Hindu American organizations systematically targeted for celebrating their faith
New York: Hindu American organizations are facing an orchestrated campaign of misinformation and hate, spearheaded by extremists, some of whom glorify terrorists and openly advocate violence against Hindus. This week, the attacks were amplified by violent transnational groups like Sikhs for Justice who have been escalating their threats. The latest attack took the form of spreading baseless rumors and accusing “Indo American Hindus” of being disloyal to the United States. Two prominent Hindu organizations (Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) and the Hindu American Foundation) were specifically named in a troubling escalation of hate.
American Hindus continue to face unjust accusations and discriminatory treatment for celebrating their culture and exercising their constitutional rights. “This echoes the insidious trope of dual loyalty that has historically been used to scapegoat and marginalize minorities in the U.S. We must challenge this narrative in the 21st century and protect the rights of all Americans,” said Nikunj Trivedi, President of CoHNA.
This new attack follows a recent incident where another group, comprised of various Islamist organizations and Hindus for Human Rights, called for an investigation into Indian American groups for featuring a float depicting a sacred Hindu temple (Ram Mandir) at the NYC India Day Parade, falsely labeling it as an “anti-Muslim” symbol. “The provocative stance of groups that seek to insert themselves into and dictate to Hindus about how and what they can celebrate, is particularly disturbing,” Trivedi added.
The ongoing targeting of the two Hindu advocacy organizations appears to be a coordinated effort. “Institutions such as the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown, Professor Audrey Truschke at Rutgers, Hindus for Human Rights, and SFJ are all participating in a concerted campaign and are using the same playbook against the largest Hindu advocacy groups. Fringe figures known for anti-Hindu rhetoric, such as Peter Friedrich, whose bigotry has been called out by no less a personage than Rev. Jesse Jackson, have also joined this effort,” CoHNA said in a press release.
“The involvement of Khalistani extremists in hate crimes against American Hindus is well-documented, including acts of vandalism against Hindu temples, attacks on Gandhi statues, and targeting of individual Hindus in everyday settings. This is not just “politics.” This is the alarming reality of growing Hinduphobia, fueled by institutional support from certain academics and media platforms. Over the past few years, a slew of academic research from places like NCRI and the Miller Center at Rutgers University, FBI data and statistics from California’s Hate Hotline have reported alarming levels of hate and crimes against Hindus,” the press release read.
