Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has
strongly criticized awarding of Nobel Peace Prize to European Union (EU),
calling it highly “illogical and irrational” in view of continuing apartheid
conditions of its about 15-million Roma (Gypsy) populace.
Zed, who is President of Universal
Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, argued that EU had
failed to “really” grant human rights to Roma which were available to other Europeans.
Various “paper-plans”, ceremoniously launched but “half-heartedly” implemented,
had not succeeded in bringing Roma in the mainstream, who had been in Europe since ninth century CE.
Listing “human rights” as one of the
“EU's most important result” in its Prize announcement by Norwegian Nobel
Committee was baffling and appeared to defy logic in view of continuous
sufferings and maltreatment of Roma despite the existence of EU and its
forerunners for over six decades, Rajan Zed pointed out.
Europe should wake up, show some maturity
and instead of unleashing repression, it should “wholeheartedly” embrace its
Roma brothers and sisters and urgently work on social inclusion and
rehabilitation of Roma communities. Roma were still being used as scapegoats by
politicians across Europe to gain political
mileage.
"How many more centuries must Roma reside in Europe
to prove that they were 'real and equal' Europeans like any other?” Zed asked.
Rajan Zed noted that it was simply
immoral, inhuman and a sin to watch voiceless Roma suffer day after day and
their lives devastated by frequent crackdowns and do nothing. It was moral
obligation of Europe to take care of its
largest minority Roma population and stop human rights violations suffered by
them. There seemed to be no coherent and effective policy to assimilate them
into the society. Their alarming condition was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world.
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., Zed stated.
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