Foreign Policy Blogs

Controversial Deities

At the beginning of October, Al Jazeera reported on the fascinating developments surrounding the Dalai Lama's ban on the worship of Dorje Shugden , a "500-year-old Deity." The news centered on the tension among Tibetans in India over the issue – and also how the Tibetan exile government says that Shugden worshippers are terrorists linked to China. The fears are that they openly sympathize with China. One website – the Shugden Society – looks at the Dalai Lama's statements and of course argues against the ban on worshipping the deity. Meanwhile, other news reports from two months ago focus on the "schism which could exclude the four million Tibetan followers of Shugden" and the lawsuit, which was brought against the Dalai Lama in India for religious persecution. – Most recently – and unfortunately – the AP is now reporting that the Dalai Lama has been hospitalized and will undergo surgery today.

Picture from “people and power” on Al Jazeera: here
The site also includes a video account of the story.

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