Hindus praise Vatican for opposing Roma crackdown in France

Nevada (US), Aug 24 (ANI): Noted American-Indian activist Rajan Zed has applauded Vatican and other Catholic leaders for reportedly speaking against the Roma (Gypsy) crackdown in France.

"It is a step in the right direction", he said in a statement in Nevada (USA) today and added that other religious elite of Europe should also come out openly against the reported maltreatment of Roma communities in France, which smelled of xenophobia, racism, and intolerance.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, had stressed in the past that condition of Roma in Europe had most of the signs of "apartheid" and it was happening right under Pope's nose and had repeatedly appealed him to openly embrace Roma cause and come up with a White Paper on their plight.

Zed argued that it was a sin to silently watch about 15 million Roma suffer day after day for the last about 1200 years and not do anything about it.

He pointed out that it was even more disgusting to know that tens of thousands of European Roma were still reportedly stateless, thus denying them even basic human rights.

Europe's most persecuted and discriminated community, Roma reportedly regularly encountered social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, etc., Rajan Zed said. (ANI)