by Funchback 11 Replies latest social current
At first I though, "Nah...".
Then, this part of the article spoke the loudest:
The spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Mexico did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident, which occurred at least a month ago.
Read the article for yourself: http://www.thepublicopinion.com/news/associated_press/national/latin-america/ancient-temple-of-mexican-otomi-indians-damaged/article_fb03cbfb-d103-53b3-a6b6-a74959e1fe78.html
Same story, directly from the AP:
More details in Spanish: http://www.telesurtv.net/news/Testigos-de-Jehova-destruyen-acenstral-templo-otomi-en-Mexico-20160628-0003.html
Thanks for the additional links. At least now someone is finally speaking up representing the JWs:
Gamaliel Camarillo, the Jehovah's Witness spokesman in Mexico, said that "to the extent we have been able to investigate, we found this story to be false."
"We know that if we want to be respected, we have to respect others," Camarillo wrote. "People without prejudices who know the Jehovah's Witnesses know that we don't promote such acts."
Wifibandit, inbox me please asap. I need help to get the official press release regarding the incident.
Gamaliel is at the Branch in Texcoco, not that close to where this happened. I'm willing to bet the C.O. from Tulancingo (I don't know him) is going to be looking very closely at the congregation there in El Piñal.
Per this new story (in spanish) an academic named Luis Pérez Lugo (secretario de territorialidad de la organización Nación Otomí) says local Jehovah's Witnesses admitted to causing some of the damage to the site.
Una decena de estructuras arquitectónicas de piedra usadas como altares fueron derribadas recientemente por testigos de Jehová de la localidad El Piñal, quienes reconocieron su responsabilidad, afirmó Pérez Lugo.
No admitieron, sin embargo, haber perforado un basamento piramidal, que presenta un hoyo de más de un metro.
Here is more from the victims:
Really messed up whoever did it. I hope they get caught.
Wifibandit, do you have more information?
Estimado Señor wifibandit:
Le escribimos del Escritorio de Información Pública de la sucursal de Centroamérica de los testigos de Jehová con relación a la nota publicada en diferentes portales en la que se menciona que un grupo de testigos de Jehová participaron en destruir un altar Otomí en el sitio arqueológico de San Bartolo Tutotepec, Hidalgo.
El comunicado anexo explica la postura de nuestra organización.
Saludos cordiales,
Gamaliel Camarillo
Escritorio de Información Pública
Sucursal de Centroamérica de los Testigos de Jehová
With regards to the Otomi Temple that JW's supposedly destroyed, a member of JWN contacted the branch and they sent him the official press release.
It reads (translated from Spanish):
"To whom it may concern:
We refer to a news that appeared on different media accusing Jehovah's Witnesses of participating in the destruction of an Otomí altar in the archaeological site of San Bartolo Tutotepec, Hidalgo.
It is disconcerting that a news like this has been generated and that it has been given widespread difusion, the case being that Jehovah's Witnesses had nothing to do with the matter.
We asked around to the congregations that may be close to the place and we reached the conclusion that the news is false and biased. Not even the local authorities have received a similar complaint.
Jehovah's Witnesses are respectful to people of other religions. As we base ourselves in the Bible, we follow this Biblical advice: "Respect everybody." (1 Peter 2:17, El libro del Pueblo de Dios).
As a sample, in our website you can find publications that we translate to over 60 different native languages of our country and which contribute to the education and improvement of human relations.
This is why we have respectfully asked different media that a correction be done in the slanderous declarations that have been made indicating that Jehovah's Witnesses had nothing to do with this vandalous act being attributed to them."
If the news is found to be true, then this press release will show the extent to which JW's lie to protect the image of the religion. If the news is found to be false, then this upsets me a lot because JW's will have a reason to not trust (at the very least) the Mexican media when it comes to the JW's, and even perhaps media such as the New York Times.
The silver lining is that, whereas the Mexican media directly accuses JW's, the AP-based media correctly states that JW's are only ACCUSED of the action.
