Press release Shugden Society USA September 2010
« on: September 15, 2010, 06:13:19 AM » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press release from US Shugden Society
Today we would like to bring to the attention of all those who believe in peaceful coexistence of all faiths and beliefs in this world, and particularly the attention of the people who believe in freedom of religion and human rights.
September 2nd is The Tibetan Democracy Day, but the irony is that we the Tibetan people do not have true democracy due to the policies of the Tibetan government in exile, under the powerful guidance of the Dalai Lama, that undermines the rights to Religious Freedom as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and other international conclaves. Hence, we, the proponents of equal human rights, are commemorating the date of September 2 to create a global awareness of the plight as the Dorje Shugden believers continue to struggle against thereligious persecution and segregation that has been imposed in the Tibetan community throughout the world.
The video by Al-jazeera, which accounts the atrocities committed by Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile:
http://english.aljazeera.net On 9 January 2008, the Dalai Lama declared that "Dorje Shugden devotees are supported by the Chinese and therefore there is no need for them to be in exile, they can go back to Tibet (under Chinese rule)”. On the same day, he also called for “holding an open referendum, to decide if the majority of the Tibetans want to coexist with the devotees of the deity”. This is an invitation for open segregation in the Tibetan society, under the disguise of practicing democracy. Furthermore, because of Dalai Lama’s position and influence, his statements become government policies, and therefore have great consequences. These statements from Dalai Lama’s position, undermine the fundamental rights: the right to exercise freedom of religion, right to peaceful living, and right to equal opportunity for the people. These statements have great potential to cause communal violence in the society and mislead the Tibetan people into believing that the Dorjee Shugden practitioners as the enemy. As a result, the followers of this deity and their family members have been victims of ostracism and violence.
In 2008, we gave a deadline to a Tibetan Government in Exile and Dalai Lama to stop the religious persecution and segregation of the Shugden practitioners and their families, including children at schools. However, the situation is getting worse every day, as we speak. Dalai Lama declared a war against the Shugden people, demonizing and segregating Shugden worshippers since 1996.
Following are few of the recent incidents of violence towards Shugden devotees (more details of the atrocities are attached at the back):·
The most recent example of unfortunate development occurred when the Chushi Gangdurk Organisation, New York USA (which is a political association) met with dalai lama on May 2010, and informed him that they had removed the members who believed in Dorje Shugden and vowed to disassociate and remove any Shugden believers in the future for his holiness' happiness.
· 26th Feburary 2010 Central Chushi Gangdurk Organisation's head quarter in New Delhi gave a letter to Dalai Lama which stated that they hadn’t associated with the Shugden believers since 1996 and vowed to continue disassociating from the Shugden people in the future too.
· On February 20, 2010, when 68 of the 100 invited guests as well as performers left the wedding party in New York City because a few Dorje Shugden devotees were invited. Those who left apologized and explained that they did not want to break the oath that they had taken to segregate from the followers of Dorje Shugden.
· In July 29 2009, the Tibetan section of Radio Free Asia, with intention to turn the general Tibetan people against the Shugden devotees, demonized the Shugden devotees of being responsible for the abductions of Tenzing thakpa, Woeser rinpoche's father and a 13-year-old boy along with few goats and sheep in Markham, Tibet. In reality, Woeser rinpoche's father and the boy were victims of flood and Tenzing thakpa was seen alive and well, traveling in Lhasa and India.
· In 2008, the oath and signature campaign of breaking off religious and material relationship with Shugden devotees were introduced in the monasteries and Tibetan settlements.
· Another example was the shutting down of Tibetan Association of Western Massachusetts, in US on October of 2008 because it had some Shugden believers as its members.
· In July 2008, wanted posters of several monks involved in the Western Shugden Society protests appeared in Queens, New York. Al Jazeera reported about the wanted posters saying, "No Shugden worshipper has ever been charged or investigated for terrorism and yet the monks that continue to worship Shugden remain victims of name and shame."
· On 2006, the burning of thousands of autobiography written by Lamdrim Rinpoche (from Deipung Monastery, Tibet).
· In 1997, a nun in Tibet, was beaten up and left naked in the street to die, who fortunately survived.
· On April 5, 1996, after Dalai Lama's teaching, Gaden Choeling nunnery in Dharamsala dragged the Shugden statue out, trod on, and flung into a garbage pit.
· Through out India and Nepal, tens of thousands of Dorjee Shugden statues, literatures and scriptures were desecrated.
·
Threatening the lives of the people who believed in Shugden and ostracizing them from the Tibetan community throughout the world.· An attack on Gaden Shartse monastery in South India by over three thousand Tibetans settlers resulted in 40 people wounded and properties damaged.
· In Clement town, there was also an attempt of arson on a Shugden devotees family’s house.
These are just a few cases from countless incidents of atrocities involving violence and discrimination towards Shugden followers.
In reference to the letter to the prime minister of the Tibetan Government in exile, Samdong Rinpoche and The Dalai Lama, dated April 25, 2008, we had appealed to the Tibetan government to enforce our demands within the deadline of September 2, 2008.
Our Demands were:To entitle us to the fundamental rights of freedom to speech, beliefs, and the rights to live peacefully as guaranteed in the Constitution of Tibetan Government-in-Exile and Democratic countries.
To lift the ban on Shugden practice and the religious persecution of its practitioners.
To stop the systematic process of segregation in the Tibetan communities in exile, that has led to the social, psychological and physical torture of Shugden practitioners.
As our demands were repeatedly blatantly ignored, and in addition to the plight:The Tibetan government in exile continues to ostracize and segregate the Shugden practitioners from the rest of the Tibetan society.
Hundreds of monks, who worshipped Dorjee Shugden, were ostracized and expelled from the monasteries. As a result, a new wall at Ganden monastery in Southern India was built in March 2008 to segregate the Shugden worshippers.
Monks who worshipped Shugden were denied medical services from the health clinics in the Tibetan communities in exile. Students, whose parents practiced in Dorje Shugden, were ostracized in schools system.
Shugden Society USA
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