There’s Doniger, Thapar, Pollock, Yengde, Nussbaum, Chomsky & more “repudiating” @HinduAmerican! Could there be a greater endorsement of our work? Could there be a stronger statement that HAF has shaken these academics with a record of anti-Hindu scholarship to the core? 1/
These academics with too little to do today but attack @HinduAmerican are known for sullying their fields with exoticized, eroticized interpretations of Hinduism. I wrote more on these ethical failings here: m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_49…
What brought this cabal out to attack us? Why are they coming together to attack the most prominent and longest serving Hindu org in the US? Well, I just wrote about that here today! americankahani.com/perspectives/t…
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#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/
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/
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.
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?
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/
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/
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.
@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.