Hindu groups in South Africa on Sunday protested against the distribution of an "anti-Hindu" book by a man who recently accused Mahatma Gandhi of being a "racist."
Ram Maharaj, president of the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha, and Rugbeer Kalideen, secretary general of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, have accused Yousuf Deedat of Durban of violating the rights of Hindus and called on the Human Rights Commission to investigate the matter.
Deedat, who was recently lambasted by both Muslims and Hindus for distributing another book titled Gandhi: A Stooge of the White South African Government, is now circulating a book that claims Hinduism is fraught with "immorality and indecency."
The book titled Oh You Hindu Awake is reportedly authored by a Dr Chatterjee.
Maharaj said he felt "physically sick" after reading the book. "Deedat Junior has broken a promise his father made to us 12 years ago to stop the circulation of the book," he said.
"He's done it too many times. We are going to the Human Rights Commission with this book. It has to be banned," Maharaj added.
Kalideen said, "It is a shocking, vile piece of writing. Deedat seems ignorant of the fact that it is unconstitutional to denigrate any religion."
But Deedat claimed that the information in the book was factual.
"I fear nothing, because the information contained in the book is factual. The book was withdrawn in 1995 because we didn't know the new system very well. People are powerless to stop this now," he said.
