It’s my experience that the males at those religious conventions are some of the biggest sleazeballs in existence. I attended one such convention a couple of years ago (in support of a family friend who now heads it) and was summarily shock and appalled by the behavior of these troglodites: they would congregate in groups of 3 or 4 and try to sneak up on me (giggling like Japanese schoolgirls all the while), ignoring my constant looks of death; once my back was turned, they would whip out their camera-phones and attempt to snap a pic, as if I was some sort of mythical beast and they required photographic proof of my existence. The way they behaved, you’d think they’d never seen a female their entire lives!
Even the ones that didn’t travel in packs showed no hesitance to shamelessly chat me up, oblivious to my clear lack of interest. For Christ’s sake: I was there to lend moral support to a family friend, not be wedded and bedded before the week was through!
From what I hear, APPNA really is little better: my brother has attended the gathering more than once, and claims that the last time he was there, he was mobbed by a pack of “rabid h0jabis” (his words, not mine).
It don’t blame it on religion or nationality: the whole Desi community is just one big meat-market, and it doesn’t help to be prime-rib.