WINTERTHUR, SWITZERLAND, April 4, 2017 (kath.ch): There are 50,000 Hindus in Switzerland. Until recently they had no common voice. On April 2nd, however, various organizations have joined forces to form the “Schweizerischen Dachverband fuer Hinduismus” – the Swiss Hindu Association. With the Swiss Hindu Association the various groups and communities have “a unified, equitable and official place in multi-religious Switzerland” – and “finally a common voice,” according to the press release of the new umbrella organization on April 4th.
This is intended to strengthen the cooperation among the various Hindu communities, as Krishna Premar pa Dasa told kath.ch. “We also wish that we could make Hinduism more visible to the public.” Inter-religious dialogue can only take place if this religion “becomes more comprehensible and accessible to outsiders,” continued Premar pa Dasa. To this end, the umbrella organization would organize events, create a website and publish publications.
According to Premar pa Dasa, Hinduism in Switzerland is diverse. There are Tamil Hindus from Sri Lanka, Hindus from India and Nepal and Hindus with Swiss roots. “It was only when we realized that several organizations and representatives had a common goal that contact between us was established,” said Premar pa Dasa.