Hindu prayer protested
WASHINGTON — Before a Reno clergyman delivered the first Hindu prayer in the history of the U.S. Senate, Capitol Hill police on Thursday removed three people protesting from the visitors gallery.
The protest began when Rajan Zed, clad in a bright orange and burgundy Hindu robe, stood at the podium as the Senate session opened.
Two women and a man, who later identified themselves as “Christians and patriots,” shouted “this is an abomination” and other complaints, according to The Associated Press.
Zed, who was born in India, is the director of interfaith relations at the Hindu Temple in Reno and was invited to the Senate by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
After the protesters were removed, Zed spoke his prayer which called for “peace, peace, peace.”
The protesters were identified as Ante Nedko Pavkovic, Katherine Lynn Pavkovic and Christan Renee Sugar. Capitol Hill police did not disclose additional information about them.
It’s not clear if they were members of the American Family Association of Mississippi, which claimed Zed’s prayer would be “seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god.”
Following Zed’s prayer, Reid spoke on the Senate floor about his longstanding association with the Indian community that goes back to his days as a college student at Utah State University.
“Utah State specialized in engineering and agriculture and these young men came from India to study at Utah State University and I would give them rides,” Reid said.
After he graduated, Reid said, the Indian students prepared a feast for him and his wife, Landra.
Among the gifts he received and still has, Reid said, was a small hand-carved statue of the legendary Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi.
“I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing the faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak in communication with our heavenly father regarding peace,” said Reid, who is a Mormon.
