iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Lawmakers, students, researchers, and community leaders came together at the 3rd National Hindu Advocacy Day to discuss the concerns of Hindus living in the US and the rising instances of hate crime. The event organized by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) in Washington on June 28, 2024, was attended by close to 25 lawmakers including Democrat and Republican congressional representatives and staffers.
The participants discussed the increasing frequency of multi-pronged attacks on Hindus in the US. They said that the attacks range from the continued usage of stereotypical colonial frameworks to gaslighting and verbal slurs, and vandalization of multiple temples.
Over 100 delegates from 15 states attended the event and 40 plus CoHNA volunteers visited over 115 congressional offices to advocate support for H.Res.1131, which condemns Hinduphobia and attacks on temples.
“From students to retired community members from diverse backgrounds, CoHNA’s Advocacy Day has grown steadily in popularity among the community and has become an important mechanism through which community members engage with lawmakers on the Hill,” said CoHNA President Nikunj Trivedi. “Other organizations including non-Hindu allies have joined us to support our causes and youth.” CoHNA is a grassroots advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition.
The highlight of the event was the participation of students. Attendees heard heartfelt personal testimonies from a panel of Hindu students from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the University of Georgia. They highlighted the challenges they face on campus, in academic settings, and even in their dorm rooms. Their stories also focused on the prevalent Hinduphobia on campus and the way it shapes their lives and the choices they make.
One of the students, Rutvij Holay, spoke of being mocked for having a small space for Hindu worship in his dorm room and of having to console a close Kashmiri friend who was traumatized by on-campus displays about the ethnic cleansing his community had faced. Aryan Sawant shared that he faced disapproval from his peers on campus because of his Hindu origins. He said that the misinformation by professors who deny anti-Hindu hate. Anvita Yerramsetty spoke about growing awareness of anti-Hindu hate in high school and how it strengthened her resolve to stay proud of her roots and helped her decide which college to apply to.
Surya Naga, the Youth Director for Hindu on Campus, presented data collected from student testimonials across the United States and the impact of Hinduphobia on students’ psyche. He also spoke about incidents where students were asked to wipe off the bindis on their foreheads and attempts were made to rip off their sacred threads. He said that the Hindu students were also made fun of for worshiping Hindu deities with “weird names,” and accused of supporting extremism and oppression of minorities because of their Hindu identity.
Throughout the event issues concerning American Hindus were highlighted. Speakers talked about academic Hinduphobia getting amplified as a result of the turmoil on college campuses and Hindu students shared personal stories of the many ways they get targeted on campus. They also pointed to the attacks on six Hindu temples in California between November 2023 to January 2024.
The event began with Congressman Max Miller speaking about the importance of freedom of religion and how proud he was to support H.Res 1131. He expressed empathy with the issues the Hindu community has been facing and assured that he would continue to stand against all forms of hate and bigotry throughout the country. “If anything were to happen to your community, I’ll be there standing shoulder to shoulder with you,” he added.
Congressman Shri Thanedar stressed he will not tolerate Hinduphobia, discrimination, or other forms of hate. “We are here and we are fighting,” he said. Thanedar explained why H.Res. 1131 was needed and also shared his own immigration story as a way of illustrating the great American story and the ability to surmount hurdles.
Sharing his excitement at being back at CoHNA’s event, Congressman Rich McCormick (R-GA) welcomed the continued and growing engagement of the Hindu American and Indian American community in policy making and its potential to transform the future of America. He called attention to his support for H.Res 1131, honoring the contributions of Hindu Americans, and asked the community to continue pursuing the American dream which celebrates innovation, hard work, success, and its traditions.
Other lawmakers including Congressman Glen Grothman (R-WI) also expressed solidarity with the community and congratulated CoHNA for being a force in advocating for the community. Congressman Ro Khanna celebrated the growth of the community’s advocacy over the past decade and lauded CoHNA’s efforts in ensuring the community has a growing voice on Capitol Hill via advocacy events. Several lawmakers also spoke about the importance of tackling immigration – especially problems like the Green Card backlog – an area of concern for the Indian American immigrant community.
In addition to lawmakers and staffers, the event was also attended by community leaders and representatives from various organizations such as HinduACTion, Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group (HoCoJAG), ISKCON, Association of United Hindu and Jain Temples, Americans for Hindus (A4H), Indian Cultural Association of Howard County, etc.
Aaron Gross, Research Fellow at Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), highlighted the rise of Hinduphobia in North America, driven by the Khalistan extremist movement and attacks on temples, along with the need for law enforcement to tackle online hate before it escalates into further violence.
NCRI’s analysis of online chatter surrounding anti-Hindu hate incidents (attacks on temples, vandalization of Gandhi statues, etc.) pointed to the alleged involvement of Khalistan movement supporters, a group advocating for the creation of a separate Sikh nation out of Punjab, India. Each attack was preceded and followed by a spike in online posts promoting violence, powered by a bot network designed to amplify anti-Hindu sentiment. These posts include videos from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, leader of Sikhs for Justice, who openly incites his followers to target Hindus in Canada, the US, and India.
Rana Reddy, CoHNA’s Policy Fellow, shared his analysis of a report recently published by Carnegie Mellon University. He said that the report proved that geo-political players use Hinduism to target India. Key findings of the report pointed at organized cybercrime, bot networks, and sophisticated disinformation tactics to propagate Hinduphobia globally by exploiting and misrepresenting Indian political narratives for targeted information attacks. Reddy said that counter strategies and reporting mechanisms are required by private distribution platforms to mitigate this digital threat through robust cybersecurity measures and international regulatory bodies.
