Thread by @CoHNAOfficial

THREAD: CoHNA is extremely disturbed by the bigotry and Hinduphobia being peddled by Prof Audrey Truschke. Moreover, we are extremely concerned that @RutgersU and @Rutgers_Newark is emphatically defending the professor under the veil of "academic freedom". 1/n

https://twitter.com/hinduoncampus/status/1369191778532917248

As the following petition shows, Rutgers students (Hindu and non-Hindu) do not support bigotry on campus and are calling upon @RutgersU to take immediate action. We stand with these students in their call. 2/n docs.google.com/document/d/1-z…

Hindu students are facing vitriol for speaking up, including insults like "dotheads," "Hindu Nazis," etc. Does @RUDiversity consider this type of vitriol resulting from Prof Truschke's supporter a fine example of "diversity and inclusion"? Hindu students are traumatized. 3/n

Truschke has called Shri Rama, one of the most revered Hindu and Jain deities, a "misogynistic pig." Rama is revered not only in India, but in the United States, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Trinidad, Guyana, and many other countries. 4/n

Truschke has declared that the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most famous Hindu texts, "rationalizes mass slaughter." Yet, the Gita has inspired Gandhi, Vivekananda, Einstein, Thoreau, Jung, Huxley, Hesse, Emerson and so many famous personalities. What did THEY miss vs Truschke? 5/n

Truschke falsely equates an incident from the Hindu text, The Mahabharata, to a gangrape case in India, thus essentially saying that "rape culture" is inherent in and sanctified by Hinduism. 6/n

We wonder whether @RutgersU and @Rutgers_Newark have ever bothered to understand Hindu texts or whether they consider the words of Truschke above those world leaders who have nothing but praise for sacred Hindu texts like the Gita. 7/n

We are sure that @RutgersU and @Rutgers_Newark would not apply the same "academic freedom" argument if a professor on campus theorized that texts of other religions "rationalized" slavery, terrorism, genocide or misogyny. Then, why do the same standards not apply to Hinduism? 8/n

We demand and expect @RutgersU and @Rutgers_Newark to denounce bigotry and stand by their Hindu students and address these concerns immediately. 9/n