Our regular readers know that we at Über Desi have been following with interest the controversy over the recent Mike Myers’ debacle “The Love Guru”. (See all previous posts here :1,2,3,4,5 and more).Its no secret which side of the controversy I stand on : I believe that the protests by Hindus were misguided and stated so (1,2).
The dust has somewhat settled and the movie made a paltry $ 14 million on its opening weekend (Note to Mike Myers:You don’t want to mess around with a religion that has 330,000 divinities - it takes divine retribution to a whole new level!)
While I have zero love for “The Love Guru”, I do love having the right to Freedom of Speech guaranteed to Americans under the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The most difficult aspect of the concept of Freedom of Speech is that it means *everyone* is afforded this right under the First Amendment. And that includes the Freedom to espouse viewpoints that I may not subscribe to.
In the interests of being fair and giving a hearing to the other side, we decided to establish contact with Mr.Rajan Zed, Hindu leader, pioneer in the reading of Hindu prayers in the Senate and general go-to person for all things Hindu by the mainstream media in the USA.
We wanted to get to know Mr. Zed a little better and – after an email exchange – sent him a series of questions – primarily centered around the controversy but tastefully interspersed with questions about his background ( “What made you move to the USA?”) , interests (“Do you watch American football?”) and views ( on Freedom of Speech ).
Unfortunately, Mr.Zed cited time constraints and expressed his inability to answer our questions, much to our disappointment. We were really looking forward to getting to know him. Instead, he consented to let us publish an article by him which lays out the rationale behind the protests. With the disclaimer that we neither necessarily support nor endorse his views,the entire article is reproduced here in an unaltered form. (Click on the link below)
The Love Guru: Journey of a protest movement by Rajan Zed
These were the original questions Über Desi asked of Mr. Rajan Zed:
1. We and our readers would love to know a little more about you. Various media sources have described you as the the de-facto leader of Hindus in the US. Please tell us a little more about yourself. Were you born in the USA? If not, what made you move here? Can you explain how you became a Hindu leader?
2. The recent Mike Myers movie created a controversy.We know that you were not happy about the portrayal of Hindus in the movie and feared that it would alter perceptions negatively. The movie eventually did not do well at all at the box office. Do you feel that your fears were justified?
3. America has a long tradition of satire and the constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. What is your opinion on freedom of speech and expression when it comes to portrayal of religion in movies, books and popular culture? Did you support the ban on “Satanic Verses” in India, for example?
4. ISCKON came out with a statement supporting the movie “The Love Guru” I quote “ISKCON asked Hindus ‘to view the film in its context as a comedy, and to draw on the tolerance and broadmindedness that are hallmarks of our faith” .If Hinduism has along tradition of being tolerant and open , why should this not extend to being tolerant of satire?
5. Hindus make up about 0.4% of the population of the United states. What future do you see for the religion and its followers in the US?
6. According to a recent PEW Religious poll featured on UberDesi.com,a whopping 90% of Hindus in US believe other religions can also lead to salvation (moksha), i.e, they believe Hinduism is not the only exclusive path to eternal life. What do you think about this?
7. According to the same PEW Religious poll featured on UberDesi.com, a large number of Hindus in the US are pro-abortion and pro-gay rights. While Hinduism preaches acceptance of most beliefs, most Hindu families hold traditional values that may not match what the poll says. Your thoughts?
8. We read some time back that you had visited Duke University after the killing of a student there and spoken to the officials about more outreach programs for Hindu students. Any updates on that ?
9. After the Nevada State Senate prayer, are there any other political bodies where you will be opening with a Hindu prayer?What were your thoughts when some miscreants interrupted your prayer in the US Senate?
10. Didn’t you write a book recently titled “99 Remarkable Films of the World”, that featured two Satyajit Ray films “Aparajito” and “Pather Panchali”. Can you tell us more about the book?
11. Being a Hindu chaplain in the US, what are some distinctly “American” things you like to do? (like watching American football!)
Looks like you are one of our regular visitors. Here is our RSS feed, just another way to keep up with the new posts.
Loading ...