Thread by @AriseAbhimanyu

Thread:
Please sign this petition urging @Columbia and the Hindu Student Organization of Columbia to remove @sunitaviswanath as the Hindu Religious Life Advisor. By appointing her, Columbia is essentially endorsing #Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry. chng.it/SpgTJmn5 1/n

Ms. Viswanath's long history of divisive activism, endorsement and open support of anti-Hindu bigotry and individuals, and shutting down those who don't agree with her politics, make her unfit for a position where... 2/n

...she will be advising innocent students who may come to her for a genuine understanding of #Hinduism as well as matters related to the Hindu community. Her appointment essentially legitimizes bigotry towards the Hindu community and promotes #Hinduphobia, rather than... 3/n

...providing an authentic representation of Hinduism on campus. Consider the following examples 4/n

She and the groups she is part of enjoy no support from any major Hindu organization or community leader in the United States. This is due to her long history of working hand in glove with those who hold pejorative views on Hinduism and Hindus or promote hatred. 5/n

She is the founder of @SadhanaHindus, @Hindus4HR, @Hum_CAFI_Hai - all are heavily involved in peddling #Hinduphobia and conjuring up images of Hindu savagery. ahouseofcards.net/sunita-viswana… 6/n

She and her orgs are key backers of @Students_A_H, which considers Holi as a violent, casteist and misogynist festival celebrating the burning of a "lower caste" woman - a blatantly false characterization of the most popular Hindu festival on campus. ahouseofcards.net/holi-against-h… 7/n

On March 3, 2020, Ms. Viswanath penned a letter of support for @Students_A_H on behalf of @Hindus4HR, applauding the group's "creative approach…[and]…the youthful energy." hindusforhumanrights.org/blog/hfhr-lett…
8/n

In 2017, Ms. Viswanath and Sadhana stood AGAINST Hindu parents and kids fighting biased portrayals of #Hinduism in 6th grade California textbooks, and declared these parents and kids (who had faced actual bullying due to this bias) to be extremists and ‘right wing.’ 9/n

Ms. Viswanath is a founder of @Hum_CAFI_Hai. In 2001, a founding member of one of the alliance groups (ASDSA), wrote a Hinduphobic article, putting on image of Shri Krishna on a bomb and linking Bhagavad Gita to violence. rb.gy/x9vi2b 10/n

Raja Joseph Swamy, another @Hum_CAFI_Hai spokesperson, calls Hinduism as NOTHING BUT casteism: "Hindu 'dharma' is caste-based; Hinduism is casteism; to be Hindu means to belong to a caste, and not as it is in most religions, to merely subscribe to a set body of beliefs." 11/n

In 2010, Ms. Viswanath and fellow Sadhana co-founder Rohan Narine courted major controversy by supporting "Sita Sings The Blues," a cartoon which belittles Shri Rama, Sita and Hanuman and portrays them in a highly derogatory manner. thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/…. 12/n

In one instance, Shri Rama, one of the most revered Hindu deities, is shown as walking over and kicking his pregnant wife Sita! In another instance, Sita, who is also a very revered Hindu deity, is portrayed as a blood thirsty woman. 13/n

Blasting the Hindu community for raising concerns about such a portrayal of their religion, Ms. Viswanath insisted that the cartoon "…is a wonderful way to keep Hindu mythology alive." thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/…. 14/n

In August 2020, Ms. Viswanath, along with @Hindus4HR , @Hum_CAFI_Hai and other groups decried Hindus for celebrating the fact that after nearly 500 years...15/n

...a temple for Shri Rama will be built at one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in accordance with an independent and democratic verdict by the Supreme Court of India - deeming this celebration as a "spectacle of hate" and a "naked display of fascism." hindusforhumanrights.org/en/blog/hfhr-o… 16/n

The above examples are just a tip of the iceberg, Yet, they illustrate a clear pattern of #Hinduphobia, extremely divisive activism and open support for anti-Hindu sentiments, not to mention disdain for important matters pertaining to the Hindu community. 17/n

@Columbia places great value on diversity and inclusion, and standing up against "racism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and bigotry." By allowing Ms. Viswanath to continue as the Hindu Religious Life Advisor, Columbia is reneging on that commitment... 18/n

...and allowing young Hindus to be subjected to views that do not promote a better understanding of #Hinduism within Columbia, but rather legitimize bigotry and hatred of their religion and practices. 19/n