Thread by @AudreyTruschke

Lots of angles to this story. A short #THREAD adding context, a little history, and some preliminary thoughts...

nytimes.com/2021/05/11/nyr…

Front and center is caste discrimination on US soil. This serious issue isn't new. We have known about this for decades. But it is time we did far more to protect Dalits and others who suffer caste-based discrimination. #CasteInTheUS

By the way, for anybody tempted to deny caste-based discrimination as a reality of modern life or, insanely, to try to claim that pointing it out is itself discriminatory -- Don't. Just don't. Such things are highly offensive and bigoted.

Then there's the forced labor angle. Modern-day slavery. In the United States. My god, so horrifying. This may well be the worst forced labor case on US soil in more than 25 years.

Lots of history in terms of forced labor and the Indian diaspora. Some of the earliest diaspora members were indentured servants, part of a system that largely replaced the slave trade. More on this -- theguardian.com/books/2016/jun…

There's the religion angle, specifically that the workers were brought to the United State through fraudulent use of R-1 visas, which are temporary visas used for clergy and lay religious workers such as missionaries.

Those familiar with Hindu Right conspiracy theories will see the irony here -- They did the very thing that they repeatedly, often wildly, accuse others as doing. If I wrote a novel this way, it would be too heavy-handed. Amazing, in a bad way.

There's the broader connections angle, which will likely take time to piece together and come out. HAF, for instance, gave money to the group being accused of this horrendous crime. HAF's director also gave a keynote address at a conference hosted by the group in 2015.

There's the BJP - Modi angle. The group accused of criminal activity has strong ties to India's Hindu nationalist leadership. The group has also pledged to help build the Ayodhya temple being constructed on the ruins of a mosque. So, compounding issues here.

Last thought (for now) -- The power of the law, when used in good faith for justice and to pursue equality and freedom for all.

Footnote -- All details are either sourced individually or taken from the original NYT article. As per the NYT article, everything is alleged at present.