New Delhi: The US state of Georgia Saturday became the first to pass a resolution condemning “Hinduphobia” and “anti-Hindu bigotry” in the country.
The legislative measure referred to “a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as fear, prejudice or hatred”.
The resolution comes a year after India called upon the United Nations to address the danger of “religious phobias” and acknowledge anti-Hindu, anti-Sikh and anti-Buddhist threats.
It recognised the contributions of Hindu Americans in Georgia and called out the “rising #Hinduphobia” around the country, the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) stated in a tweet.
Passed on 27 March by Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta, home to one of the largest Hindu and Indian-American diaspora communities in the state, the resolution stated that the Hindu community had contributed to the US economy in “diverse sectors” such as medicine, science, engineering, yoga, meditation, music, food and arts.
“Hindu contributions…have enriched the cultural fabric, widely adopted in American society and enriched the lives of millions”, it added.
It further said that there were many “documented instances of hate crimes” against Hindu Americans over the last few decades in many parts of the country.
Citing a 2022 report by Rutgers University, the resolution argued that “Hinduphobia is exacerbated and institutionalised by some in academia who support the dismantling of Hinduism and accuse its sacred texts and cultural practices of violence and oppression”.
The resolution was sponsored by Republican representatives Lauren McDonald, Todd Jones, Rick Jasperse, David Clark and Brent Cox, and comes on the heels of the first-ever ‘Hindu Advocacy Day’ held 22 March at the Georgia state Capitol, organised by the Atlanta chapter of the CoHNA.
The event saw the participation of around 25 lawmakers — both Republicans and Democrats — who pledged to include Hindu voices in the decision-making processes of the state and protect the Hindu community against any form of discrimination.
“Therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives that the representatives of Forsyth County in the Georgia State Legislature condemn Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry, and intolerance and declares Forsyth County as a place that welcomes the diversity brought by Hindu Americans and all those who work hard, follow our laws, uphold family values, and contribute to our economic and social well-being,” stated the resolution.
The measure also comes in the backdrop of a recent judgment by Seattle to specifically outlaw caste discrimination.
The number of Hinduphobia cases in the US were 1 per cent, in comparison to 31.9 per cent of anti-Jewish incidents; 21.3 per cent of anti-Sikh cases; 9.5 per cent of anti-Islamic behaviours and 6.1 per cent of anti-Catholic incidents, according to data from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for 2021.
“The Hindutva strategy appears to be, if we can’t defend the ugliness of Islamophobia in India, let’s elevate the notion of Hinduphobia in the US to the same level as a defensive prop for the benefit of American lawmakers,” wrote Raju Rajagopal, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, for Scroll.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also read: ‘This is a tornado’—Hindu American Foundation wants people to care about Hinduphobia