American Indians of diverse religious backgrounds have been living peacefully in the United States for several decades. But these recent events in the US – and violent confrontations between some Hindus and Muslims last month in Leicester, England – have heightened fears that India’s sharp political and religious polarization is seeping into diaspora communities.
In India, Hindu nationalism has been on the rise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, who rose to power in 2014 and won a landslide election in 2019. The ruling party has faced heavy criticism for a surge in attacks against Muslims in recent years, both from the Muslim community and minorities. Other religious groups as well as some Hindus say Modi’s silence encourages right-wing groups and threatens national unity.
Varun Soni, dean of religious life at the University of Southern California, said Hindu nationalism has divided the expatriate Indian community just as the presidency of Donald Trump has polarized the United States. It has about 2,000 students from India, among the highest in the country.
Sony has yet to see these tensions surface on campus. But he said the University of Southern California had received a backlash for being one of more than 50 US universities that co-sponsored an online conference called “Dismantling Global Hindutva”.
The 2021 event aims to spread awareness of Hindutva, Sanskrit for the essence of being Hindu, a political ideology that claims India is a predominantly Hindu country as well as some minority religions with roots in the country such as Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Critics say this excludes other religious minorities such as Muslims and Christians. Hindutva differs from Hinduism, an ancient religion practiced by about a billion people worldwide that emphasizes the oneness and divine nature of all creation.
Sonny said it’s important for universities to remain places where “we can talk about fact-based issues in a civic way,” but, as USC’s president chaplain, Sonny is concerned about how polarizing around Hindu nationalism is affecting students’ spiritual health.
“If someone is attacked because of who they are, or mocked or scapegoated because they are Hindu or Muslim, I am very concerned about their safety — not about who is right or wrong,” he said.
Anantanand Rambachan, a retired university professor of religion and practicing Hinduism born in Trinidad and Tobago to a family of Indian descent, said his opposition to Hindu nationalism and association with anti-ideological groups prompted complaints from some at a temple in Minnesota where he had. I studied religion lessons. He said opposition to Hindu nationalism sometimes leads to accusations of “anti-Hindu” or “anti-India,” designations he rejects.
On the other hand, many American Hindus feel guilty and targeted for their opinions, said Sameer Kalra, managing director of the American Hindu Foundation in Washington, DC.
“The space for Hindus to express themselves freely is shrinking,” he said, adding that even approval of the Indian government’s non-religious policies could lead to them being labeled a Hindu nationalist.
Pushpita Prasad, a spokeswoman for the North American Hindu Alliance, said her group advises young Hindu Americans who have lost friends because they refuse to “take sides in these battles coming out of India.”
“If they don’t take sides or don’t have an opinion, they are automatically presumed to be Hindu nationalists,” she said. “Their country of origin and their religion are against them.”
Both organizations opposed the Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference, criticizing it as a “Hindophobia” and failing to present diverse viewpoints. Conference supporters say they refuse to equate Hindutvaism with anti-Hinduism.
Some Hindu Americans, like 25-year-old Saravia Tadepalli, believe it is their duty to speak up. Tadepale, a Massachusetts resident and board member of Hindu Human Rights Organization, said her activism against Hindu nationalism is based on her religion.
She said, “If this is the basic principle of Hinduism, that God is in every person, and that everyone is a god, then I think we have a moral obligation like Hindus to speak out for the equality of all human beings.” “If any human being is treated less than his or her rights are violated, it is our duty to work to rectify it.”
Tadebale said her organization is also working to correct misinformation on social media that travels across continents that fuel hatred and polarization.
Tensions in India came to a head in June after police in the city of Udaipur arrested two Muslim men for allegedly beheading a Hindu tailor and posted a video of him on social media. The murdered man, Kenhai Lal, 48, reportedly posted an online post supporting a ruling party official who was suspended for making offensive remarks against the Prophet Muhammad.
Hindu nationalist groups have attacked minorities, especially Muslims, over issues relating to everything from food or wearing a headscarf to interfaith marriage. Muslim homes have also been demolished using heavy machinery in some states, in what critics call a growing pattern of “bulldozer justice.”
Such reports fear American Muslims for the safety of family members in India. Shakeel Seid, executive director of the South Asia Network, a social justice organization based in Artesia, California, said he regularly hears from his sisters and senses “a pervasive fear, not knowing what tomorrow will be like.”
Syed grew up in the Indian city of Hyderabad in the 1960s and 1970s in a “more pluralistic and inclusive culture”.
He said, “My Hindu friends would come to our Eid celebrations and we would go to their Diwali celebrations.” “When my family went on summer vacation, we would leave the keys to our house with our Hindu neighbor, and they would do the same when they had to leave town.”
Syed believes that violence against Muslims has now been generalized in India. He’s heard of girls in his family considering taking off their headscarves or headscarves out of fear.
In the United States, he sees his Hindu friends reluctant to engage in public dialogue because they fear reprisals.
“The conversation is still happening, but it’s happening in pockets behind closed doors with like-minded people,” he said. “This certainly does not happen between people who have opposing opinions.”
Rajiv Varma, a Hindu activist based in Houston, has the exact opposite view. He said that tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the West were not a reflection of events in India but rather stemmed from a deliberate attempt by “religious and ideological groups waging war on Hindus”.
Varma believes that India is a “Hindu country” and the term “Hindu nationalism” refers only to one’s love for one’s country and religion. He sees India as a country destroyed by invaders and colonialists, and Hindus as a religious group that does not seek conversion or colonization.
“It is our right to restore our civilization,” he said.
Rashid Ahmed, co-founder and executive director of the Washington, DC-based Indian American Muslims Council, said he was sad “to see educated Hindu Americans not take Hindu nationalism seriously.” He believes that American Hindus must make a “fundamental decision about how India and Hinduism are viewed in the United States and the world at large”.
“The decision on reclaiming Hinduism from whoever kidnapped it is theirs.”
Zafar Siddiqui, a Minnesota resident, hopes to “reverse some of the mistrust and polarization” and build understanding through education, personal relationships, and interfaith gatherings. My friend, who is a Muslim, helped bring together a group of Indians from Minnesota—including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and atheists—who meet monthly for communal food.
“When people are sitting, say, over lunch or dinner or over coffee, and having a live conversation, instead of listening to all these leaders and spreading all this hate, that changes a lot of things,” my friend said.
But during one recent gathering, some argued about a draft proposal to seek at some point a dialogue with people with different views. Those who opposed made it clear that they did not support outreach to Hindu nationalists and fear harassment.
Siddiqui said that for now, future plans include a focus on education and interfaith events that highlight different traditions and religions in India.
“Just being silent is not an option,” my friend said. “We needed a platform to bring together people who believe in the peaceful coexistence of all societies.”
Giovanna del Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’s religious coverage is supported by an Associated Press collaboration with The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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