WHF Augurs: "21st Century Belongs to Hindus"

August 11, 2006

Author: Dr. Hari Bansh Jha

Source: Hinduism Today

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1996/8-11/1996-8-11-05.shtml

With the message that the 21st century belongs to the Hindus, the three-day 11th International Executive Committee Meeting of the World Hindu Federation (WHF) ended on May 4, 1996, on top of the world at Kathmandu, Nepal. After reading a message of goodwill from His Majesty, the King, Nepal's Prime Minister, Bher Bahadur Deuba, inaugurated the meeting of WHF and told the multi-national audience that religious tolerance and communal harmony remain the national character of Nepal. Christian and Muslim conversion concerns dominated the meeting. WHF president Krishna Gopal Tandon noted with satisfaction that reconversion efforts were taking place with greater success in Nepal.

Nepal's State Minister for Land Reforms, Buddhi Man Tamang, (a Buddhist) reported that in the Dhading district he managed to reconvert nearly 7,000 Christians to Buddhism. Dhading has experienced more conversion than other districts in Nepal, particularly in the remote parts. Tamang said he had to apply force to chase Christian missionaries away from the districts. To the same end, he has launched various social service activities to offset the social service-based promulgation campaign of the Christians. Tamang proposed the establishment of a Hindu Training Centre where young boys and girls would be given training to thwart conversion of poor and uneducated people. He reported that missionaries are attempting to create a rift between Hindus and Buddhists. He complained that Non-Governmental Organizations, who are supposed to be doing humanitarian work, are instead helping in the conversion efforts. The number of NGOs has increased from a few hundred before the political change in 1990 to 20,000 today. Billions of rupees are spent by Christian and Muslim missionaries for the conversion of the Nepalese people.

Ashok Singhal, Executive President of World Hindu Federation, India Chapter, and General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of India, concurred that the Nepal government should control the flow of money through NGOs if it really wants to preserve its indigenous culture, religion and Hindu identity.