Rajeev, More than TIME, the focus should be on 'Arya Samaji Saint' that the article extols.
I studied at a D.A.V Institution (Dayanand Anglo Vedic - an oxymoron if ever there was one). Swami Agnivesh used to visit the school at least once a year and all the kids looked up to him as a great man - certainly a magnetic personality. He used to talk about emancipation of women and erasing caste barriers and we would loudly applaud. However, now I find myself being a supporter to only some of his agenda (the parts restricted to social service). He has a website where you can read the output of this intellectual giant (http://www.swamiagnivesh.com) Certainly he has gone off-track in not condemning Christian conversions. He authors many articles with a 'Reverend' Valson Thampu. He has the usual apologia to offer about the Semitic death cults - take for instance this on Jihaad "the advocates of holy wars read their scriptures selectively to secure a semblance of legitimacy for what otherwise is an indefensible idea." - well not as selectively as the advocates for holy apologias!!! He has been very happy in the past to be part of the "Lets Knock Modi" campaign of Riot Activists, even going so far as to blame the TDP for rioting in Gujarat http://www.swamiagnivesh.com/gujarat.htm
All in all - he is an unworthy inheritor of that intellectual and spiritual giant who authored Satyaarth Prakash
I guess that explains why TIME will now lionise him as a 'reform-minded Swami'!!!!!
Rajeev, We can write to the Hindu American Foundation, and ask them to protest this bullshit. They have been instrumental in several first's. They got a human rights report on Hindu Human Rights published on Capitol Hill.
"Hindus of Greater Houston" would like to caution the Houston Hindu community and the broader community about a visit this week by Agnivesh, a touring charlatan who passes for a Swami (Hindu monk) and dresses in saffron robes to hoodwink gullible people. Far from being a Swami, this imposter is a notorious Hindu-hater who has been expelled over a decade ago from the Arya Samaj, a world-wide and well respected Hindu organization.
In the February 1994 issue of Hinduism Today, a widely accepted and non-controversial magazine, the Arya Samaj warned its members in India and abroad to be careful about Agnivesh, who had been a disruptive force in the organization. The Arya Samaj General Secretary, Sachidanand Shastri said that Agnivesh a.k.a Vepa Shyam Rao, was expelled "some years back on charges of corruption and indiscipline," adding that published reports of his election to the Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (World Council of Arya Samaj) are untrue. Calling it a "dirty game" aimed at grabbing Arya Samaj properties and destabilizing the Sarvadeshik Sabha, Shastri promised legal action if this pretender continued in his ways. [1]
Yet Agnivesh claims to be the President of the 'World Council of Arya Samaj'. [2] This is a travesty. He is abusing the freedom of religion in India by claiming to be part of Arya Samaj. In spite of his expulsion, Agnivesh claims to be part of this organization to give him credibility and hijack the Arya Samaj's spiritual legacy of 130 years.
Rajinder Gandhi, President of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha America, stresses that Agnivesh will not be invited to speak at any Arya Samaj forum in the USA, for the above reasons and also because the latter's past actions have created discord between Arya Samaj and other Hindu organizations. Mr. Gandhi points to Agnivesh's unwillingness to speak against the Christian missionary activities targeting Hindus and against the Muslim atrocities against Hindus in Kashmir and other parts of India.
What makes Agnivesh a very dangerous man is his unconditional support to evangelical proselytization and Islamist separatism in India. He is now associated with hate-mongering organizations which are anti-Hindu. He has become a favorite poster-boy of anti-Hindu hate-groups in India and abroad. [3] Agnivesh co-wrote a rabid, hate-mongering book called "Harvest of Hate" along with a Christian evangelist, in order to paint the Hindus of India in an unfavorable light. The book is totally anti-Hindu and thus does not in any way promote inter-religious harmony. [4]
In recent years, he celebrated the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya and opposed the Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh's plea for a fair and honest probe of the now-disproved allegations against the Kanchi seer. Agnivesh's distorted views about Hindus and Hinduism do not end here. He openly calls himself a devotee of Marx [5] and a political swami who doesn't have any religion. [6] Indeed, he is also a scheming Indian politician and a parliamentary candidate of the Janata Dal party which has actively worked to foment social dissension and religious hatred in India.
In 2002, Houston witnessed another con-man, the 'fake' Shankaracharya (Adhokshyananda), an Indian criminal whose American tour was sponsored by anti-Hindu and Islamist organizations. This criminal assaulted Ashok Dhingra, then President-Elect of India Culture Center-Houston with a stick and ran away to India within two days of the incident. [7]
"Hindus of Greater Houston" strongly appeals to all other Hindu organizations and temples in North America to warn its members about this self-proclaimed 'Swami' Agnivesh who has a disreputable history of anti-Hindu activities. Such hate-mongers must be prevented from gaining ground, raising funds and garnering publicity amongst unsuspecting members of the Hindu-American community and the larger community, while stealthily working against the interests of Hindu Dharma.
"Hindus of Greater Houston" is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization active in the community for the last 15 years. For more information, visit the website at: www.HindusOfHouston.org
6 Questions for Agnivesh (in case he infests a City or University near you):
1) You claim to be President of the World Council of Arya Samaj everywhere (In fact, your website still says it). But the Arya Samaj has publicly stated that you have been expelled 15 years ago from their organization for corruption and indiscipline. So why are you lying and being dishonest, when you claim to be its President?
2) “You claim to be a secularist. Then why do you associate with rabid Christian fundamentalists and anti-Hindu Evangelists (like Rev. Valson Thampu)”?
3) You co-wrote a anti-Hindu hatemongering book (“Harvest of Hate”) along with this Christian Fundamentalist Valson Thampu where you presented a biased hate-filled viewpoint, showing the Hindus in a poor light but completely overlooking the genocide committed by the Muslim fundamentalists in India. Your book is guilty of generating more religious hatred than generating interfaith goodwill. The French Journalist, Francois Gautier has exposed your distorted views in a wonderful article. Why is there so much negativity in you, Agnivesh?
4) If you are a holy man, then why are you a politician? Why did you contest as a Janata Dal party candidate from Bhopal in the parliamentary elections? Why did you contest parliamentary elections with the support of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in Lucknow? Don’t you know these parties are extremely corrupt, indulge in violence and indulge in activities that result in foment social dissension and religious hatred in India?
5) You have never once spoken against the Christian missionary activities targeting Hindus and against the Muslim atrocities against Hindus in Kashmir and other parts of India? No wonder, you are a favorite poster-boy of anti-Hindu hate-groups in India and abroad. Isn’t that right?
6) You celebrated the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya and opposed the Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh’s plea for a fair and honest probe of the now-disproved allegations against the Kanchi seer. Why? Only an enemy of Hinduism would do such a thing. Shame on you.
@ drisyadrisya Thank you for a timely post making us all aware of this charlatan who is happy being a celebrity for Hindu society while spitting on its culture.
I was not aware until you sent the comment, that this man has been expelled from the Arya Samaj. I continued to believe that the Arya Samajis for their own reason, perhaps to do with having to prove their secular credentials, continued to allow this man to speak on their behalf.
This also clearly explains why TIME magazine wishes to annoint this man as the 'reformist Hindu'. To them the only good Hindu is one whose Hinduness is dead.
I wonder what happened to my school principal who was a big lackey of this guy - I hope they expelled him too
Is Maseeh Rahman a Pakistani Christian? I am pretty sure that Masih is a Paki christian moniker of some kind, either a surname or a kind of caste name. So you might have a Abdul Masih for example. This Maseeh could be a variation of that.
8 comments:
Rajeev,
More than TIME, the focus should be on 'Arya Samaji Saint' that the article extols.
I studied at a D.A.V Institution (Dayanand Anglo Vedic - an oxymoron if ever there was one). Swami Agnivesh used to visit the school at least once a year and all the kids looked up to him as a great man - certainly a magnetic personality. He used to talk about emancipation of women and erasing caste barriers and we would loudly applaud.
However, now I find myself being a supporter to only some of his agenda (the parts restricted to social service). He has a website where you can read the output of this intellectual giant (http://www.swamiagnivesh.com)
Certainly he has gone off-track in not condemning Christian conversions. He authors many articles with a 'Reverend' Valson Thampu. He has the usual apologia to offer about the Semitic death cults - take for instance this on Jihaad
"the advocates of holy wars read their scriptures selectively to secure a semblance of legitimacy for what otherwise is an indefensible idea." - well not as selectively as the advocates for holy apologias!!!
He has been very happy in the past to be part of the "Lets Knock Modi" campaign of Riot Activists, even going so far as to blame the TDP for rioting in Gujarat
http://www.swamiagnivesh.com/gujarat.htm
All in all - he is an unworthy inheritor of that intellectual and spiritual giant who authored Satyaarth Prakash
I guess that explains why TIME will now lionise him as a 'reform-minded Swami'!!!!!
Rajeev,
We can write to the Hindu American Foundation, and ask them to protest this bullshit. They have been instrumental in several first's. They got a human rights report on Hindu Human Rights published on Capitol Hill.
http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/media_press_release_hhr2005_release.htm
They have several other firsts to their credit too.
I am sure that a guy whose name is "Masih" "Rehman" is a neutral uninterested observer NOT!
From my email archives :
"Hindus Of Houston" Issues Caution About Agnivesh
"Hindus of Greater Houston" would like to caution the Houston Hindu community and the broader community about a visit this week by Agnivesh, a touring charlatan who passes for a Swami (Hindu monk) and dresses in saffron robes to hoodwink gullible people. Far from being a Swami, this imposter is a notorious Hindu-hater who has been expelled over a decade ago from the Arya Samaj, a world-wide and well respected Hindu organization.
In the February 1994 issue of Hinduism Today, a widely accepted and non-controversial magazine, the Arya Samaj warned its members in India and abroad to be careful about Agnivesh, who had been a disruptive force in the organization. The Arya Samaj General Secretary, Sachidanand Shastri said that Agnivesh a.k.a Vepa Shyam Rao, was expelled "some years back on charges of corruption and indiscipline," adding that published reports of his election to the Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (World Council of Arya Samaj) are untrue. Calling it a "dirty game" aimed at grabbing Arya Samaj properties and destabilizing the Sarvadeshik Sabha, Shastri promised legal action if this pretender continued in his ways. [1]
Yet Agnivesh claims to be the President of the 'World Council of Arya Samaj'. [2] This is a travesty. He is abusing the freedom of religion in India by claiming to be part of Arya Samaj. In spite of his expulsion, Agnivesh claims to be part of this organization to give him credibility and hijack the Arya Samaj's spiritual legacy of 130 years.
Rajinder Gandhi, President of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha America, stresses that Agnivesh will not be invited to speak at any Arya Samaj forum in the USA, for the above reasons and also because the latter's past actions have created discord between Arya Samaj and other Hindu organizations. Mr. Gandhi points to Agnivesh's unwillingness to speak against the Christian missionary activities targeting Hindus and against the Muslim atrocities against Hindus in Kashmir and other parts of India.
What makes Agnivesh a very dangerous man is his unconditional support to evangelical proselytization and Islamist separatism in India. He is now associated with hate-mongering organizations which are anti-Hindu. He has become a favorite poster-boy of anti-Hindu hate-groups in India and abroad. [3] Agnivesh co-wrote a rabid, hate-mongering book called "Harvest of Hate" along with a Christian evangelist, in order to paint the Hindus of India in an unfavorable light. The book is totally anti-Hindu and thus does not in any way promote inter-religious harmony. [4]
In recent years, he celebrated the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya and opposed the Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh's plea for a fair and honest probe of the now-disproved allegations against the Kanchi seer. Agnivesh's distorted views about Hindus and Hinduism do not end here. He openly calls himself a devotee of Marx [5] and a political swami who doesn't have any religion. [6] Indeed, he is also a scheming Indian politician and a parliamentary candidate of the Janata Dal party which has actively worked to foment social dissension and religious hatred in India.
In 2002, Houston witnessed another con-man, the 'fake' Shankaracharya (Adhokshyananda), an Indian criminal whose American tour was sponsored by anti-Hindu and Islamist organizations. This criminal assaulted Ashok Dhingra, then President-Elect of India Culture Center-Houston with a stick and ran away to India within two days of the incident. [7]
"Hindus of Greater Houston" strongly appeals to all other Hindu organizations and temples in North America to warn its members about this self-proclaimed 'Swami' Agnivesh who has a disreputable history of anti-Hindu activities. Such hate-mongers must be prevented from gaining ground, raising funds and garnering publicity amongst unsuspecting members of the Hindu-American community and the larger community, while stealthily working against the interests of Hindu Dharma.
"Hindus of Greater Houston" is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization active in the community for the last 15 years. For more information, visit the website at: www.HindusOfHouston.org
References:
[1] http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1994/2/1994-2-14.shtml
[2] www.swamiagnivesh.com/aboutswamiji.htm
[3] http://www.atributetohinduism.com/articles_hinduism/270.htm
[4] http://www.hvk.org/articles/0602/206.html
[5] http://www.india-forum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68&st=30
[6] http://sify.com/news/politics/fullstory.php?id=13444508
[7] http://www.indiacause.com/cause/IC11_SCharya.htm
Prepared by a friend of mine
6 Questions for Agnivesh (in case he infests a City or University near you):
1) You claim to be President of the World Council of Arya Samaj everywhere (In fact, your website still says it). But the Arya Samaj has publicly stated that you have been expelled 15 years ago from their organization for corruption and indiscipline. So why are you lying and being dishonest, when you claim to be its President?
2)
“You claim to be a secularist. Then why do you associate with rabid Christian fundamentalists and anti-Hindu Evangelists (like Rev. Valson Thampu)”?
3) You co-wrote a anti-Hindu hatemongering book (“Harvest of Hate”) along with this Christian Fundamentalist Valson Thampu where you presented a biased hate-filled viewpoint, showing the Hindus in a poor light but completely overlooking the genocide committed by the Muslim fundamentalists in India. Your book is guilty of generating more religious hatred than generating interfaith goodwill. The French Journalist, Francois Gautier has exposed your distorted views in a wonderful article. Why is there so much negativity in you, Agnivesh?
4) If you are a holy man, then why are you a politician? Why did you contest as a Janata Dal party candidate from Bhopal in the parliamentary elections? Why did you contest parliamentary elections with the support of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in Lucknow? Don’t you know these parties are extremely corrupt, indulge in violence and indulge in activities that result in foment social dissension and religious hatred in India?
5) You have never once spoken against the Christian missionary activities targeting Hindus and against the Muslim atrocities against Hindus in Kashmir and other parts of India? No wonder, you are a favorite poster-boy of anti-Hindu hate-groups in India and abroad. Isn’t that right?
6) You celebrated the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya and opposed the Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh’s plea for a fair and honest probe of the now-disproved allegations against the Kanchi seer. Why? Only an enemy of Hinduism would do such a thing. Shame on you.
@ drisyadrisya
Thank you for a timely post making us all aware of this charlatan who is happy being a celebrity for Hindu society while spitting on its culture.
I was not aware until you sent the comment, that this man has been expelled from the Arya Samaj. I continued to believe that the Arya Samajis for their own reason, perhaps to do with having to prove their secular credentials, continued to allow this man to speak on their behalf.
This also clearly explains why TIME magazine wishes to annoint this man as the 'reformist Hindu'. To them the only good Hindu is one whose Hinduness is dead.
I wonder what happened to my school principal who was a big lackey of this guy - I hope they expelled him too
Is Maseeh Rahman a Pakistani Christian? I am pretty sure that Masih is a Paki christian moniker of some kind, either a surname or a kind of caste name. So you might have a Abdul Masih for example. This Maseeh could be a variation of that.
P
brownian - I think the word for Prophet is maseeha. Thus the name could be Christian or Muslim.
drisya Thanks for the info on Agnivesh
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