After the recent sudden cancellation of Hindu invocation (opening-prayer) by the City of American Falls in Idaho citing “community feedback”, now Jerome County Board of Commissioners has cancelled Hindu invocation citing “public outcry”.
A. Ben Crouch, Chairman of Jerome County Board of Commissioners, in an email on May three to Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who was scheduled to read the prayer at the Board in Jerome on May six, wrote: “Due to the outpouring of comments and public outcry to your visit and invocation, and after visiting with our legal counsel, we are going to have to cancel your appointment with us on Monday.” He also mentions “safety concerns to our citizens and visitors” in this email. Zed’s name still appears on the agenda.
Earlier, American Falls Mayor Rebekah K. Sorensen, in an email to Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism and who was to read this prayer, wrote:… doing so may create future situations that are complicated, unsavory, or not in the city’s best interest…City attorney and Council has decided not permit any invocations… “Personally, I am a religious person and believe we, as human leaders, can use all of the divine help we can get”, Mayor Sorensen added.
There has been reportedly some community feedback since news spread about this proposed Hindu invocation at the American Falls City Council, which Mayor Sorensen described as: “Some local feedback is positive, some negative”, as “residents reached out via email and in-person”.
Rajan Zed, who has delivered invocations in Idaho State Senate and Boise City Council, besides United States Senate and US House of Representatives in Washington DC; has expressed shock at the unexpected cancellation of invocations at Jerome County Board of Supervisors and American Falls City Council.
Petitioning/pleading the God through prayer for common good helps us to grow in holiness, whichever religious perspective the prayers come from. Since all life comes from God, prayers help to link us to God, with the expectation that God hears us and blesses us; Zed points out highlighting the importance of invocation in legislative bodies.
The plurality of religious traditions has come to characterize Idaho, USA and the world. There is a need to energetically engage with pluralism, actively seek understanding across the lines of difference and remove our ignorance of one another; Rajan Zed indicates.
Zed had planned to recite from Rig-Veda, world’s oldest extant scripture; besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed had planned to say “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”; which he would then have interpreted as “Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he proposed to urge Jerome county commissioners, American Falls city council members and others present to keep the welfare of others always in mind.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in the USA.
Jerome County, created in 1919, consists of the small farming communities of Eden, Hazelton, and Jerome. One of ten Japanese American internment camps set up during World War II, was located in Jerome County.
American Falls, “Where the sun shines in every window”, along the edge of the Snake River with 4,428 population, was settled in 1800. Its City Council Mission Statement includes: Provide a friendly, diverse, and positive atmosphere.