Hindu religious group to petition Gov. Hutchinson.
By Raif Karerat
Officials in Arkansas have rejected a proposal for a Hindu monkey god Hanuman statue on the grounds of the state legislature.
The Universal Society of Hinduism and a number of other organizations mooted the notion of putting up their own monuments after the Arkansas General Assembly passed a law earlier this year to erect a Ten Commandments statue, the Associated Press said.
“Besides honoring the Arkansas Hindus, this statue would raise awareness of Arkansans about Hinduism, the oldest and third-largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought,†said Rajan Zed, a former Postal Service manager in Reno, Nev. and the society’s only full-time staff member, according to The Independent.
During the debate over the Ten Commandments statue legislation, supporters argued that it was not a religious monument, but instead highlighted the historic importance of the commandments as a legal document, the AP reported.
The Universal Society of Hinduism released a statement on Friday saying it was considering sending its request to Governor Asa Hutchinson, who signed the Ten Commandments statue law in April.