New Zealand Hindu Council faces flak for uniting other Indian religions
By ANIMonday, May 3, 2010
WELLINGTON - The Hindu Council of New Zealand is facing allegations of trying to club the various Dharma religions (Sikhism, Buddhism, Taoism) under Hinduism.
The council has organized a conference with the objective of ‘uniting’ the myriad religions that were born out of India. They have roped in a Buddhist Monk for the opening ceremony. However, they made unfounded claims about the other religions that led to the confusion.
Hindu Council is facing the fury of religious leaders for trying to mislead non-believers into thinking all Dharma religions are subsumed within Hindusim and that Buddha is the reincarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu.
“Bharatiya Dharam’ sounds like a figleaf for claiming Sikhs are Hindus, along with Jains and Buddhists. The term ‘Dharma group’ sounds like a twist to the claim of Buddhism being part of Hinduism,” Verpal Singh, chairman of the Sikh Centre told the New Zealand Herald.
The Sikh leader said that although he wished the organisers well, he could not bring himself to attend because it would be “like a Jew attending a Nazi conference”. (ANI)
