Hindus and Jews ask Pope to tell Sarkozy that Roma maltreatment is not acceptable

Nevada (US), Sept 21 (ANI): Hindus and Jews have asked His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to strongly tell France President Nicolas Sarkozy when they reportedly meet next month that Sarkozy was not upholding "Christian values" by continuing to maltreat Roma (Gypsy) communities.

Eminent Hindu statesman Rajan Zed; and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement in Nevada today, said that Jesus Christ clearly told the world to help the helpless, defenseless and downtrodden and love them, and He showed the way. The Pope, being the acclaimed representative of God on earth, should raise his voice against continuous Roma maltreatment in France when Sarkozy came to see him.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich further said that Pope should recognize, acknowledge and affirm the Roma as children of God who deserved to be treated like all other people-as equals. Pope should explain Sarkozy that as a Christian, Sarkozy should offer the Roma protection, compassion, and love and act as God wanted him to act, as distinctly defined in The Bible.

Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan Freirich argued that the apartheid like conditions of the Roma people was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, racist slogans on Internet, etc.

Being the most powerful religious leader in the world, it was Pope's moral obligation to make efforts to stop the frequent human rights violations suffered by Roma in France and rest of the Europe, Zed and Freirich added. (ANI)