Hindu
prayer in US Senate draws religious protesters
Three protesters disrupted
a prayer by a Hindu chaplain on Thursday at the opening
of a US Senate hearing, calling it an abomination and shouting
slogans about Jesus Christ.
It
was the first time the daily prayer that opens Senate proceedings
was said by a Hindu chaplain.
Capitol
police said two women and one man were arrested and charged
with causing a disruption in the public gallery of the Senate.
The three started shouting when guest Chaplain Rajan Zed,
a Hindu from Nevada, began his prayer.
They
shouted "No Lord but Jesus Christ" and "There's
only one true God," and used the term "abomination."
Religious
figures from various faiths have said the prayer, which
is normally recited by a Christian chaplain.
Barry
Lynn, executive director of religious watchdog group Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, said the protest
showed the intolerance of the "religious right."
"I
don't think the Senate should open with prayers, but if
it's going to happen, the invocations ought to reflect the
diversity of the American people," Lynn said in a statement.
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid had invited Zed.
"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,"
he said after the disruption.