Leading Hindu cleric blasts German skullcap warning

“Nobody should be forced to hide their faith and religious symbols,” proclaimed U.S.-based Hindu cleric Rajan Zed.

By World Israel News Staff

Following last week’s declaration by Germany’s government commissioner on anti-Semitism that Jews should not wear skullcaps in public to avoid anti-Semitic attacks, a leading Hindu cleric named Rajan Zed slammed the warning.

Zed issued a statement on Sunday from Nevada, where he resides, declaring, “Germany should ensure that everybody [is] able to practice their religion without fear and safely; and nobody should be forced to hide their faith and religious symbols.”

Zed emphasized that Germany must make serious efforts to stem the rising tide of anti-Semitism and hate crimes against both Jews and other religious minorities in the country.

“[The] right to religious freedom is a fundamental human right,” Zed continued. “It indicates a failure of the society if people are not able to wear their religious symbols with pride, whenever and wherever they want.”

Zed was listed in “Who’s Who in America” in 2006 and serves as a leading American cleric in the religion of Hinduism, which incorporates various beliefs and practices such as meditation, family-oriented rites of passage, refraining from injuring living beings, and developing patience and compassion.

Originally from India, Zed is a U.S. citizen who serves as president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, an organization that fosters awareness and understanding of the religion worldwide and promotes interfaith dialogue.

In his statement on Sunday, Zed called on leaders from all religions and denominations in Germany and Europe to strongly condemn anti-Semitism and encourage their followers to do the same.

He concluded, “We, as religious leaders, should be the messengers of love.”