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Brown in America

Urinate like a Hindu

By: Santosh :+: Under: Brown in America, Religion
On: ⋅ December 19, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment
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A 71 year old planning commissioner in Michigan resigned after her remarks on Hindus caused a controversy. [link]

Catherine Johnson, 71, stunned residents this month by claiming neighbors told her several women urinated outside Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS) Temple during its 2000 groundbreaking — and asking whether it was some sort of ritual.

While I don’t agree with the line of thought where anyone who makes an offensive remark gets fired, the above comment, particularly the last line is probably right up there with the dumbest remarks of 2007.

Lets entertain the thought for a second that the Swaminarayan sect is just a sect of Hinduism and by no means represents the vast majority of Hindus. But seriously, Catherine, is there any known religion or sect of sizable following that ritualistically requires its devotees to urinate and/or defecate in a place of worship? Kind of kinky, don’t you think? Unless of course, somewhere in your warped mind you believe R Kelly is a Hindu god.

A large section of this blog’s readers either grew up in Hindu households or are at least familiar with Hindus in some form or another and we can safely bank on the fact that they have never been introduced to a Urine-Devi or the Urine-Veda.

Catherine Johnson, who had numerous previous transgressions …….

Yack praised Johnson’s service, but said her comments were “off-track” and follow complaints about her being “heavy handed and insensitive.”

…………… stands by her remarks.

Johnson, who has served as a member for 27 years on the panel that pays $80 a meeting, said she’s quitting because Supervisor Thomas Yack asked her to — not because she said anything wrong.

“It was a valid question. It was something that a few citizens contacted me at home about,” she said. “I try to ask questions about what citizens in the community would want to know.”

So what do our readers think? Given Catherine Johnson’s history of making off-color remarks was this just the last proverbial straw? Or is this just a case of political correctness gone amuck?

Other Über Desi posts on Swaminarayan Temples

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