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Hindus have sent early greetings to Muslim communities world over for the upcoming festival of “Eid al-Adha”, which falls on November six this year.

Statesman Rajan Zed, in a release in Nevada (USA) today, expressed warmest greetings on the upcoming Eid festival wishing that it brought joy, happiness and cheer to all the Muslims.

Rajan Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. Dialogue would bring us mutual enrichment, he added.

Eid al-Adha, also known as Greater Bayram, is celebrated towards the end of Mecca pilgrimage. To commemorate the ram substituted by God when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice Ishmael, his son, to test his faith, unblemished animals are sacrificed on this occasion. It also includes visiting/receiving extended families.

Islam is the second most widespread religion in the world after Christianity and word “Islam” means “submission/peace”.

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Government funding 3 Hindu temples in Malaysia

Government is reportedly allocating funds for building three Hindu temples in Sabah state of Malaysia.

These temples include Sri Murugan Temple in Tawau, Pasupathinath Temple in Kota Kinabalu and Sri Subramaniar Temple in Lok Kawi Camp, reports suggest.

Applauding this government gesture, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, termed it as “a step in the right direction” and added that it showed the government’s concern for Hindu community.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, requested declaration of Thaipusam as a public holiday in Sabah enabling more community members to celebrate it together. According to reports, presently four states of Malaysia observe Thaipusam Day as a public holiday.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Haji Mohd Yassin reportedly recently attended Deepavali open house. Allocation for Sri Murugan Temple reportedly will go towards preparation of Maha Kumba Bisegam celebration held every 12 years.

On the last Thaipusam festival of Tawau Hindu Temple attended by hundreds, devotees carried decorative kavadi and paal kudam (milk pots) in a procession from river bank to Temple, walking about two kilometers, reports suggest.

Rajan Zed commended the Hindu community in Sabah for keeping the traditions alive and said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society.

Quoting scriptures, Zed suggested Sabah and worldwide Hindu community: conquer your passions and senses; meditate; keep your heart pure and full of love; seek higher knowledge; and realize Self which is deathless, source of all light and knows all.

One of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant economies, Malaysia is among the world’s biggest producers of rubber, timber and palm oil and offers dense rainforests, great beaches and excellent scenery. Lonely Planet calls it "multicultural buffet of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours" and "safest, most stable and easiest to manage in Southeast Asia". Besides Malay, English and Chinese; Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam are also major languages. Although Islam is the state religion, constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Major religions include Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism (about 6.3%), Taoism, Confucianism and Sikhism. Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin is Head of State while Najib Abdul Razak is Prime Minister.

Sabah, second largest of the 13 states, is located in Borneo Island and contains Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia.