PROVO, Utah: In a remarkable interfaith gesture, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed was warmly welcomed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) sponsored Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo (Utah, USA). Dr. Brent L. Top, Chair of Church History and Doctrine Department, greeted Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism. Zed had dialogue with BYU College of Religious Education faculty, including its Dean Dr. Terry B. Ball, and addressed its students and answered questions. Rajan Zed also met BYU President Dr. Cecil O. Samuelson and was taken on a tour of the campus and adjoining LDS Missionary Training Center. On the same day, Zed also launched meetings of Provo Municipal Council and Utah County Commission in Provo with Hindu invocations for the first time since they were settled by Mormon pioneers in 1849. Rajan Zed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader, who besides taking up the cause of religion worldwide, has also raised huge voice against the apartheid faced by about 15-million Roma (Gypsies) in Europe. Bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award; Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch & Interfaith Families, etc. BYU, established in 1875 and which enrolls about 33,000 students from all over USA and about 115 countries, has been ranked in the top 100 “Best national universities” by U.S. News & World Report and its accounting program is claimed to be ranked number one by Wall Street Journal. Its alumni number around 424,000, and its non-LDS students (about 1.3 percent of total student population) pay higher tuition as compared to LDS students. Its Mission Statement includes: “The mission of Brigham Young University–founded, supported, and guided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life."
