Hindus ask Madonna to highlight Gypsy apartheid issue during her Europe tour

Hindus have asked entertainer Madonna, who was reportedly booed and jeered by thousands of fans in Romania in 2009 when she sympathized with Roma (Gypsy) people, to take up their cause during her upcoming Europe tour.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who publicly supported Madonna on the 2009 incident in Romania, saying that “Romania and Europe should apologize for blatant show of prejudice shown towards fellow Roma brothers/sisters when Madonna spoke against Roma discrimination during her concert in Bucharest”, is now urging her to highlight their plight during "The Madonna 2012 World Tour", starting May 29.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that the alarming condition of Roma people was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, racist slogans on Internet, etc.

Rajan Zed stressed that Madonna should not to stay apathetic and silent spectator to their continuous maltreatment and use her status to highlight the apartheid conditions faced by about 15-million Roma people of Europe. Many Hollywood and other entertainment bigwigs had successfully worked against South Africa’s apartheid in the past.

Cheers reportedly gave way to jeers, when Madonna paused midway before a sell-out crowd of about 60,000 in Bucharest during her song La Isla Bonita in her about two-hour concert in August 2009, part of her worldwide "Sticky and Sweet" tour, and touched on the plight of Roma people, showing the deeply entrenched prejudice against Roma in Europe.

Zed further said that references to Roma people in Europe reportedly went as far back as ninth century CE. How many more centuries Roma had to reside in Europe to prove that they were “real and equal” Europeans like any other, he asked.

"The Madonna 2012 World Tour" has announced her performances in European cities of Zagreb, Milan, Florence, Barcelona, Coimbra, Berlin, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Vienna, Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Oslo, Zurich and Nice. Her “Sticky And Sweet” tour reportedly even included a Ukrainian gypsy group, the Kolpakov Trio, on her hit single La Isla Bonita.

Golden Globe winner Madonna (Evita), 53, is a singer-actress-dancer- songwriter- record producer- film director & producer-author-entrepreneur- fashion designer-etc., and Rolling Stone described her as “one of the greatest pop acts of all time”. Roma are believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent.