This council should have representatives from various religious communities and other relevant parties.

It is our conviction that this consultative council will provide a platform to leaders to deliberate on religious issues and suggest remedies.

Through such communication and interaction will emerge the solutions that will accommodate the interests and aspirations of the diverse communities.

Any particular religion and its details should be left to scholars of that religion and its followers to deliberate on and decide on matters related to the faith.

However, there has to be a platform for representatives from various religious communities to deliberate on and seek remedies for problems and issues that sometimes arise out of interactions of people of different faiths.

In a multiracial and a multi-religious country such as Malaysia, where we interact with each other on a daily basis, there are bound to be instances where issues or even misunderstandings arise.

Through discussion and deliberations, we can continue to help people respect the diversity among us and continue to cultivate mutual respect.

We believe that Malaysians, on the whole, have come a long way in safeguarding racial and religious harmony in the country, and setting up this consultative council will further enhance the bond between the different communities.

N.S. RAJENDRAN, President Malaysian Hindudharma Mamandram

This editorial appeared in the New Straits Times on January 20, 2010.

• The Course will end with lunch at 2.00 pm on 20.12.2009 (Sunday)
  

• Hindus from 15 years of age are welcome to participate.

• Malaysia Hindhudharma Mamandram has a track record of more than 25 years conducting religious courses. This course will be handled by renowned speakers and experienced lecturers. Main aspects covered include Hinduism (including history, religious texts, saints and sages, home pooja, temple worship, moral education, yoga), thinking and learning skills, motivation, moral education, discipline, forum, visit to cave temple,  discussion and presentations.

• Students will be required to take a pre-test before the start of the course and they will also be required to take a post-test at the end of the course.

• Organizing committee will provide participants with:
  • Accommodation
    
  • Food
  • Notes
  • Writing materials
  • Certificate of Participation
    
  • Report Card
• Participants are required to bring the following:
  • personal items
  • stationary/writing materials
  • proper attire
  • pillow and bed-sheet
  • other personal items
• Fees : RM50.00 per participant.
• Please visit http://www.mamandram.org for more details or contact:
  • Mr.R. Ganesh – 012-6736101
  • Mr.A.Radhakrishnan – 019-2648667
  • Mr.S.Ramesh – 019-3994735
    

Please pass this message to all those who maybe interested and could benefit.
Thank you and see you there.
God bless all.

Anbudan,
N.S.Rajendran
President
MHDM

The crowd began gathering outside the Banting school’s main entrance near here at noon and staged a protest for two hours. The teacher had also allegedly said that the community members were stupid and prone to thievery, the Star daily reported on its website.

The alleged incidents took place on July 17 and 22 when the teacher had allegedly beaten up some Indians students. A students also alleged in his report that the teacher had written the word ‘keling pariah’ on the board and lost her cool when the Indian students told her that they did not like being called names, it said.

Coalition of Malaysian Indian NGOs secretary Gunaraj George, who was among the protesters, said such abuse would only breed hatred and racial polarisation in schools.

“No one in his or her right frame of mind would have said these things. Given this, the best option would be for the teacher to be assigned to a desk job and not be allowed to be near youngsters anymore,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong said the schoolteacher might be sacked if the allegations proved true. “The allegations were serious as no one was allowed to insult others, especially in a school environment,” said Wee, who was asked to comment.

The ministry was awaiting an official report before taking any action, he added.

Read Full Article – Racial taunts spark protests by Indians in Malaysia – Times of India

While Hindu roots in the country go back to the 2nd century AD, descendants of the early Hindu kingdoms in the country are almost non-existent, the entire population having converted to Islam. Most of the Indians in Malaysia today were brought as indentured laborers by the British to work in oil palm and rubber plantations across the country between the 19th and 20th centuries. A significant portion of these laborers were from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and share the language and culture of the Tamils. There are smaller numbers of Malayalis and Telugus, from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh respectively, in the country as well, along with Tamils of Sri Lankan origin who are also overwhelmingly Hindus.

Smaller migrations of Indians in the form of skilled workers have occurred in recent years. The latest statistics place the number of Hindus in Malaysia today at approximately 1.6 million.

Read Full Article – Hinduism in Malaysia

Meeting scholars: Abdullah shaking hands with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris Associate Professor N.S. Rajendran as Indian Council for Gandhian Studies New Delhi chairman Prof N. Radhakrishnan looks on in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

from The Star
PM: Combat ignorance and the perversion of religion

KUALA LUMPUR: Many individuals and groups have abused the name of God and religion to justify violence and terrorism, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

“Such extremism has been observed many times in the course of history and is certainly not new to our modern age. In each instance, the virtuous teachings of religion were twisted and manipulated to serve an unholy agenda.

“Hatred and bigotry are propagated on behalf of one’s religion for the sake of political gain or personal profit.”

He said those who advocate extremist tendencies often had a very shallow understanding of the philosophies and worldviews embodied in their respective religions.

“They take verses out of context, without any understanding of the larger historical setting which underlie such verses.

“This distorted perspective of religion becomes a convenient tool for the pursuit of power and selfish interest, he said, adding that thinkers and researchers must be prepared to play their part in broadening the public understanding of religion and its role in promoting justice.

“We always face the same issues and always feel disappointed. We hope for peace but war erupts. We hope for justice but violence occurs.

“We should not admit defeat in the jihad to free the world of war and violence. Don’t give up on fighting those who cause war and violence. It should be our lifelong struggle,” he added.

The Prime Minister, who outlined a strategy to combat such occurrence, said religious scholars and intellectuals in the country must be encouraged to engage with the wider public.

“Scholars and intellectuals should not lock themselves away in their ivory towers,” he said in his opening address at the international conference on religion in the quest for global justice and peace at Renaissance Hotel here yesterday.

“Instead, they should be prepared to educate the public on the great issues that face us all,” said Abdullah, adding that the religious curricula in schools and universities should be scrutinised.

“Our religious education should convince us that the dignity and integrity of all human beings is worthy of our respect. Religion should inculcate a truly universal and inclusive outlook, not mentality that is narrow, exclusive and parochial.”

He said the role of the media in promoting a universal and inclusive dimension of religion that focused on justice and peace should be intensified.

He added journalists and media practitioners should broaden their understanding of religion to play a more effective role in advancing the universal values of justice, peace and compassion.

Positive religious values in the governance of institutions from the Government to the basic family unit must be implemented, he said.

The Centre for Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is organizing an international conference on the theme Religion in the Quest for Global Justice and Peace from 23 – 26 July 2008 in Kuala Lumpur.

Objectives
The main objectives of the Conference are:

• To develop a deeper understanding of the principles of justice and peace in the different religions.
• To analyze the internal and external forces that impede a religion’s quest for justice and peace and how these obstacles can be overcome.
• To provide concrete instances of religious groups working towards global justice and peace especially through non-violent means.
• To explore the possibility of evolving a shared universal spiritual and moral vision of global justice and peace.
• To formulate an action plan which will attempt to translate that vision into reality through concrete programs that will bring together different religious groups in their common quest for global justice and peace.

Participants
About 200 participants from different religious backgrounds are expected to attend the Conference. Young people are encouraged to participate.

Speakers and Panellists
Renowned scholars and activists from Malaysia and around the world are among the Speakers and Panellists.

Malaysia has almost 2 million ethnic Indians, most of whom are from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu and use Tamil as their main communication language. Malaysia operates regular flights to India as well as Sri Lanka and SIngapore, which also have large Tamil-speaking populations. Indians first came to Malaysia as indentured laborers under the British.

In the first part of the exercise, about 150 Hindu temples and gurdwaras will be submitting applications. The Minister however reiterated the government’s goal to produce more local Hindu priests. The move follows calls for the easing of the entry requirements for Indian priests by the Malaysia Hindu Council (MHC), of which Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram is a founding member.

from Bernama

Government To Consider New Applications To Engage Priests From India

PETALING JAYA, July 17, 2008 – The government will consider new applications from Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras to engage priests, musicians and artisans from India starting next month, MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam said Thursday.

Subramaniam, who is Human Resources Minister, said, however, that the visas and permits for these people would only be valid for a maximum period of three years, and based on a set of strict guidelines.

“The decision was made after I had a meeting with Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar on the issue concerning the approval and renewal of visas and permits for priests, musicians and artisans from India for Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras,” he told reporters after opening a forum on the development of industrial jurisprudence near here.

The forum was organized by the Malaysian Association of Human Resource Consultants.

Subramaniam said that about 150 Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras throughout the country would be involved in the exercise in the first stage, and the government would study the needs of other temples and gurdwaras from time to time.

Commenting on the need to increase the number of local priests, he said more and more Malaysians would be trained to reduce the dependency of Hindu temples and gurdwaras on foreign workers.

from The Star
Foundation to help maintain Tamil schools

THE recently-formed Tamil Schools Foundation will provide aid for the maintenance of Tamil schools in the country, reported in Malaysia Nanban.

Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department T. Murugiah said the foundation would try to lift Tamil schools to be on par with the other schools.

He said the condition of many Tamil schools in the country was very depressing.

Speaking at a Tamil Literature contest organised by the Sitiawan Tamilar Festival group at the Sungei Wangi Estate Tamil School, he said people must set aside their political differences and work towards creating a friendly environment for their children to pursue their education.

He said that they should grab the opportunities provided by the Government for Tamil schools and ensure that they were properly managed for the benefit of the younger generation.

He urged parents to send their children to Tamil schools so that there would be continuity and their language and Indian culture would not be forgotten.

SeNet is a project of the Social Recovery Foundation which aims to uplift the Indian community in Malaysia by supporting social entrepreneurs and undertaking projects for the uplifting individuals, families and neighborhoods. SeNet has been supportive of Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram in its own social efforts.