VIENNA, AUSTRIA, June 20, 2003: Mr. Ashok Kaushal, a Hindu living in Vienna, Austria, has been refused by Austrian authorities to register himself and his son as Hindus. Mr. Kaushal, born in India as a Hindu has been living in Austria more than 15 years and is an Austrian citizen. When he recently had to reregister his documents in Vienna, the magistrate refused to put into his birth certificate “Hindu” as his religious denomination. He explained that Hinduism is not a “recognized” religion in Austria and therefore left blank the column of the religion in the document. The same thing happened when Mr. Kaushal went to register the birth of his son Tejas, who was born June 7, 2003. The magistrate refused to register him as a Hindu also and issued his birth certificate without a religious denomination. Austrian authorities are neglecting the fundamental human right of religious freedom while not recognizing one of the oldest religions in the world with more than 1.5 billion followers, according to this release from Yoga in Daily Life. For additional information, kindly contact “source” above.
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