HAF Responds to Slanderous Boston Herald Report Headline
http://hafsite.org/media_letters_bostonherald_lingam.htm
HAF Responds to Slanderous Boston Herald Report Headline
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) wrote a letter in response to a Boston Herald article, "Hindus lament divine case of erectile dysfunction" on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 . The article used headlining which was crude and in extremely poor taste.
July 4, 2007
Dear Editor,
The headline for a news report on the Amarnath sacred "lingam" in India ("Hindus lament divine case of erectile cialis," Tuesday, July 3, 2007) is an example of inappropriate humor at best and profaning of the sacred at worst.
Modern sexual imagery and obsession should not become tools to abuse and hijack other people's sacred objects and symbols. Your choice of headline to report about an important annual Hindu pilgrimage is unfortunate and in poor taste, and underscores once again the easy temptation to practice flippant journalism when the crying need is serious and thoughtful discourse.
The Shiva Linga is not merely, as you report, "the symbolic phallus of Lord Shiva." The Linga or Lingam is the simplest and most ancient symbol of Shiva, and is said to represent God beyond all forms and qualities. The Lingam is a sacred symbol of that "which is invisible yet omnipresent." According to Hindu seers, the Lingam is a visible symbol of the Ultimate Reality which is present in all of us and in all objects of creation. It is believed that at the end of all creation all of the different aspects of God find a resting place in the Lingam.
Instead of educating your readers on this sacred symbol, you have chosen to pander to the lowest common denominator by resorting to easy and puerile sexual imagery.
Sincerely,
Ramesh Rao, Ph.D
Member, Executive Council
Hindu American Foundation
HAF Responds to Slanderous Boston Herald Report Headline
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) wrote a letter in response to a Boston Herald article, "Hindus lament divine case of erectile dysfunction" on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 . The article used headlining which was crude and in extremely poor taste.
July 4, 2007
Dear Editor,
The headline for a news report on the Amarnath sacred "lingam" in India ("Hindus lament divine case of erectile cialis," Tuesday, July 3, 2007) is an example of inappropriate humor at best and profaning of the sacred at worst.
Modern sexual imagery and obsession should not become tools to abuse and hijack other people's sacred objects and symbols. Your choice of headline to report about an important annual Hindu pilgrimage is unfortunate and in poor taste, and underscores once again the easy temptation to practice flippant journalism when the crying need is serious and thoughtful discourse.
The Shiva Linga is not merely, as you report, "the symbolic phallus of Lord Shiva." The Linga or Lingam is the simplest and most ancient symbol of Shiva, and is said to represent God beyond all forms and qualities. The Lingam is a sacred symbol of that "which is invisible yet omnipresent." According to Hindu seers, the Lingam is a visible symbol of the Ultimate Reality which is present in all of us and in all objects of creation. It is believed that at the end of all creation all of the different aspects of God find a resting place in the Lingam.
Instead of educating your readers on this sacred symbol, you have chosen to pander to the lowest common denominator by resorting to easy and puerile sexual imagery.
Sincerely,
Ramesh Rao, Ph.D
Member, Executive Council
Hindu American Foundation