Danish schools urged to treat all religions equally

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Correspondent

31 May, 2009

Hindus and Jews have urged Denmark to give equal treatment to various religions in schools. They have said that instead of just focusing on one denomination of Christianity, schools in Denmark should teach basics of all major world religions.

HINDUS AND Jews have asked Denmark to treat all major religions evenly in its “folkeskole”, the Danish municipal primary and lower secondary schools.

“Christian studies” is a compulsory subject in folkeskole and according to “Act on the Folkeskole”, “The central knowledge area of the subject of Christian studies shall be Evangelical Lutheran Christianity of the Danish national Church.”

Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman; and Rabbi Jonathan B Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in the US; in a joint statement in Nevada, said that instead of just focusing on one denomination of Christianity, schools in Denmark should come up with a comparative religion class teaching basics of all major world religions, including the viewpoint of non-believers.

Zed and Freirich argued that opening-up the Danish children to major world religions and non-believers’ viewpoint would make them well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow. It also made a 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.

Rajan Zed and Jonathan Freirich pointed out that in the matter of religious education, Denmark was not properly following its own “Act on the Folkeskole” which lists among the aims of folkeskole as “all-round personal development of the individual pupil”, “contribute to their understanding of other cultures”, “intellectual freedom” and “equality”.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, says that Denmark, a culturally diverse society, besides various Christian denominations, has now a considerable population of Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, non-believers, etc.

Denmark is rated among nations with best quality of life, highest per capita income, and low unemployment. Its literacy rate is cent percent and its hydrocarbon-rich economy is reported to be booming.