Author: Ramesh N. Rao
Publication: ReligionAndSpirituality.com
Date: July 21, 2006
URL: http://religionandspirituality.com/view.php?StoryID=20060721-111627-8712r
Commentary: Of Karma and Dharma
Last week I pondered the question of who could
enter Hindu temples. But I had not thought of a situation where that question
would be moot because there would be no Hindu temples to enter.
No, I am not thinking of the, "This is the beginning of World War III"
pronouncements by well-known and sundry Republican politicians and commentators
in the past few days, and therefore the end of the world, and therefore the
destruction of all Hindu temples. Well, hell (if I may exclaim), if we had
World War III there would be no portals to enter - period - let alone Hindu
temples.
What I am writing about is the destruction of Hindu temples in a "progressive"
Muslim country, Malaysia. In the name of development and progress, local municipal
councils are razing Hindu temples at the rate of one a week. It is difficult
to evaluate the nature of these development projects and why or how the Hindu
temples have been targeted. One of the news items reports that "unregistered"
Hindu temples have been ordered razed.
But Hindu activists say that the Malaysian Governments, after Malaysia gained
independence in 1957, have refused to recognize and register Hindu temples.
They point out that the lands on which mosques are situated have been recognized
as "reserved" land in government gazettes but the governments have
deliberately ignored the Malaysian Constitution which guarantees equality
before the law (Article 8) by refusing to "reserve" land on which
Hindu temples have stood.
The many Hindu temples are meant to serve the legitimate spiritual interests
and needs of the nearly 1.7 million Hindus in a multi-cultural Malaysia.
One of the ethnic Indian ministers in the Malaysian government, Samy Vellu,
echoed the concerns of Malaysian Hindus and asked local authorities to set
aside permanent sites for the temples, in case any temple had to be demolished
because of public works projects.
This statement by the minister must have been welcome news for the Hindus.
But what happened a week ago, on July 14, was a slap in the face of the minister
and the minority Hindu community. The Government of Malaysia forced a Hindu
Temple in Petaling Jaya to relocate next to a large sewage tank. "Hey,
if you are going to pray to your many Gods, pray that the world will smell
good," seems to be the message of the Muslim Monarch of Malaysia. The
country is a constitutional monarchy, and the legal system is based on English
Common Law, but we should note that the king is also the leader of the Islamic
faith in Malaysia.
The plight of the Hindus will mostly go unnoticed by the international community
because it is believed by the world that Hindus tend to accept their fate,
and that they are resilient in the face of adversity. This message actually
was touted last week when Islam-inspired terrorists struck in Mumbai by bombing
several commuter trains. Two hundred people died, and more than 700 injured.
But there was little anger and disgust expressed in the world's newspapers,
and The New York Times not only did not publish an editorial on the ghastly
terrorist attacks, but chose to publish only three letters to the editor,
out of which two letters were by Muslim readers who complained that the attacks
on Mumbai would merely make the life of Muslims difficult and that unless
the Kashmir issue was resolved such terrorist attacks could not be contained.
My angry letter denouncing this vulgar choice went unanswered and unpublished.
But back to Malaysia: the local authorities used some ethnic Indian musclemen
to attack the temple devotees at the Petaling Jaya temple who were gathered
there to stop the destruction of the temple. This reminds one of the British
using Indian policemen to beat up the non-violent protesters led by Gandhi.
It is also a sad commentary on human frailty and how ethnic and religious
identity can be undermined by a few gold coins. The gangsters, it is reported,
were accompanied by nearly one hundred policemen, Petaling Jaya City Council
enforcement officers, fire brigade personnel and a Malay Muslim mob.
The police stood by and watched silently as the gangsters beat up the Hindus
who were maintaining a vigil in front of the temple, and then forcibly pushed
the Hindu devotees out of the way so that the hired gangsters could traumatize
the devotees. The temple was completely demolished by the next day. And despite
the complaints by the Hindu devotees the Attorney General of Malaysia has
failed to initiate criminal proceedings against the attackers or to ask for
an enquiry into the police and local officials who have instigated or colluded
in the attack.
Hindu leaders and activists met the Law Minister Dato' Seri Nazri Aziz in
May to complain about the temple destructions. Expressing regret at the events,
the minister is said to have promised a quick Cabinet meeting and a solution
to the problem. Two months later, and many more temples razed, the minister
has done the vanishing trick, and left his petitioners frustrated and seething
in discontent. It is reported that at least 26 temples have been destroyed
since February this year.
The letters that The New York Times published after the Mumbai terrorist attacks
last week may reflect the frustration of good Muslims who feel that they and
their religion have become objects of suspicion and even hate in many nations.
But it is rare to hear the good and moderate Muslims lash out against the
vindictiveness and violence of their fellow fanatical Muslims or the chicanery
of Muslim governments and Islamic states that deny fundamental human rights
to non-Muslims.
The Malaysian experience of Hindus should be yet another wake up call to world
leaders and good Muslims to end the tyranny of Muslim fundamentalism and Muslim
majoritarianism.
- - -
Ramesh N. Rao is a professor and chair of the Department of Communication
Studies and Theatre at Longwood University, Farmville, VA. The views expressed
here are his personal views and not those of the institution to which he belongs.
His email address is raorn@longwood.edu. © copyright 2006 by Ramesh N.
Rao
