CIHS – Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies

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California Civil Rights Report: Hinduphobia is real & kicking!

Civil Rights Department (CDR) of California recently put together a report outlining frequency in cases relating to religious hatred in the California state, USA. As per the report, incidences of anti-Hindu hate crimes accounted for 23.3 per cent of all religious hate crimes reported to Department’s Anti-Hate Hotline in one year. Almost one-quarter of all reported religious hate crimes were directed at Hindu community. The rise in such crimes is a serious concern and necessitates a closer look at the underlying reasons, ramifications and possible remedies to stop this worrying trend. Among the states with most diversity in terms of culture and religion in the US is California. Hindus make up a sizable chunk of the state’s population; they are mostly Indian Americans who enrich the social, cultural and economic fabric of the region. This diversity notwithstanding and the ideals of acceptance, reports of religious hatred and intolerance persist. Verbal abuse, physical assaults, vandalism of places of worship, harassment and other types of hate speech or discrimination against Hindu persons or groups are examples of anti-Hindu hate incidents. Substantive absolute number of incidents suggests that the larger problem of religious intolerance is anti-Hindu hostility.  (Author is head of operations at Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies, a non-partisan think tank based in New Delhi)

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Pakistan-backed proxies continue to intensify hate crimes against Hindus worldwide.

As of today, Sanatan Dharma, one of the world’s oldest faith, is practised by 1.3 billion people worldwide. It is abundantly known across every region around the world, that those who practise “Sanatan Dharma,” known as “Sanatanis” or “Hindus,” are peace-loving, law-abiding, progressive, open to assimilation, and very supportive of their local communities and neighbourhoods. Since generations, Hindus have a long and storied history of contributing to the well-being of nations to which they have relocated. Not only do Hindus contribute economically, but they also carry forward an admirable and incredibly rich Sanatan tradition, values and history. This can be observed in practices like Yoga and Ayurveda, as well as in Sanatan festivals, dances, food, and music. All of which, bring bliss, joy and happiness to people all over the world. Despite being peaceful, friendly, and contributing citizens in several jurisdictions around the world, Hindus continue to be the most persecuted minority community in the annals of humankind. Most recently, Hindus and their temples faced violence and vandalism at hands of Pakistan’s foreign spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) sponsored and backed Khalistani extremist outfits like “Sikhs for Justice” (SFJ) in Australia. SFJ is notorious for its rhetoric and narrative building activities which glorify Khalistani terrorism and terrorists. The promotion of which became ISI’s mandated work as a part of its K2 (Kashmir and Khalistan) Desk, post having lost the India-Pakistan War of 1971, which led to the creation of “Bangladesh” and landed more than 93000 Pakistan Army Prisoners of War (POW) in Indian Jails. India however, respectfully retuned Pakistani Army POWs as a compassionate humanitarian gesture. Since 2020, ISI-affiliated groups like SFJ have staged worldwide propaganda rallies promoting a fictitious and unqualified “Khalistan Referendum”. The referendum proposes the creation of a new state “Khalistan,” which is to be carved out from within Indian territory and culminating at the Wagah Border (Indo-Pak International border).  In this recent global wave of attacks on Hindus, Hindu temples, and anti-Indian activities in US, UK, Canada, and most recently in Canada and Australia by proscribed radical extremist outfits like SFJ appear to be well organised attempts by Pakistan’s deep state to divert attention away from its own economic challenges back home. Pakistan’s economy is in the throes of total collapse. The current exchange rate of 270 Pakistani Rupees to 1 United States Dollar is a record low for the Pakistani currency. Exacerbating the situation, fuel and gas costs have skyrocketed due to surging inflation, leading to black-market deals and shortages of food and other essentials in many areas. However, this has not deterred Pakistan’s backing for its proxy war against India based on their sectarian belief that India is a Hindu state, which in their view contrary to Islamic Pakistan’s interests. So far, in the period of three weeks, four Hindu temples have been vandalised and Indian diaspora discriminated and attacked by ISI backed Khalistani extremists: the incidents can be mapped as the Swaminarayan temple in Melbourne on January 12, the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Victoria on January 16,  ISKCON Temple in Melbourne on January 23, January 29 violent attack on Indian Australians in federation square, Melbourne, Australia and lastly the vandalisation of a prominent Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton, Canada on January 30. On 30 January 2023, anti-India graffiti was sprayed on a wall of the Gauri Shankar Mandir (temple) in Brampton, Canada. This is the third time in the past nine months that a Toronto-area temple has been vandalised by Khalistani extremists. Similarly in Australia, on January 29, Khalistani extremists assaulted Indian Australians waving the Indian tricolour in Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia as a sign of protest against the illegal “Khalistan Referendum.” According to the Australian Hindu Association, thirty to forty violent Khalistani radicals armed with specialised equipment attacked unarmed Hindus. On January 23, 2023, Khalistani fanatics defaced the Hare Krishna Temple (ISKCON Temple) in Melbourne’s Albert Park . The resident monk at the temple, Arjun Saka, stated, “This was hate speech and religious slander. This was hate speech and religious vilification. The motive is very clear: to gain international attention by targeting places of worship.” The temple’s director of communications, Bhakta Das, stated that both local Hindus and Sikhs were shaken by recent occurrences. He added that “Some people are trying to cause disruption between the Hindu and Sikh community and it has to be found out”. Earlier last month, On January 16, 2023, the historically significant Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Victoria was vandalised. These cowardly attacks against the Hindu population in Australia accelerated after January 15, 2023, when the Khalistani extremists planned a car rally to drum up support for the failed fictitious Khalistani referendum, to which fewer than 200 individuals showed up. Prior to that, on January 12, 2023, Khalistani extremists damaged the Swaminarayan temple in the Mill Park neighbourhood of Melbourne with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti. In view of recent attacks that mirror a global trend, these highly condemnable instances of vandalism of Hindu temples and blatant hate against Hindus and India in global jurisdictions are clearly premeditated and organised attempts to promote hatred and division among the peaceful multi-faith and multi-cultural Indian diaspora, most notably among Hindus and Sikhs. Moreover, individuals who have targeted Hindu temples and been motivated by hatred towards Hindus and India should be held accountable. This includes those responsible for the desecration of four Hindu temples in Canada and Australia and violent attacks on peaceful people of Indian origin. In addition, the local governments in these jurisdictions need to demonstrate corrective remedial efforts as violence anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. They should consider how such violent extremists operate with impunity and are freely allowed to glorify terrorists and hold illegitimate referendums against other sovereign nations on their territories.

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Vicious Attack on Religious Freedom of Minority Hindu Americans

By Neha Dahiya Is Hindumisia on the rise in the United States? Over the past few decades, Hinduphobic radical organisations like Hindus for Human Rights (H4HR), Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), and Equality Labs have waged disinformation and slur campaigns against Hindu culture, events and identity. The Hindu American community had scheduled a religious discussion and cultural event for August 30 and 31, 2022, at Impact Hall, Global Mall, Norcross, Georgia. A spiritual figure in the Hindu community, Sadhvi Ritambhara was invited to grace the occasion. Several extremist Anti-Hindu groups waged an online and offline smear campaign to disparage the Sadhvi and the event organisers. This continuing hate campaign is intended to terrorise and intimidate American Hindus barring them of their rights enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. This is not new as over the years, one may recall various hate and misinformation campaigns by motivated and foreign backed, abetted organisations and individuals which are habitual of spreading misinformation and hatred against Hindus like Equality Labs with its baseless “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy” campaign, Council on American-Islamic Relations(CAIR) with its constant and vile hateful attacks on Hindu cultural organisations like the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Pieter Friedrich, Audrey Truschke, Bhajan Singh Bhinder for their Pakistan supported Anti-Hindu agenda are some names, but the list goes long. Similarly, by instilling doubt and dread in the minds of Americans about Hindu culture and its saints, the hate campaign against Sadhvi Ritambhara launched by H4HR, IAMC and their supporters enlisted above is aimed to demonise the very persona of such noble Hindu saints, so as to further their nefarious, divisive and communal agenda in the United States. The hate campaign against the Sadhvifollows patterns and trends closely aligning with earlier campaigns and appears to be a part of an organised ecosystem of organisations and individuals who are well known around the world for their Hinduphobic views and discriminatory and divisive views about the Hindu society. On the contrary and in reality, Sadhvi Ritambhara is also known as DidiMaa(Lit. Sister and Mother), has motivated countless people all over the world. In Vrindavan, India she founded orphanages, special schools for underprivileged kids, and homes for women who have been abandoned. She established the “Param Shakti Peeth” organisation to protect India’s underprivileged people. To help women become more self-reliant and confident, Shakti Peeth also offers training in karate, horseback riding, and other sports. The collective name for these organisations is “Vatsalya Gram.” She also manages widows’ ashrams and shelters in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. In addition, she founded and serves as the chair of DurgaVahini, a Hindu women empowered organization. Durga Vahini seeks to inspire more women to take part in Hindu prayer gatherings and cultural activities. By providing social services and aid to struggling families, the organisation hopes to foster a sense of togetherness and solidarity. Sanyasini Sadhvi Ritambhara has devoted her entire life to advancing Hindu causes including strongly advocating for Ram Janamboomi (Lit. Birthplace of lord Ram) in Ayodhya, India. On November 9, 2019, the five-judge Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, presided over by the now-retired Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, unanimously ruled that Lord Ram was born on the Ayodhya ground where the Babri Structure previously stood. Over the years, her motivating speeches, which are backed up by Hindu texts, have gained a tremendous global following that transcends caste, gender, and nationality. In light of this, acknowledging the gross violation of human values of Vis-a-Vis Hindus in America. HinduPACT, a policy research and advocacy collective based in the USA, suggested in a statement that American law enforcement agencies pay attention to the surge in such hate speech on social media and its potential to hurt people. Political favouritism must not be used to support these kinds of targeted assaults on the religious liberty of Hindu Americans and Hindu organisations. The First Amendment, which is a cornerstone of the US Constitution, guarantees Hindu Americans the freedom to profess their beliefs. But because of some radical organisations, Hindus in the USA are not allowed to freely practise their religion. Whether it be through the physical assault on Hindus expats or the entanglement of intellectuals in a web of false propaganda, Hindus are made into very easy targets in the west. Maligning Hindu culture, rituals and values using hate-tricks by radical cells is not a new phenomenon. They made groups, organisations, and networks with selective ill mind people to target India and Hindus from all spheres. Islamists, Separatists and Evangelists masked themselves as an innocent Hindu rights advocacy organisation, which didn’t spare any chance to malign Hindus and India. On the contrary, they sponsor events of Anti-India entities and fully support every measure to lead their malicious agenda of wiping out the Hindu community from the world. (Neha Dahiya is a specialist content writer at Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies)

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