QUEENS — Hindu leaders are pushing local authorities to create a designated prayer room at JFK.
The group, led by Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has urged the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and local elected officials to set up the so called “Hindu Mandir” at the airport, which would feature copies of sacred scriptures, statues of popular deities and devotional music, the group said.
The group argues that JFK already has Our Lady of the Skies Roman Catholic Chapel, Christ for the World Protestant Chapel, International Synagogue and International Islamic Center.
Zed said in a statement that “as a lot of Hindu passengers daily use JFK Airport and many Hindu employees work for various agencies and businesses there; it would be nice if they had a quiet facility at the airport where they could pray/meditate/worship and perform religious services.”
According to the group, there are about 3 million Hindus in the U.S.
A spokeswoman for the Port Authority said in an email that Terminal 4 at JFK "has an interfaith chapel that offers various worship services."
