Universal Society of Hinduism President Seeks Apology from the Greendale School District

The president of the Universal Society of Hinduism asked the to apologize to the Hindu community for r

Rajan Zed is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, director of Interfaith Relations of Nevada Clergy Association and spiritual advisor to the National Association of Interchurch & Interfaith Families.

Zed issued a statement to the school district asking it to apologize to the Hindu community and to the students who were going to sing the removed song of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, according to a press release.

Anna Madden, a school district representative, said a parent or two felt offended about a religious saying in the song and said their child would sit out the song if it was kept in the concert. The school district didn't want any child to feel uncomfortable and complied with the request.

"How fair was singling and pulling out a Hindu song and including a classic Christmas song Feliz Navidad and Jewish song Hava Nagila in the multicultural holiday concert? Was it not giving preference to one religion over another?" Zed argued in the press release.

Zed said that Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram speaks of unity among religions that include lyrics, such as "God and Allah are your names, Bless everyone with this wisdom, Lord."

The song was made popular by icon Mahatma Gandhi as his favorite and sung it during his famous Salt March to Dandi in 1930. Zed said that the song has been featured in many Hindi, Kannada, English and Tamil movies and recorded by many well-known singers.

Zed also said, "that opening-up Greendale children to major world religions and non-believers’ viewpoint would make them well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow. It would also make good business sense to know the beliefs of 'others' in a global community. Moreover, students should have knowledge of the entire society to become full participants in the society."

Click here to read more about Rajad Zed.