Dear Editor,
I read a report in which the municipal government of the city of Rome cancelled a permit for Hindus to hold a puja on one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar, Durga Ashtmee, or the birthday of Goddess Durga which was celebrated last Thursday. The Hindus felt humiliated, harassed and hounded by city officials and accused the officials of not wanting a Hindu function to be observed in the city.
According to the report, a permit for the celebration was allowed last year but was withdrawn for some specious reasons causing the loss of thousands of euros. This year, the organizers made sure they fulfilled all the criteria for getting a permit, but for some unknown reason the officials withdrew the permit just a few hours before the celebration was to commence.
Early this past week, the puja organisers were told they could not use a park already approved. The officials said a crime had been committed there and the location posed security-related problems. The organisers agreed to change the venue. As reported, “another park was selected, permission was given to celebrate Durga Puja there, and the preparations began all over again in right earnest.
Then, like a bolt from the blue, at 4 pm on Thursday came the withdrawal of permission by the Municipal Police. The organisers were bluntly told to pack up and leave hours before Durga Puja was scheduled to begin with Akal Bodhon in the evening. Why? No reason was proffered.”
Durga Puja is a raucous celebration of faith and culture. But not much praying goes into the celebration. In fact, it is a secular event with food stalls and music being the central elements of the celebration. Also, a Muslim, Arif Shahid Khan, the Ambassador of India, was the chief guest who was slated to inaugurate the celebration. The Ambassador lobbied national politicians to intervene to allow the event. Feeling embarrassed, the municipal police restored the permit but the day had passed and the event was held two days later, denying Hindus the right to celebrate one of their holiest days – not different from when Catholics celebrate their holy days in Italy and around the globe.
Incidentally, thousands of Italians showed up for the celebrations on Thursday night and went home disappointed. They returned for Saturday’s celebrations and had a wonderful time sampling Indian foods and sweets.
People should be allowed to celebrate their religious festivals regardless of faith.
Christian countries like to lambaste and criticize Islamic countries and India for lack of religious freedom and failure to accept other faiths but they themselves do not want non-Christians in their environment. As one person wrote, they have no moral compunction in trampling on Hindu sentiments. In fact, it was not long ago that the Italian government refused to allow Sikhs to travel with their turbans which is required by their scriptures. And Muslims are harassed all the time in Italy and in the West.
If Christians can celebrate Christmas in New Delhi and Ankara, Muslims should have the right to observe Eid in Italy and Hindus the right to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome. This is religious freedom. The Italians should take a page out of Guyana’s book which allows full religious freedom and recognizes all faiths.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
It is amazing to witness the statements of some writers in this blog, What can the SN editor do or comment on inability of Indians to do durga puja in Rome?
Lighten up man. Not everything has to relate to crime or politics. You are under no obligation.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi (of Italian birth but now allowed to be kingmaker in India), I suspect must feel suitably ashamed by Italy’s behaviour.
Italy’s heavy-handedness is extended in its activities in India too!
Most tellingly, the Pope on a visit to India gave a massive speach denigrating the heathen idol-worshippers.
Nought out of ten for diplomacy Mr Pope man.
VB is right about one thing: Guyana is blessed with religious freedom and recognizes all faiths. May it always remain like that and become ever more tolerant and fair even to those without faith, and may no faith ever seek to dominate other faith, and may no faith ever seek to impose it fantasies on secular policies. May people stop quarrelling about whose religion is right and wrong, for the same reason we don’t argue over whose favorite colour/music is the best.
That is correct. Guyana is one of the few places that I know of where all faiths coexist peacefully.
My heart is bursting with pride!!!
MXQB ! Mr. Bisram is wrong. Guyana is a multicultural society. Italy is not and, primarily embraces the Catholic denomination of Christianity. The Hindus in Italy cannot flaunt, openly, their religious practices and expect the masses to give up access to their parks to accommodate the ‘foreigners’.
And Bisram, are you now the Hindu Religious Police ? Then take your plight to the Italians. Live with it – minority. Ha!
Vishnu you could be accused of plagiarism! It would have been better if you didn’t rely on second and third hand information to write this letter!
You should be careful of making accusations like – Muslims are harrassed ALL THE TIME in Italy!
If the pope is to go into a Hindu ashram to hold a papal service do you think this would be allowed?
Do you think the pope can go to mecca and hold a service there?
Give me a break bisram. get a life.
The hindus were not looking to perform puja at the Vatican. They wanted to congregate at a Public Park. That IS discrimination.
God Bless America. Thousands gather in the parks for Eid-Ul-Fitr and Phagwah celebrations.
And NO. The pope cannot go to Mecca. The jews cannot go to Al-Aqsa. Likewise, Muslims cannot go to the Vatican, or an Ashram, or a Synagogue.
Everyone should perform services in their respective religous venues.
Holding a function in a park in Italy celebrating a Hindu Goddess should have been allowed in keeping with the worl’d supposed acceptance of the Supreme Being- God. In fact, according to Bisram, approval was given but withdrawn at the last minute.
Afterall, Italy may be the bastion of Christianity because of the Vatican but all of Italy is not one, collective big church.
So I cannot see your attempt at a nexus between the Pope being allowed to hold a service in an Ashram as against Hindus celebrating an auspicious occasion in a park in Rome.
This is a sin committed against the oldest civilisation and Hindus everywhere and it was done during a most auspicious period in the Hindu calendar- Nav Ratri.
This act by the Italian authorities is very much reflective of the sins of the world and is a total disregard for peoples’ religious beliefs.
The Italians tried to stop the Muslims from holding their Eid celebrations in a park but the Muslims rightly defied that order.
You know very well why the Italians did not react.
Rome is the Vatican you dummy, rome is as much the vatican as the vatican is as much rome.
You cannot even go into saudi arabia and wear a gold chain with a cross on it so what nonsense are you talking?
Discrimination? I dont think so what other religious ceremonies even by other christian groups have been allowed in rome?
Ceasing there is something called time and place budday I am a hindu and trust me I find it insulting for hindus to go to the vatican and apply to do a puja. You want to do a puja so badly do it in your hotel room or rent a private location in rome and do it there.
Some of you people just do not understand what it means to have respect for others and their religion and space!
Common sense seems to be missing here.
Samaroo, I am convinced you make things up as you go along. If it makes you feel smart by calling others deragoratory names, then by all means knock yourself out. It is of no consequense to others.
Let me educate you in the demographics of the Vatican City. The Vatican City is considered the smallest country in the world. It is located entirely within the city of Rome. It has its own police force. It is entirely self-sufficient. It has its own economy. The only thing it depends on Rome for is the access roads to the Vatican City.
…. sama’roo fum cowdam ,, i have to agree wid yuh on dis 1 !
but wah ah doan get is wat yuh mean by u is a “hindu” ,,, fum de context of ur anger ,, at the uselessness of this diatribe and de traction it’s given all bcos of de farce dat is bisram ,,
can u tell we/ME a lil mo abt if yuh is a hindu bcos it’s ur race or yuh is a hindu caz is yuh religion ?????????????????
Tankassee stop hittin that stuff it mekkin yuh writing even more distorted.
Do some reading and edumacate yourself as to the difference between religion and race.
Guys, give BS a break. He knows to use derogatory terms, rant and rave well. Logic and common sense are not his forte.
These are the negative people who are brininging the AFC down. Too much anger. No one needs it.
While the Vatican is indeed a completely separate state it does carry much political influence in Rome. More than Berlusconi and Alemanno would ever admit.
You give people an inch and they take a mile! That needs to be protected against!
…. labaria ,, aow buddie if yuh deh nare sama’roo yuh nah can bite am in’e a$$ an mek ‘e fine out hummuch frenz ‘e gat ??????
….samah’roo wah i duz hit is beyond what u can afford !
i drink exclusive “single malt” scotch ! ,, if ever ure in my neck of the woods gihmeh a ding ,, an come by an be treated to a taste of 75 bucks ,,, and if u can handle it ,, then i’ll let u have the exclusive taste at 150 bucks !…..
Whitby is just below edinburgh ,, a village of history ! i lived there….
the city has a right to disallow an event that is celebrated “raucously with music and food stalls where not much praying goes on ”
look closely and you will see many of these events are a money making game with music,food stalls etc disguised in the name of faith and culture
As an Italian residence, but Guyanese by birth, all I can say it is true, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
That said, if it was down south Sicily, there would have bene no such problems…ask a Sicilian anyday if they are Italians and listen carefully to the reply. Alas, that’s Italy for you!
So Gtdonna, by applying your ROMAN RULE, it seems you agree that the Pope was wrong not do as the Indians do when he went to India in the example I gave above here. Your Pope seemed to be apply a DOUBLE-STANDARD.
The pope was not wrong the man damn right, Satish why dont your kamerades in PPP hold a hawan in freedumb house budday?
Dem dah need gad more than anybady else…..
GtDonna, I was in Rome, Pisa, and Merano.In Merano,beautiful spa country,north Italy, the Italians speak German, since that part of italy was once Austria. After WW2, the allies gave that part of Austria to Italy.It is quite interesting you metioned Sicily.The north Italians I spoke to,consider Sicily to be populated by blacks.
I agree that this is discrimination; just to assemble for peaceful religious celebration all this happened is really unbelievable in today’s world especially in countries that called themselves Democratic. What puzzle me more here are the reasons for Vishun Bisram using this as a subject to pen a letter to the editor. Such articles should be part of a columnist piece and should not show up in the letter section.
Ever since Mr.VB comparison between Slavery and Indentureship I am suspicious of his every motive. It has become harder to tell whether VB is an East Indian Activist or a Pollster.
VB reminds me of some Black letter writers who seek to harness support for their causes by playing on the emotions of their ethnic/religious group.
More and more I am beginning to see VB as the second coming of Ravi Dev.
An informative piece but wrong section.
What do you mean by the second coming of Ravi dev? dont tell me a learned fellow like yourself has fallen for that propaganda PPP and PHENC joined to paint ravi as a racist right?
Come on pepie talk to the man in person before judging him.
PPP and PHENC in cahoots to beat down anyone else they see as a potential rabble rouser to cause them discomfort.
Do not fall for their propaganda pepie.
Pepie, VB wants us to know that he has travelled and I wondered why he brought up the topic about Rome and durga pooja.
I guess that confirms that when you live in Rome, you do as the Romans do.
Confirmed!
In Christainity to venerate idols is an abomination and maybe the officials might have been thinking along those lines,so to avoid a showdown between fanatics of other religions and the Hindus they decided on a “no show”.Anyhow its their city and if they say no puja well then its no puja,Mr.Bisram should have taken a poll on this among the citizens of Rome before writing his letter.
Catholics do venerate the images/statues of their many saints, plus innumerable bones of saints and relics and splinters of wood from the cross that when added up would weigh more than the saints and cross.
Yet it is these same Western hypocrites who venture into non-christian nations and complain about “human rights” will completely ignoring their own human rights violation.
At least the church is in decline in Europe, even many of the younger italians do not attend any more.