The Georgia Assembly passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia on March 27. Georgia has become the first US state that has condemned anti-Hindu bigotry. Hinduphobia has been acknowledged and now seen as a major issue.
The resolution stated that Hinduism is one of the world’s largest and oldest religions with over 1.2 billion adherents in over 100 countries and encompasses an array of diverse traditions and belief systems with values of acceptance, mutual respect, and peace.
It was sponsored by Republican representatives Lauren McDonald, Todd Jones, Rick Jasperse, David Clark and Brent Cox. It was introduced by representatives McDonald and Jones, from Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta, home to one of the largest Indian-American diaspora communities in the state of Georgia, the PTI report said.
The passing of the resolution comes in the wake of US’ Seattle’s recent anti- caste discrimination legislation. Similarly, a number of other colleges, including Boston’s Brandeis University, the California State University System, Colby College, Brown University, the University of California, Davis, and Harvard University have passed similar policies since 2019. Currently, such a policy has also been introduced in the California State Assembly.
What the legislation encompasses?
The resolution denounced “Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry”, describing Hinduphobia as “a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviors towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred”.
At the same time, Georgia’s resolution observed that the American-Hindu community has been a major contributor to diverse sectors such as medicine, science, and engineering, information technology, hospitality, finance, academia, manufacturing, energy, and retail trade, among others.
It also recognised the many contributions of the American Hindu community, in a wide variety of fields, from medicine to “Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, arts”, among others.
However, there have been documented instances of hate crimes against Hindu Americans over the last few decades in many parts of the country, the resolution pointed out while citing a 2022 report by Rutgers University. The resolution said 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.
Who prompted this resolution?
This move was spearheaded by the Atlanta chapter of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), which organised the first-ever ‘Hindu Advocacy Day’ held on March 22 at the Georgia State Capitol, PTI reported.
The event saw the participation of around 25 lawmakers – both Republicans and Democrats – who pledged to include Hindu voices in decision making processes of the state and protect the Hindu community against any form of discrimination.
“It was a true honor to work with Rep McDonald and Rep Jones as well as other lawmakers who guided us through the whole process of getting this County Resolution passed,” said Rajeev Menon, CoHNA vice president.
“We also heard that all the lawmakers had been working really long hours given the amount of legislative items on the agenda, but still decided to join us at the Advocacy Day to show how much they value the Hindu community,” he said.
CoHNA general secretary Shobha Swamy said, “The issues faced by Hindu Americans in Georgia and the rest of the country via false, Hinduphobic narratives are negatively impacting a community that has been hardworking, law-abiding, and enriching the fabric of America.”
The passing of the Georgia resolution comes in the wake of Seattle’s recent anti-caste discrimination legislation. On one hand, there are some who believe that anti-caste discrimination laws themselves are discriminatory towards Hindus. Contrarily are those who are fighting against caste based discrimination they have faced in the US. The latter is witnessing more momentum.
A number of other colleges have already endorsed to outlaw caste based discrimination, including Boston’s Brandeis University, the California State University System, Colby College, Brown University, the University of California, Davis, and Harvard University have passed similar policies since 2019. Currently, such a policy has also been introduced in the California State Assembly.
Many advocated to contextualise the anti-Hinduphobic legislation on a broader landscape. The aim is to reflect on the ongoing political polarisation of the American Indian community.
