Racism

[Indra]

My question is primarily for those who live abroad and not in India (USA, UK, Europe etc..) Do you ever experienced racism? Where you ever verbally or physically assaulted by racists? Do you ever clashed with skinheads or other violent racist groups?

Back as I was younger (16-17) i was once attacked by a group of skinheads as i was in town. As i was in school i also was often verbally assaulted by the white pupils because of my skin colour.

[Eastern Mind]

Yes, I've experienced racism, but not as overt as you describe. It was much subtler. Perhaps even scarier in a way. Subtle can mean deceitful, sneakier. I'm a white Hindu. The racism I experienced was from Indian Hindus. In a temple here (Canada) about 20 years ago, a small child told me that "white people don't worship Hindu gods" (I wonder where she got that idea.) At the same time, same temple, same day, this fellow yelled at me for being a Christian in disguise (not only me but the magazine Hinduism Today as well, which I was promoting. Those of you familiar with the magazine will see the ridiculousness of that.) After he yelled at me, he disappeared into the crowd, not even willing to have some sort of logical civil discussion. I was somewhat taken aback. Now 20 years later I'm quite familiar with the concept. I expect stares when I go to temples I haven't been to. It helps to wear veshti, prostrate straight away etc.

As for the skinhead type of WASP zealous bigotted ignorant violent neo-Nazism you're referring to, all I can say is those people must be very unevolved souls. I'm glad the law is on your side at least. The solution has to be in education, but there are lots of adages regarding the despair in attempting the educate such folk. Hitting your head against a brick wall comes to mind. Part of the kali yuga I guess. Aum namasivaya

[satay]

namaskar,


My question is primarily for those who live abroad and not in India (USA, UK, Europe etc..) Do you ever experienced racism?


Yes.



Where you ever verbally or physically assaulted by racists?


Yes. Verbally several times openly, several times in more subtle ways.



Do you ever clashed with skinheads or other violent racist groups?


No



Back as I was younger (16-17) i was once attacked by a group of skinheads as i was in town. As i was in school i also was often verbally assaulted by the white pupils because of my skin colour.

Scary.

I note that since now I am a well established professional in the soceity, the racism doesn't seem to be there at work. However, it seems to be more active among people who are not well educated, have less exposure to non-whites, have not much exposure to other cultures and are proverbial frogs of the well.

I dare say the same thing exists the other way around i.e. reverse racism also exists among non-white people.

[yajvan]

Hari om
~~~~~


Namaste,

We live in a strange world. We should rejoice at the differences, yet people find fault with it. This is His Joy to create multiplicity. They say the are 4.8 million kinds of species on this good earth. Think of the variety.

Yet remember when you encounter these people that see you as different, it is in their heads not yours.

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business. Gandi

pranams

[atanu]

My special regards to Eastern Mind and Yajvan for their beautiful posts.

Om

[TatTvamAsi]

Sure, I was told that the vibhUtI on my forehead was "dirt" by my teacher (white lady) in high school here in California! Of course, it was a 'christian' school so they had their agenda but I was taken aback at first then brushed it off as ignorance. The funny thing is by the time I finished high school, many of the students were beginning to doubt their faith! :rolleyes:

[vcindiana]

Hari om
~~~~~


It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business. Gandi

pranams

I am not sure many "Christians" read and practice Bible, I find it equally hard and it is easier for me to judge.

Matthew 5:43-48 (http://bible.logos.com/passage/esv/Matthew%205.43-48)

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Love...........VC

[Indra]

Namaste,


At the same time, same temple, same day, this fellow yelled at me for being a Christian in disguise (not only me but the magazine Hinduism Today as well, which I was promoting. Those of you familiar with the magazine will see the ridiculousness of that.)

I understand, people often associate skin colour with religion. Here in Europe if you are white they think you are a christian but if you are brown like me they think you are a muslim (most brown people here are muslims) they always wonder when i told them that im a christian. They always ask me if i dont eat pork, and wonder very much when i tell them that i eat pork.

[Indra]

Namaste,


I am not sure many "Christians" read and practice Bible, I find it equally hard and it is easier for me to judge.
Matthew 5:43-48 (http://bible.logos.com/passage/esv/Matthew%205.43-48)
You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


Love...........VC

Thats only in theory, but most christians are racist, if you are white they associate you with being one of them, but if you are brown they think you have another religion and that you are backward. I never went often to church simply because i didnt felt comfortable among all the white people who looked at me and didnt see me as one of their own.

[yajvan]

Hari om
~~~~~


Sure, I was told that the vibhUtI on my forehead was "dirt" by my teacher (white lady) in high school here in California! Of course, it was a 'christian' school so they had their agenda but I was taken aback at first then brushed it off as ignorance. The funny thing is by the time I finished high school, many of the students were beginning to doubt their faith! :rolleyes:

Namaste,
Very interesting... there is a time of the year where Christens also wear ash on their foreheads in the shape of a cross some do just a smudge. This is called ash Wednesday - "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return" is the inspiration for this..


So, teacher like your ash wednesday, mine comes more often!
Education is a good tool.

satyaṅa pramāditavyaṁ
dharmaṅa pramāditavyaṁ
Kusalaṅa pramāditavyaṁ
Never swerve away from Truth
never swerve away from duty
never neglect your welfare; swerve
not from any act for the protection of yourself
Taittiriya Uanishad 1.11.1


pranams

[yajvan]

Hari om
~~~~~



So, teacher like your ash Wednesday, mine comes more often! Education is a good tool.


But you people recognize 3 Gods... Brahmā , Viṣṇu and Śiva Yes we do - and do you not recognize the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?

But that is different - we're saying that God is the Father, the Son and the Holy SpiritYes, I see that. Like that we too see Brahmā , Viṣṇu and Śiva as one, as Brahman, as sattā or Being.

But you folks pray to symbols.Yes, do you not recognize your Cross as a symbol?

But you have (I think) mūrti's, figures of your Gods of Viṣṇu, Śiva ,Śrī Rām, Śrī Lakṣmī .Yes we do, and I see the figures of Mother Mary, And Jesus on the cross, and various Saints ( Saint Joseph) when I enter one of your houses of the Lord. Is this not the same thing?

But I see you bow down to them?Yes, and I see your congregation kneel as they pray or are lead in prayer by your priest... is this not bowing to the Supreme?

But I see incense and flowers offered and other things.Yes, and I see the same at many of your services... very nice.

But you take things at the end of your ceremonies, fruit and flowers, and things like that - thats called prasāda?Yes, we do have this. It is a gift of grace... and like that do you not on Sunday take the body of Christ and the blood of Christ ( wine and a waffer in communion)?

But I see you with ashes on your head and various marks?Christian's also wear ash on their foreheads in the shape of a cross some do just a smudge. "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return" - how is this different?

But you have all those festivals.As does the Christian faith and their holy days.

Yes, but you wear these things called māla-s around your neck.Yes, some of us do... do you not wear a chain with a cross or a pendent.

Well yes I do... but many of you say there is no sin?Many of us think sin is ignorance, of not knowing our real SELVES,
we call ātman.

But there are so many other things... you consider reincarnation, some of you meditate and think its prayer, and there is ....We can address all your questions - but one thing we are good at is accepting another's right to believe as they see fit. It may be different then ours but we respect other's beliefs.
We know that in your way it is grounded in your scriptures. Like that so are our beliefs, they too come from our scriptures that we hold in high regard. We ask the same from you as we give to you, your understanding and patience with our beliefs.

Did not your Jesus say, do on to others as you would have them do on to you? Our scriptures give us the same direction¹.


pranams


1.Anusasana Parva section of Mahābhārata.
Yudhiṣṭhira asks, 'absence of injury, the observance of yajya, meditation,etc. - which one of these are filled with the greatest merit for the individial?' Bṛ́haspáti talks of the merits of these virtues, yet says the following: One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self.

[Indra]

namaste,




I dare say the same thing exists the other way around i.e. reverse racism also exists among non-white people.

Yes racism also exists among non-white people. There was this japanese girl, i met in a other forum. She had a beautiful face so i asked her for her email adress, and she insulted me and told me that she is only into japanese guys and holds "her race clean" not dirty

[Znanna]

Namaste,

Here in the US, as we approach our Presidential election, where a person of color is running against (as Paris Hilton so eloquently put it) "that old white haired guy" racism which has been undercover is becoming uncovered.

Frankly, while I'd prefer to be shocked, I'm not at all surprised.

While nobody would particularly note me (fair and redheaded) as a mutt, I am, and have known since the "family secret" was unearthed due to an indiscriminate conversation with a relative when I was quite young. Much fuss was made of it, and we were told not to tell our friends at school (1960s). My best friend also is a mutt, and grew up in the deep South, where he and his mother were arrested for not moving to the back of a bus.

There are certainly many who will not vote for Obama because he's different from them.

The fear of "them" ... the "other" ... or, alternatively put, the fear of being LIKE (or one and same as) "them" or "other ... this runs deep in our psyches.



ZN/been persecuted as a witch, though

[Jack_ripper]

My question is primarily for those who live abroad and not in India (USA, UK, Europe etc..) Do you ever experienced racism? Where you ever verbally or physically assaulted by racists? Do you ever clashed with skinheads or other violent racist groups?

Back as I was younger (16-17) i was once attacked by a group of skinheads as i was in town. As i was in school i also was often verbally assaulted by the white pupils because of my skin colour.

My uncle's child was attacked by his fellow classmate in Tripoli, Libya. They had a spat about their religions and then it went to a fight, the other child called his father and they beat me uncle and his child brutally :(
It's a damn USELESS world, so global viallge or anything.....just a selfish society...