Submit :
News                      Photos                     Just In                     Debate Topic                     Latest News                    Articles                    Local News                    Blog Posts                     Pictures                    Reviews                    Recipes                    
  
European Ombudsman registers Hindus' complaint on religious equality in Malta
On this issue, Hindus recently approached various bodies of European Union (EU), Council of Europe, European Parliament; European and Malta Ombudsman; Malta President and other government offices; and even Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta.
EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN has registered Hindus’ complaint about equality of religions in Malta and has assigned a registration number to it.
 
In a response to the communiqué of Bhavna Shinde of Forum for Hindu Awakening; Joao Sant’Anna, Head of the Legal Department of the European Ombudsman, wrote: I am writing to let you know that your complaint dated 20/06/2010 reached the Office of the European Ombudsman on 21/06/2010 and was assigned registration number…

Shinde’s communiqué has stated: Malta Criminal Code reportedly makes one liable to imprisonment up to 6 months for publicly vilifying "Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion", while committing such an act against "any cult tolerated by law" makes one liable to imprisonment only up to 3 months. Please investigate it and ensure that Malta treats all religions and denominations equally in front of the law.

On this issue, Hindus recently approached various bodies of European Union (EU), Council of Europe, European Parliament; European and Malta Ombudsman; Malta President and other government offices; and even Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta urging them to “ensure that Malta treats all religions and denominations equally in front of the law”. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has already “taken note” of Hindus’ concern on this issue.

Meanwhile, in the recent past, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA, in a statement on this issue, said that it seemed to imply that except Roman Catholic, other religions and denominations including Hinduism and Judaism were just one of the cults in the eyes of Malta.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich, argued that it was perturbing to note that a country of Europe, which prided itself for its human rights initiatives, apparently treated crimes against religious sentiment of “other” religions/denominations as less serious than against majority religion and described religions/denominations other than majority religion as cults.

Maltese islands were first settled reportedly in 5,200 BCE. Few European countries have such concentrated architecture, history, and beaches in so small an area as Malta. Strasbourg (France) based European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the EU, which currently has 27 member countries and Malta is one of them. P. Nikiforos Diamandouros of Greece is European Ombudsman.

COMMENTS (0)
Guest
Name
Email Id
Verification Code
merinews for RTI activists

Create email alerts

Total subscribers: 205596
Not finding what you are looking for? Search here.