For #Hindus living in America, life changed a year ago as we woke up to the horror of #SB403. On March 22, @SenAishaWahab changed an innocuous ancestry bill to one that weaponized #caste, selectively singling out and profiling #Hinduism. 1/n Ironically, we learnt about the changed bill from its #Hinduphobic co-sponsor #EqualityLabs. They shared the news in a press interview, BEFORE changes were even tabled in the #California Senate! Can there be stronger evidence of the #privilege & access this group enjoys? 2/n

It's deeply disturbing to #HinduCanadians that publicly funded universities like @usask and @UofT would provide a platform to an openly #Hinduphobic individual, Mohammad Hijab. 1/n As per @ncri_io's report on the Hinduphobic riots in Leicester, UK last year, Mohammad Hijab made derogatory comments about Hindus, saying: "If they (Hindus) believe in reincarnation, what a humiliation of them to be reincarnated into some pathetic, weak, cowardly people like that…I’d rather be reincarnated as a grasshopper." 2/n

Delighted to see sanity prevail in #California. Thank you @GavinNewsom for vetoing #SB403. A victory for common sense, for American laws and a win for those who fought for #justice.” 1/n Today is dedicated to the spirit of #MilindMakwana who will live on in our hearts for his dharma & sacrifice. 2/n

#BIGBREAKING: 🧵

Remember the case against @BAPS Hindu temple in 2021 that alleged "caste discrimination"?

#JUSTIN: A dozen artisans claim coercion, promise of US citizenship and large sums of money to testify against BAPS, are withdrawing the case.

In May 2021, a @nytimes article by @anniecorreal claimed "Hindu Sect Is Accused of Using Forced Labor to Build N.J. Temple" and that @BAPS "had exploited possibly hundreds of low-caste men in the yearslong construction project."

nytimes.com/2021/05/11/nyr…

#BREAKING: 🧵A day of mixed emotions for the CoHNA family today. We are disappointed that CA lawmakers passed up a chance to #SayNoToHate and voted for a bill that still contains the #Hinduphobic word “caste.” Yet, we are also proud of the tireless grassroots work of our...1/n ...volunteers, other Hindu orgs and allies, which resulted in the CA Assembly Judiciary Committee voting on a bill that has been stripped of much of the outright xenophobic language of the original version. UNFORTUNATELY, the final nail in the coffin still remains...2/n

Disappointed to see @theJagmeetSingh conflate the Nazi #Hakenkreuz with the sacred #Swastika, perpetuating a colonial lie that demonises Hinduism. This is painful, especially given his Dharmik heritage.

While less prominent, the Swastika symbol is still a part of the Shri Guru… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… The Swastika can be found in and around Gurdwaras in India.

(2/n)

#BREAKING: In a historic move, Georgia legislature passes the first ever County Resolution condemning #Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry! The resolution recognized the contributions of Indian Americans and Hindu Americans in Georgia and 1/n called out the rising #Hinduphobia around the country. This trend has been documented by the @HinduphobiaConf and the research by @RutgersU and @ncri_io. 2/n
rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-r…

#BREAKING: In a huge victory for those of us who opposed the original motion as biased, the @tdsb has amended the motion to bring the @onthumanrights as a neutral observer to study & assess the issue and not hand off the process to some agenda driven activists! Happy Holi! 1/n👏🏾 The amended motion passed with five dissenters and one abstention. Thanks to the powerful words of Trustee Patel: "@SADAN_Canada could not provide a single instance of documented caste oppression." That's why he voted NO. 2/n

The latest victim of the growing hate for all things related to #Dharmic faiths. After attacking or co-opting all number of #Hindu traditions, it's now the turn of a micro-minority : the #Jain faith and being #vegetarian in general. SouthAsian vegetarians be warned! 1/n
#Caste During the public comments section of the @SeattleCouncil meeting on 2/14, supporters of the proposed #Caste ordinance turned their ire on the "militant vegetarianism" of #Jains. Hear the sound byte to understand the outright hate being mainstreamed!

THREAD: This weekend, join us for our #SwastikaIsSacred campaign. It’s a festive time marking the movement of the sun into a new cycle & celebrated variously as Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Magh Bihu/ Bhogi/Lohri/Sankrant/Uttarayan or more - so let’s make it more special! How to?👇🏽 1/n On Makar Sankranti and through this weekend (Jan 14 and Jan 15), change your social media profile photos to a Swastika. 2/n

THREAD: Powerful #AI like #ChatGPT is the talk of the town. As a #HinduAdvocacy organization, we checked to see how it frames responses on #Hinduism vs other faiths. The results are concerning and display deep #bias. Read on. 1/n 👇🏽 One of the 1st questions we tested a few days ago was “Is Hinduphobia real?” We found the #AI response to be biased and sending mixed messages, especially when compared to its clear measured responses to questions against #Antisemitism and #Islamophobia. 2/n

Today #HinduCanadians bid farewell to the first federally recognized #HinduHeritageMonth, marked by historic Canada-wide celebrations. Hon. MP @AryaCanada started it by raising the sacred Om flag at Parliament Hill, Ottawa on Nov 1st. 1/n CoHNA kicked-off #HinduHeritageMonth celebrations with a thought-provoking session led by @rajivmessage, Vijaya Viswanathan and @jeffreyVASA at @UofT on November 4th. CoHNA gifted free books to the students as part of the event. 2/n
tinyurl.com/yj9brr5n

#Hinduphobia. What’s wrong with this picture? The fact that a university department of @Columbia decides to use sacred Hindu imagery to advertise a politically charged and controversial conference filled with a list of Hinduphobic professors. 1/n Could @Columbia have used a different picture? Sure, but, instead, the South Asia Institute deliberately targeted Hinduism, Shri Rama for their biased narrative. Academic Freedom not an excuse to target a religion without expecting a response. Let’s also review the speakers. 2/n

An @AP article explores the contested narrative around Hitler’s #Hakenkruz & the sacred #Swastika. Thanks @reporterdeepa for this nuanced look at an issue with deep impact on Buddhist, Hindu, Jain & Native American communities living in the west. 1/n
apnews.com/article/religi… Thrilled to see CoHNA's efforts in driving education on Swastika in the story! Our recent California campaign re AB2282 resulted in a partial win & much work remains to be done. We thank the extended group working on the change-this is Dharma in action. 🙏🏽cohna.org/organization-l…

#AcademicHinduphobia
Racist white privileged professor attacks a brown NJ Hindu assembly member for calling out bigotry against his own community, and then plans to use that as “teaching material” in her classrooms. 🤨Notice…👇🏽1/n 1) …she has blocked two major Hindu orgs for not bending to her propaganda (left side)
2) she implies that somehow these orgs were responsible for “death threats” against scholars - a complete and blatant fabrication
3) she accuses NJ Democrats of being unethical 2/n

No, Prof Truschke, it is you & other Hinduphobes who spread hate & disinfo about Hinduism & Hindus while actively gaslighting the community. Your constant #Hinduphobia has been called out on several occasions. Some examples here (since you blocked us for no reason). 1/n This infographic provides a snapshot of some of your most bigoted and racist views about Hinduism and Hindus. 2/n cohna.org/wp-content/upl…

Shree Umiya Dham Hindu Temple in Edison, NJ vandalized with “Free Palestine” graffiti. CoHNA strongly condemns this & stands with the temple in demanding that the perpetrators be brought to swift justice! Happened yesterday, when…1/n …the Indian American community held a "March for Unity" event with several organizations participating. Unfortunately, in this peaceful event, bigots and racists like Pieter Friedrich intruded, trying to paint the community as extremist and intolerant. 2/n

🧵#BREAKING: Buddhist, Hindu and Native American spiritual leaders sign a historic proclamation affirming the difference between sacred #Swastika & Hitler's #Hakenkreuz. Full press release and event video link at understandingswastika.org/unveiling-swas… 1/n The august gathering of leaders from multiple religions across the United States make a strong and clarion call asking the world to recognize the important distinction between Swastika and Hitler’s Hakenkreuz ("hooked cross"). #SwastikaIsNotHakenkreuz 2/n

EXTREMELY disappointing to see that @WhiteHouse @VP @POTUS have excluded Hindus, Buddhists and Jains from this important conference. As minority communities facing hatred and bigotry, why aren’t our voices given a platform? unitedwestand.gov 1/n Accordingly to the recently released study on #Hinduphobia by Rutgers University and @ncri_io, there is a large spike in hatred and anti-Hindu disinformation on social media from extreme elements of society. This can translate into real life violence. rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-r… 2/n

Misunderstanding about the sacred #Swastika vs Hitler’s #Hakenkreuz (hooked cross) can indeed lead to strong reactions & potential attacks on communities who consider Swastika sacred. The below image should be rightly condemned because it is a Nazi symbol. However…1/n

https://twitter.com/tragicbirdapp/status/1556258270289219585

…The symbol is a Hakenkreuz as referred to by Hitler himself. He and the Nazis never used the word “Swastika.” Were clear that their symbol was a cross. cohna.org/swastika-is-no… 2/n

#HinduVoicesMatter. THREAD on the #Hypocrisy of "freedom of expression" when applied to Hinduism, given the recent #KaaliPosterControversy. Let's see how other communities have objected to appropriations and disparaging of their religions without being gaslighted or gagged. 1/n In 2018, a Sikh filmmaker withdrew a film on Guru Nanak ji after several Sikh bodies protested against the depiction of the founder of Sikhism in the film. No one gaslighted the Sikh community or gagged their voices. 2/n business-standard.com/article/pti-st…