New York: Hundreds to Protest Dalai Lama, Accusing Him of Religious Persecution and Human Rights Abuses
Protests are organized by International Shugden Community who staged demonstrations outside the Dalai Lama’s recent events in Birmingham, Princeton and Boston
The Dalai Lama needs to bring an end to the suffering caused by his sectarianism and religious intolerance. He of all people should know that religious freedom must apply equally to all people
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, October 31, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The protesters claim the Dalai Lama publicly banned a 400-year-old mainstream religious tradition of making prayers to the Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden. They state he is responsible for an aggressive persecution campaign affecting millions of people worldwide, resulting in suffering and human rights abuses, including the practice of segregation. For example, signs refusing entry and services to people of Shugden faith have gone up in shop windows, restaurants and medical facilities in Tibetan exile communities (1).— Len Foley, International Shugden Community spokesperson
“The Dalai Lama needs to bring an end to the suffering caused by his sectarianism and religious intolerance. He of all people should know that religious freedom must apply equally to all people,” said Len Foley of the International Shugden Community (ISC), the group organizing the demonstrations.
Foley continued, “Because he is such a powerful political leader and famous speaker we have no method to ask him to stop this suffering other than to demonstrate against him – to publicly raise our voices – requesting him to change his ways and stop the discrimination.”
Protests in New York City:
Sunday Nov 2, 8.30 am - 4.00 pm, Manhattan Center, 311 W 34th St.
Monday Nov 3 and Tuesday Nov 4, 8.30 am - 4.00 pm, Beacon Theatre, 74th and Broadway
The ISC is an umbrella organization comprised of Dorje Shugden practitioners from multiple Buddhist traditions. There are over 4 million people within Tibet, Mongolia, India, the United States and across the world who practice Dorje Shugden prayers.
ISC states that whenever anyone criticizes the Dalai Lama, instead of responding to the allegations or agreeing to dialogue, the CTA immediately accuses them of being funded by, or working for, the Chinese government. ISC spokesperson Len Foley says, “We have no links to the Chinese government at all and have never received any funding from them - and neither the Dalai Lama, nor anyone else, has ever provided a single shred of evidence for this. Their claim is a complete lie - a smokescreen to distract attention from the truth: the Dalai Lama is persecuting people for their faith and is denying them the basic human right to freedom of religion.”
Recent news coverage:
Associated Press, Oct 30th
NJTV Public Media New Jersey, Oct 28
Fox News, Oct 25th
1. Al Jazeera Reports, April 13, 2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqa2DeOIEQM
Rachael Jeffrey
International Shugden Community
email us here
631-405-8511
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
