani, President of HAF, with Dilip Lakhani, at the BAPS

Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Neasden, U.K., during arti

In HAF’s meeting with the Home Office’s Faith and Community Cohesion Unit, HAF

expressed concern about recent legislation that would prevent Hindu priests

from immigrating to the U.K. and would force temples to close down. Anil

Bhanot, Executive Director of the Hindu Council U.K. (HCUK), stated, “Home

ministry officials have expressed their appreciation for HAF’s input and

assured both HAF and the HCUK that they would consider our input and forward

our concerns to Members of Parliament.”Hindus in the U.K. voiced several other

concerns to HAF including the lack of British government funding for Hindu

groups while other faith groups had a dramatic increase in funding, the lack of

Hindu Members of Parliament, Hindu human rights globally, disunity in the Hindu

community in U.K., the misappropriation of Hindu symbols for

commercial purposes, and apathy in the community to Hinduism in general.The HCUK

organized a program at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Sunday May 15, 2005. There was

a large attendance from various Hindu organizations and communities. As part of

the topic of “Transnational Identities,” HAF President Dr. Mihir Meghani

presented HAF’s Hindu Awareness Campaign (HAC) which highlighted the situation

of Hindus in the U.S.A. and HAF’s role in addressing the challenges and

opportunities facing them. Anuja Prashar, an Executive Board Member of the

HCUK, added, “This program is about talking about the role Hindus can play in

western society. The Hindu American Foundation is contributing greatly to the

development of a global Hindu voice and in promoting a credible Hindu voice in

the institutions

that shape public perceptions and policy.”The Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB)

organized a press conference in London on Saturday, May 14, 2005 where HAF

released the 2004 Hindu Human Rights Report on Bangladesh, Pakistan, and

India’s state of Jammu & Kashmir. Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary General of the

HFB, explained that, “The 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.” Dr.

Meghani added, “The 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.”

Dr. Meghani with leaders of the National Hindu Students Forum of U.K.

On Saturday, May 14, 2005, Dr. Meghani addressed the sabha at the BAPS Hindu

Mandir in Neasden which has an attendance of around 2,000. He presented HAF’s

HAC presentation. Commending the work of BAPS and the leadership of His

Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Dr. Meghani said, “BAPS is doing important work

to promote universal and spiritual values. Many Hindus such as myself are

inspired by the message of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Pramukh Swami, and the

millions of volunteers of BAPS worldwide. HAF is providing the interface

between sampradayas like BAPS and the institutions worldwide that shape public

policy.”HAF met with leaders of the Hindu Human Rights Group. Dr. Meghani

lauded the group for its efforts in countering defamation, educating the public

about issues facing

Hindus in the U.K., and working proactively to counter hate in U.K. HAF also

met with leaders from the Chinmaya Mission, National Council of Hindu Temples,

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir, Indo-European Kashmir

Forum, Human Rights Commission for Bangladesh Minorities, National Hindu

Students Forum, and Vivekananda Centre.For further information: Please contact

HAF.Support HAF - Click here to become a member

HAF Holds Hindu Awareness Campaign in New York

May 30, 2005

NEW YORK, NY: Between May 20 to May 22, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) made

a successful initial foray into the New York (NY) metropolitan area with several

events designed to present HAF’s vision, goals, and achievements.On Friday, May

20, HAF President, Mihir Meghani, M.D., held a press conference at the Maalika

Indian Restaurant in Manhattan. A number of Hindu and Indian journalists

attended the press conference at which Dr. Meghani discussed HAF, its

accomplishments, its objectives for 2005 and 2006 and his recent groundbreaking

visit to the United

Kingdom. “The press conference was important because it allowed HAF to broadcast

its message of understanding, tolerance and pluralism to the greater New

York/New Jersey community,” stated Dr. Meghani. Several interviews were done

for the print and television media.On Saturday, May 21, HAF presented its Hindu

Awareness Campaign (HAC) at the Ganesha Hindu Temple (Hindu Temple Society of

North America) in Flushing, NY. The first HAC event in NY attracted a large

audience of highly motivated Hindu community leaders. Dr. Meghani, Mr. Nikhil

N. Joshi, Esq., (HAF Board Member), Mr. Pawan Deshpande (HAF Executive Council

Member), and Ms. Adeeti N. Joshi (HAF Associate and Gift Coordinator) conducted

the inspiring HAC

event. Dr. Gaddam Reddy, Vice-President of the Temple, stated that HAF “has

proven its weight in gold after less than two years in existence. We are very

pleased to see an organization take charge to lead Hindu Americans into the

future. In my mind, HAF’s leaders are the future Vivekanandas!”

Dr. Meghani speaking with a reporter in Manhattan during a press conference

On Sunday, May 22, HAF held a HAC program at the Bhuvaneshvar Mandir in Queens,

NY. An audience consisting of mainly Caribbean Hindus warmly welcomed Dr.

Meghani, Mr. Joshi, and HAF’s Human Rights intern Preetom Sikder. Dr. Meghani

and Mr. Joshi presented the HAC event to an audience that included a large

number of youth and young professionals. The Caribbean community openly

solicited support for HAF and in doing so, Pandita Indrani Rampersad, the first

Hindu Pandit from Trinidad and Tobago, implored that “Hindus who care to

preserve their heritage and who want to have a voice in the American mainstream

must do everything in their power to enable HAF to accomplish its noble

objectives.” During the course of

the weekend in New York, HAF leaders discussed ways to reduce hate and promote

understanding, tolerance, and pluralism with the leadership of the Simon

Wiesenthal Center. In Long Island, NY, HAF was hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Narinder

Kukar at a dinner meeting, where Mr. and Mrs. Joshi, and Dr. Meghani formally

presented HAF to a gathering of community leaders. HAF also met with Dr. A.V.

Raghunath of the Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation and received an update on

issues surrounding the deplorable attack on the Sankaracharya of Kanchi and the

work of the Kanchi Math in India. At all venues, HAF was asked to

return again for further programs to promote awareness of the issues Hindu

Americans face and the work of HAF, and to raise money to support HAF’s plans

to serve the community.

For further information: Please contact HAF.Support HAF - Click here to become a member

We need your support to continue our work.

Please click here to support the work of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF)HAF

is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501©(3) organization. Tax I.D. 68-055-1525

Hindu American FoundationP.O. Box 48528Tampa, Florida

33647U.S.A.http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.orgTo , please reply

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