HINDU FORUM OF EUROPE LAUNCHED
(13 June 2007)

National organisations from all over Europe joined together to launch the Hindu Forum of Europe on 13 June 2007at the European Parliament in Brussels and it aims to be a first point of contact for the European Commission, European Parliament and other EU institutions in dealing with issues like participation of European Hindus in public policy, interfaith cooperation and EU legislation.

In the presence of senior Parliamentary presence from Britain, European MEPs and Ambassadors, the launch event was hosted by British MEP Robert Evans, and supported by MEPs from many EU nations. Home Office Minister of State for Security and Policing from the UK, Tony McNulty MP, who hosts one the country’s largest Hindu population in his constituency, was one of the key-note speakers at the event.

Organisations that have joined together to form the Hindu Forum of Europe (HFE) include the Hindu Council of the Netherlands, Hindu Forum of Belgium, Hindu Forum of Britain, Italian Hindu Union and the National Council of Hindu Temples UK.

Sudarshan Bhatia, President of the National Council of Hindu Temples UK, was elected the President of the Hindu Forum of Europe by its Administrative Council. Mahaprabhu Dasa from the Hindu Forum of Belgium was elected the Secretary and three Vice Presidents were also elected on the HFE Board, and they include Harilal Halai, Chair of the Cultural Committee of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Swamini Hamsananda Giri, Secretary of the Italian Hindu Union and Bikram Singh, Secretary of the Hindu Council of the Netherlands.

Sudarshan Bhatia, President of the Hindu Forum of Europe, said: “The organisation was formed as a result of several meetings between Europe wide Hindu bodies held in Belgium and London, which identified a gap in communication between EU institutions and the 1.5 million Hindus living in Europe.

“We have four areas of interest: EU legislation and community consultation; interfaith cooperation in Europe; and promotion of positive images of the European Hindu community; and protection of human rights and security issues. Now, European legislators and policy makers will have a forum to communicate effectively with a community that has made such a substantial contribution to the European way of life.”

Harilal Halai, Vice President of HFE, added: “The British Hindu community, which numbers 750,000 is the largest in Europe. We hope that our experience of engaging with the British government in contributing to the cohesion and integration agendas of this country will go a long way in making a difference in Europe.”

Bikram Singh, another Vice President of HFE commented: “Holland has the second largest Hindu community in Europe, and already has five state-funded Hindu schools and a TV channel dedicated exclusively to Hindu programmes. We hope that the HFE can make a big difference in how Dutch Hindus reach out to the rest of Europe.”

Other guests at the launch included the Ambassadors of South Africa and Mauritius, leading figures from the European bodies of other faith communities and officials from EU institutions

Swamini Hamsananda Giri, who speaks on behalf of the Hindu community at several interfaith events, said, “We believe that the Hindu Forum of Europe will provide a wonderful opportunity for us to speak to the other faith communities at a pan-European level. This will help in increasing bilateral and multi-lateral dialogue between Hindus and the other faith communities in Europe.”

Mahaprabhu Dasa, concluded. “It is with great pleasure that the Hindu Community of Belgium welcomes the creation of a European Hindu body and since Belgium is at the heart of Europe we hope that we can facilitate the dialogue between the Hindu Communities around Europe and the European institutions like the Parliament, Commission and Council. We also hope that Europeans will perceive Hindus as a positive contribution to the multi cultural European society.”