Rajan Zed.

Rajan Zed is an acclaimed Indo-American and Hindu statesman who has taken up Hindu, interfaith, religion, environment, Roma and other causes all over the world.

He was invited by the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering, in December 2009 in Brussels (Belgium) for a meeting to promote interfaith dialogue and discuss Hindu issues. He read the groundbreaking first Hindu opening prayer in the United States Senate in Washington DC.

Zed is one of the panelists for “On Faith”, an interactive conversation on religion produced jointly by Newsweek and WashingtonPost.com. He has been bestowed with “World Interfaith Leader Award”,
“Nevada Religious Unity Award”, “Positive Pluralism and Unity Prize”, and other awards for interfaith dialogue.

Statement - 23/4/2010.

Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that the recent United Kingdom government publication of a 28-page booklet “Guidance on managing anti-social behaviour related to Gypsies and Travellers”- was clearly discriminatory. Had the UK published such booklets on any other ethnic group or majority community? Zed asked.　

Published by John Denham headed Department of Communities and Local Government which aims at a community "where everyone has the right to the same opportunities, freedom and respect", it is available free. Why this “special handling” of Gypsies/Travelers only, Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, questioned.　

Talking about the booklet, Department says: "These provide advice on effective use of enforcement powers that local authorities, the police and private landowners have to deal with unauthorized encampments, where Gypsies and Travellers camp on land which they do not own and with unauthorised developments, where Gypsies and Travellers own the land, but do not have planning permission to develop it as a caravan site." 　

Zed urged the European Union, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Equality and Human Rights Commission to look into it and stop unnecessary targeting of a helpless community. Racism and discrimination was already escalating against Gypsies/Travelers, it did not need any Government push, he argued.　

Rajan Zed asked The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams to also come out openly in support of this distinct and culturally ethnic community who face “apartheid” conditions in Europe. Because religion teaches us to help the helpless, Dr Rowan Williams should recognize, acknowledge and affirm that Roma/Gypsies/Travelers are also children of God invested with the God given right to be treated like all other people—as equals. Zed quoted from The Bible: “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36)”.