Muslim Leaders Call For Ban On Krishna Food Programs

[krsna]

Muslim Leaders Call For Ban On Krishna Food Programs

 

Interfax (Russian Federation), Mar. 30, 2004

http://www.interfax.ru

 

 

 

MOSCOW. March 30 (Interfax) - The spiritual leaders of the Northern Caucasus have expressed their displeasure over the participation of Krishnas in charity programs in places where Muslims live in compact communities.

 

"The coordination center of the Muslims of the Northern Caucasus is expressing its outrage with the actions of the Society for Krishna Consciousness, which conducted active proselytism in Chechnya in the mid 1990s taking advantage of the difficult situation for the Muslims living there," reads a statement issued by the center which was obtained by Interfax on Tuesday.

 

Maxim Osipov, press secretary for the Society for Krishna Consciousness, recently admitted that "Muslims in Grozny have been given food devoted to the pagan deity Krishna as humanitarian aid."

 

"The Krishnas knew that the sharia law does not allow Muslims to eat food intended as offering to other idols," the statement reads.

 

The spiritual leaders of the Northern Caucasus said that "the activities of the destructive sect Society for Krishna Consciousness is a serious challenge to the religious world."

 

"We are calling on the law enforcement agencies to investigate this incident and to prevent the Krishnas from participating in charity programs in places where Muslims live in the future," the document reads.

 

In the meantime, Nafigulla Ashirov, the chief mufti of the Asian part of Russia, disagreed. "In the Northern Caucasus, there are so many needy and hungry people right now that it doesn't matter to them what food they eat. If the Krishnas were giving people living in the Caucasian republics free food, they were doing a good thing," he said.

[theist]

Why don't they have some public debates with the Krsna bhaktas and let the people chose?

[Dervish]

If these Muslims are truly sincere, they should make food for the poor themselves. This is part of zakat, one of the pillars of THEIR Islam!

[theist]

It appears they are too busy planting bombs.

[gHari]

So they will bloom in time for their children to wear.

 

[Guest guest]

proselytize, how do they have a right to protest against the proselytism of other religions?

 

 

[stonehearted]

Maxim Osipov, press secretary for the Society for Krishna Consciousness, recently admitted that "Muslims in Grozny have been given food devoted to the pagan deity Krishna as humanitarian aid."

 

"The Krishnas knew that the sharia law does not allow Muslims to eat food intended as offering to other idols," the statement reads.

 

Pardon me? This is the language of the ISKCON spokesperson? Pagan diety? Idol?

 

There's trouble in River City!

[theist]

I doubt he said that. He probably said "yes the food is offered to Krishna" and the pagan idol . was put in by the reporter.

 

What horrible karma to come under the influence of these Muslim fanatics.

 

Devotees who are brave enough to preach in these countries should have their feet bathed in pure sandlewood oil and I pray for a drop of that prasad to be placed on my head.

[stonehearted]

It occurred to me that the "pagan" and "idol" may have been interpolations by the reporter. However, those words were in quotation marks, which indicates they are the speaker's words. Moreover, ISKCON probably handles this kind of thing with written press releases. It would be interesting to see what ISKCON spokepersons have to say and to see a copy of the press release. Anyone have any connections?

[Dervish]

Perhaps the ISKCON president was using those terms in a sarcastic sense. Either way, it doesn't seem right.

 

Indeed, there is trouble in River City ...

 

[theist]

I doubt it was said like that. But this thing makes me wonder if foregoing formal Deity worship wouldn't make sense in Moslem countries. A picture of Panca-tattva and chanting before it.

 

I spoke to a man from Pakistan today at the print shop and I tried just to explane that there is mono-theism also that some take as coming under the banner of Hinduism.

 

Got nowhere. He already "knows everything about that Hinduism."

[Dervish]

But this thing makes me wonder if foregoing formal Deity worship wouldn't make sense in Moslem countries.

 

If you're doing preaching in these Muslim countries, it should be one of the last things introduced to new bhaktas there. God and images don't mix in the Muslim faith, this is one thing ingrained into every Muslim. Best to focus on Kirtan, since it's similar to the Sufi zikr.

 

Still, I don't like the idea of compromising. If the ISKCON temple president's words were accurately translated and he wasn't being sarcastic (i.e. look at us idol worshippers, we did something useful in a muslim country eh?), perhaps the words spoken are a result of having repeated association with those who are completely inimical to Krsna and archana.

 

Sorry about the experience with the Hindu. The conversation you described, I've heard several variations of, so it must be a common attitude /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[theist]

No, he was a Muslim from Pakistan who refused to hear that mono-theism (vaisnavism) can be found in India.

 

I figure it is important from him to keep that atitude. It is the foundation for his hatred towards Hindus and apparently he doesn't want to lose that.

 

Hatred and anger can give one a sense of life, motivation and purpose. We can become very attached to holding on to these emotions. So much so they actually come to like a part of us. To give them up feels like a death.

[krsna]

[Bhakta Don Muntean]

Well we can hope that this isn't the veiw of the mainstream muslims - besides hearing this guy say:

 

Maxim Osipov, press secretary for the Society for Krishna Consciousness, recently admitted that "Muslims in Grozny have been given food devoted to the pagan deity Krishna as humanitarian aid."

 

"The Krishnas knew that the sharia law does not allow Muslims to eat food intended as offering to other idols," the statement reads.

 

What an offensive statement - for such low-minded persons the true brotherhood of humanity is far away.

 

Where were the Muslims stepping up to the plate as it were and - supplying some food themselves? Why did Hare Krishna’s have to do this?

 

This whole sharia law interpretation is a matter of opinion – who says that Krishna’s deity is an idol according to this law? Who are they to say their interpretation is the correct one? The sharia prescriptions are for the idolatry that was found in the Arab nations – not that it is specially condemning Krishna as pagan.

 

I hope that people of all faiths that have low-minded ideas about other faiths soon see the folly in that. We are all fighting against the growing secular atheisms that are taking the adherents of all the faiths out of the houses of worship.

 

This is the reality facing all faiths in this kali yuga – this age of quarrel – as noted by Srila Prabhupada their message is simple and applicable to all faiths:

 

"...According to Vedic literature, religion consists only of the codes of law given by God....Atheists are of the opinion that there is no need to accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be successful in religion, economic development, sense gratification or liberation. According to them, dharma, or religious principles, are meant to establish an imaginary God to encourage one to become moral, honest and just so that the social orders may be maintained in peace and tranquillity. Furthermore, they say that actually there is no need to accept God for this purpose, for if one follows the principles of morality and honesty, that is sufficient. Similarly, if one makes nice plans and works very hard for economic development, automatically the result of economic development will come. Similarly, sense gratification also does not depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for if one earns enough money by any process, one will have sufficient opportunity for sense gratification. Insofar as liberation is concerned, they say that there is no need to talk of liberation because after death everything is finished....If one does not accept the authority of the Supreme Godhead in matters of religion and morality, one must explain why two persons of the same moral standard achieve different results...." [sB 4.21.30, purport]

 

As long as we see things like that noted in this title post we are losing to a growing propensity – the more people see religions fighting – the more even that is calculated by atheists as reason to give up on God and religion – they say that if God is real then why do so many fight over him.

 

Muslims should know that they are not immune to this trend – when shall it be ok to work as one – no matter the semantics of our faith?

 

 

[Guest guest]

some one should remind them of the story of the Kazi and his promise

[Guest guest]

some one should tell them the stories of the six Goswamis and their service to the Nawib