Thread by @hinduoncampus

An entire thread dedicated to Prof Audrey Truschke with numerous examples of problematic statements against Hinduism and racism against Hindu people.

1/ During the Capitol Riots, Prof Truschke spread misinformation.

Truschke tweeted about the presence of an Indian flag at the scene and immediately declared it to be the work of "The Hindu Right," even though various media outlets showed that the perpetrator was not a Hindu.

2/ Accused the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most famous and sacred Hindu texts as “Rationalizes mass slaughter"

The Gita was the basis for Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence movement, even inspiring Nelson Mandela and MLK himself.

Source: aeon.co/essays/the-ind…

3/ Compared a gangrape case in India to an incident in the sacred epic Mahabharata and essentially led readers to conclude that Hinduism endorses “Rape Culture” and misogyny

Source: Aeon

4/ Called Hindu Gods "Misogynistic Pig"(s) on Twitter. Prof Robert Goldman, has himself clarified that Truschke’s words have “nothing to do with our translation,” that her language was “highly inappropriate,” and that the whole saga was “extremely disturbing” & “quite shocking."

She is the same professor who teaches the Ramayana.

When discussing the Ramayana, the focus is on “social discontents” within the great epic, with a special “present-day connection” to the “fire test” (where Sita, one of the main characters of the epic, is asked to ...

... undergo a fire test to prove her chastity) to once again paint a picture of “endemic misogyny” within Hinduism and a dangerous idea that today’s social problems in India can be traced back to sacred Hindu texts.

Note: Most likely after figuring out that such teaching material contained deep rooted prejudice, the copy was deleted. However, the wayback machine captured it, which is how we found it:

web.archive.org/web/2020121017…

5/ Portrayed Hindus as bizarre and devoid of scientific acumen.

One can see parallels between Truschke’s work & the works of colonial scholars who carried intense disdain for Hinduism and India...

Using Eurocentric race theories and white privilege, these scholars and colonial administrators deemed indigenous cultures as savage and inherently inferior and thus worthy of colonization and slavery.

6/ Endorsing controversial burnings of Hindu sacred texts.

Truschke once again hones in on the “problems,” with a special focus on the burning of a Hindu text purportedly deemed as oppressive and horrible, along with the “present-day connection” ...

discussing an article where women from the marginalized communities are blackening the face of a statue of the ancient author attributed to the Hindu text. It is another attempt to paint Hindu society as inherently backward and oppressive and devoid of anything moral.

7/ Portraying Hindu society as "Sex-Obsessed" and "Lustful"

While discussing the great Gupta empire, the focus is on the Kamasutra and “sex” yet again.

8/ Prof. Truschke brushed away the trauma inflicted on Hindus and the people of India by Mughal king Aurangzeb, claiming that such numbers are often exaggerated.

Reputable sources have demonstrated that Aurangzeb enslaved & murdered 4.6 million Hindus.

archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.co…

Her deep-rooted prejudice against the Hindus and continued misinterpretation of sacred Hindu texts and religious figures are becoming increasingly manifest in her statements and the use of her authority to project Hindus as oppressors, violent and bigoted.

In doing so, she threatens the safety and voices of Hindus and students of Indian origin on campuses - many of whom are fearful of their safety & hesitate to speak up due to concerns of backlash & attacks from Truschke and her supporters.

It's time to amplify Hindu voices and stand against those who deliberately taint indigenous belief systems and civilizations.

https://twitter.com/nowhitesaviors/status/1316378203817226241

Unfortunately, Hindus in the West have long been told we “stink like curry” and that our “pagan” beliefs are backwards. What is new is Hindu students speaking up and holding to account authority figures like Truschke who give cover to this bigotry.