Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
CalMatters
Indian Americans have a role to play in educating Californians about Hindu nationalism
By Ishaq Syed,
27 days ago
Stay up-to-date with free briefings on topics that matter to all Californians. Subscribe to CalMatters today for nonprofit news in your inbox.
Guest Commentary written by
Ishaq Syed
Ishaq Syed leads the California coalition of the Indian American Muslim Council, the oldest and largest Indian American Muslim advocacy organization in the U.S.
In March, the overseas wing of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, organized car rallies and prayer gatherings throughout California in support of his reelection bid. These groups surely celebrated Modi’s third electoral victory earlier this month.
But with the opposition in India increasingly mobilized and capable of resisting Modi’s rule, there is a sense of obligation to do our part in California, home to the largest Indian population in the country. India and California are joined at the hip through political, economic, cultural and familial ties, which means these elections impact local life and vice versa.
Indian Americans bear a special responsibility to educate our neighbors and lawmakers about these elections, and to prevent the most divisive issues in Indian politics from gaining a foothold in California.
Of them, none is more important than Modi’s favored ideology of Hindu nationalism. First conceived in the 20th century by admirers of European fascism , Hindutva calls for the creation of a pure Hindu nation in which other religions, particularly Islam and Christianity, are violently suppressed.
A violent clash in Anaheim two years ago — where protestors of Modi’s anti-Muslim citizenship law were called “stupid Muslims” — is just one sign that Hindutva has found ardent supporters, as well as fierce opponents, in California.
Cars displaying a Lord Ram flag and the Indian flag line up for the freeway on-ramp for the Ram Janmabhoomi Bay Area Car Rally in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Jan. 20, 2024. The car rally was organized by six local volunteers and included over 900 cars, each holding a combination of Lord Ram, India, and USA flags. Photo courtesy of Sree Sripathy
In the ensuing violence, thousands of predominantly Muslim Indians were killed.
One of the lead local organizers of the rally, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, is in fact the U.S. counterpart to one of the Hindutva groups most responsible for tearing down the ancient mosque and killing Muslims decades earlier. Linked by financial and organizational ties , the American branch is one of many groups seeking to import and legitimize Hindu nationalism in California.
We must teach our neighbors and local legislators to distinguish between Hinduism the religion and Hindutva as a supremacist political ideology. We must teach our communities about the Hindutva groups preying on the ignorance of U.S. citizens operating events in their midst.
Above all, we must promote the tolerance and pluralism at the heart of the American and Indian constitutions alike.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0