US interfaith forum objects to event at school over Ram temple celebrations

WHILE Hindu bodies and members of the Indian diaspora were busy celebrating the inauguration of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram in the northern Indian holy town of Ayodhya on Monday (22), there were also voices who raised concerns over them.

A coalition of interfaith communities, led by Justice For All (JFA) and including bodies such as the Council on American Islamic Relations, wrote to the Montgomery County Council in the US state of Maryland expressing reservations over an event hosted by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) - America at a local public school on the occasion of the Ram temple celebrations in India.

According to a report by NRI Affairs, the event is linked to the "coordinated destruction of a 500-year-old mosque and the subsequent erection of a temple on its site".

The letter also underscored the history of the Hindu right-wing VHP in India and its role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque, in December 1992, and alleged involvement in violence against the country's religious minorities.

Read: How Indian diaspora across the world celebrating Ram temple consecration

It also expressed worries over the appropriateness of hosting an event in a public school that might potentially celebrate historical acts of violence.

ZahirAdil, leader of the Save India From Fascism campaign at JFA, alleged importing of hate to the US by holding such events. The coalition also urged authorities to not encourage events that it feel may promote hate and intolerance, the NRI Affairs report added.

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Sunita Viswanath, executive director and co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, suspected politicisation of the site in Ayodhya for electoral benefits and emphasised potential crack in communal harmony that Hinduism speaks about.

India will head to general elections in a few months' time in which prime minister Narendra Modi, who led the consecration ceremony at the temple in Ayodhya, will seek his third straight mandate.

Zainab Chaudry, Maryland director at CAIR, said organisations that have a history of promoting hatred should be disallowed platforms in public schools, especially when it comes to celebrations linked to historical events that cause sufferings for minority communities.