#Breaking: After hours of testimony from hundreds of #HinduAmericans at a public hearing last night, @SCCgov Human Rights Commission decided to defer a vote on Equality Labs' proposal that "Caste" be added to county non-discrimination policy. 1/ diyatvusa.com/2021/04/29/exc…
The hearing began with testimony from caste 'experts'--a panel that seemed to be selected by Equality Labs, with no input accepted from Hindu advocacy groups. Panel included @IUMaurerLaw Professor Kevin Brown, well known for overt anti-Hindu speech. 2/ vice.com/en/article/3az…
Equality Labs was then given 20 mins to build upon their handpicked panel's testimony. Only then was @HinduAmerican allowed to present our argument that adding 'caste' to official policy uniquely targets only South Asians & Hindus for ethno-religious monitoring & policing 3/
We argued that the solution to addressing caste-based discrimination is not in the creation of caste as a specific category, but rather enforcing EXISTING law, educating people of their rights, ensuring companies are compliant with their legal obligations. 4/
State and federal law & @sccgov policy already prohibit discrimination based on national origin, ethnicity and ancestry. Courts have held all 3 to include birthplace, ancestry (lineage), cultural background, etc. -- all characteristics associated with 'caste'. 5/
And despite what some 'experts' said, caste is NOT race - that itself is a racist, colonial theory. It's not color. It's not religion. And it's definitely not a state of mind. 6/
The @HinduAmerican testimony centered voices of Hindu Dalits & Bahujans. They described how Equality Labs & its anti-Hindu narratives foster divisions in their own community & hinder their ability to work together, freely talk & celebrate together as proud, practicing Hindus. 7/
@HinduAmerican argued that caste is a stereotype uniquely associated with Indians and Hindus. A caste category would uniquely target South Asians, Indians, and Hindus for ethno-religious profiling, monitoring, and policing. This is a denial of equal protection and due process!
And since caste is not race nor color nor religion, how would caste be determined? A caste database of Indian names and add a category for caste? Force individuals to wear an badge or carry a card that identifies caste? If you don't know your caste, impose one upon them?
Following our testimony, 100's of Indian Americans of all religions described how much they opposed this move by @sccgov and how much they feared that the discussion was dividing their community and stoking fears.

The solution to discrimination is not more discrimination.
-End-

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More from @SuhagAShukla

20 Apr
#Breaking: @HinduAmerican takes legal action demanding retraction & apology for false and defamatory stories that appeared in @AJEnglish (by @raqib_naik) earlier this month. Letter sent sent through CA based litigation firm retained for this action. 1/ hinduamerican.org/press/haf-lega…
The letters outlining 17 false & defamatory statements were also sent to individuals quoted attacking @HinduAmerican:
-Sunita Viswanath, Raju Rajagopal @Hindus4HR
-Rasheed Ahmed @IAMCouncil
-John Prabhudoss @Fiacona_us

Damaging lies about @HinduAmerican cannot be tolerated.
2/
Legal action required due to #Hinduphobic/xenophobic allegations of dual loyalty to foreign govt, sending funds overseas to promote hate or malign influence on US govt. These lies mirror anti-Semitic rhetoric Jewish groups historically faced & will be strongly countered. 3/
Read 7 tweets
5 Apr
After COVID, 1000's of religious orgs received federal loans. But @AJEnglish runs a hit piece attacking only Hindu orgs for receiving aid.

Kashmiri activist @raqib_naik writes that Hindus "exploit [COVID] crisis and systems that are put in place to mitigate it."

Why?

1/
We know that some were upset after this article exposed how the overseas arm of Jamaat-e-Islami and Laskhar-e-Taiba were seeking paycheck protection loans due to COVID.

We figured Hindu groups would be targeted in response--@AJEnglish delivered. 2/
jns.org/opinion/for-te…
Did Hindus receive a sweetheart deal?

At this site, put in "Christian" "Muslim" "Islam" "Jewish." See what other religious advocacy groups received.

Hindus are the smallest recipient by far, yet we're targeted. @AJEnglish, this is religious bigotry. 3/
federalpay.org/paycheck-prote…
Read 4 tweets
20 Mar
Atmosphere on @Rutgers_Newark campus is rapidly deteriorating. @audreytruschke posted a letter that literally accuses @YuvaNortheast @HinduStudentsC of being Nazis.

Students report an increasingly hostile environment.

Truschke's response? More hostility. @AnnaBranchPhD 1/
Students complain about Truschke depicting a Hindu God as a "misogynistic pig" & teaching that Hindu texts promote rape culture. Instead of apologizing, Truschke digs in & posts a letter signed by mostly non-Hindu groups & some extremist groups, like separatist Stand with Kashmir
Students are afraid.

Truschke dissembles with Kashmir? Dalit politics? A letter that erases their concerns and grievances & accuses them of championing Nazi ideology or Islamophobia?

This is dangerous. 3/
Read 5 tweets
6 Mar
Check out this typical inquiry to @HinduAmerican from a South Asian journalist. Let's count the ways this flouts the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.

-Anonymous email id.
-No last name.
-No mention of which outlet she is writing for.
-No contact number
1/
Asks leading/inflammatory questions without identifying sources.

"Hey, people say you whitewash caste, what's your take?"

I mean how do you respond to that when fighting against discrimination based on caste is literally in our founding documents? hinduamerican.org/issues/

2/
Falsely frames @HinduAmerican's defense against #Hinduphobic antics by activists as anti-Dalit.

Um, failure to complete background research and then confront your interviewee with a false allegation is another Society of Professional Journalists ethical no-no.

3/
Read 6 tweets
2 Mar
Seems @HinduAmerican's intervention in the @CalDFEH vs. @Cisco lawsuit sparked an amicus brief from South Asian activists/academics. And typically, @thecaravanindia features that brief in a piece attacking HAF, without presenting the crux of our legal argument.

So allow me 1/n
Caravan argues that HAF's motion asserts that the US Constitution's religious freedom means Hindus should be allowed to discriminate.

Why? Because caste discrimination is intrinsic to Hinduism.

Yes, Caravan publishes the ludicrous smear that we want to allow discrimination.
If @thecaravanindia cared about what @HinduAmerican actually argues, it's here: hinduamerican.org/california-cis…

@CalDFEH's case is unconstitutional & promotes racist stereotypes. State doesn't solve a problem by creating a new one-solution to discrimination is not more discrimination.
Read 5 tweets
28 Jan
This article exemplifies how colonial mentality -- the internalization of attitudes of cultural inferiority by previously colonized people -- is multigenerational. Their descendants' may never have been colonized physically, but their minds remain shackled.1/9
And in spite of a father's, a "hairy-chested" uncle's, or respected organizations like @ChinmayaMission's best efforts, racist, colonial tropes about Hindus and Hinduism rooted in European ideas of white and Christian supremacy persist, and in this case, prove insurmountable.2/9
What's fascinating (and frustrating) is how @mathangiwrites and many like her freely borrow the language of decolonizing used by other post-colonized peoples yet remain completely unaware of the colonial paradigms through which they view and demonize their own tribe. 3/9
Read 9 tweets

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