A NEW forum for Hindus in Waltham Forest is to be set up in a bid to promote the profile of the religion in the borough.

The All-Hindu Forum for Waltham Forest is set to be officially launched at an event this weekend and is aimed at bringing Hindus together to support one another.

Faith and communities liaison officer for Waltham Forest PC Steven MacDonald, who helped set up the forum along with council officer, Amy Willshire, said: “There's a council of mosques and different groups to bring other faiths together, but there wasn't anything for Hindus.

“It seemed like something pretty obvious to me, but as some of my Hindu contacts said, it took a complete outsider to see the obvious.”

The forum is aimed not only at promoting awareness of Hinduism within Waltham Forest but at bringing Indian and Tamil followers of the faith together.

The two groups are currently completely distinct from one another but PC MacDonald said the forum could change this.

PC MacDonald said: “It's to promote social contact. It's a way for them to support each other.”

He added that some Hindus within the borough had commented to him that they were often mistaken for Muslims.

He said: “Every time you see an Asian person, you shouldn't make the assumption they're Muslim.

“This is a group to represent all four Hindu temples in the borough.”

PC MacDonald said the group is still nascent but it is set to become fully independent in the future and will be able to set its own priorities and goals.

There are two Indian temples in Waltham Forest and two Sri Lankan with Hindus making upabout two per cent of the population.

The All-Hindu Forum will be launched at a special event on Saturday at the Indian Hindu temple in Whipps Cross Road, which will also see the chair and secretary selected.