Recent articles in @MotherJones Jones and @guardian cover a spurious allegation that @HinduAmerican acts as an unregistered foreign agent of India.

This claim is legally unfounded, factually incorrect, and dangerous for civil society. A short thread with facts and context 🧵
The allegation against HAF was filed by Lex Politica, a right-wing law firm retained by a pro-Khalistan gurudwara in California

Khalistan is a secessionist movement calling for a theocratic Sikh state carved out of India, linked to the worst Canadian terrorist attack in history. Khalistan is opposed by the vast majority of Sikhs globally.

Ahimsa is one of the most cherished principles in Hindu philosophy, but it is often misunderstood, especially in the context of national defense and responding to terrorism. Ahimsa, or non-violence, is not about passive inaction in the face of aggression. It is about minimizing harm where possible, but never at the cost of protecting the innocent. The Bhagavad Gita makes this clear—true Ahimsa does not mean ignoring Adharma (unethical, exploitative and destructive behavior) or allowing violence and terror to spread unchecked. To tolerate Adharma is itself a betrayal of Dharma (ethical values). When Arjuna hesitated to fight in the Mahabharata, fearing he would violate Ahimsa, Krishna reminded him that failing to confront injustice is a greater sin than engaging in necessary conflict. Ahimsa is not a license for the wicked to thrive but a call for the righteous to stand firm against oppression.
Right now, as India and Pakistan engage in military action, some voices are misusing the concept of Ahimsa to argue against self-defense. This is not just a misinterpretation but a dangerous distortion of Hindu teachings. To sit back and allow terror to go unanswered is not non-violence—it is complicity. Confronting Adarma is not just a choice but a duty. This is why Ahimsa cannot be divorced from the broader principle of Dharma—they are intertwined. As Krishna taught Arjuna, sometimes the most profound act of non-violence is to stand up and fight for the protection of the innocent. Ahimsa, often translated as non-violence, is a core value in the Hindu Dharmas. But it doesn’t mean passive inaction in the face of evil. It’s about minimizing harm without compromising righteousness. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us that true Ahimsa involves standing up for Dharma and protecting the innocent.

Why is a former U.S. diplomat once stationed in Dhaka, @JonFDanilowicz, now among the loudest opponents of calls to support Bangladeshi Hindus & other minorities?

Why did he oppose @CongressmanRaja & New Hampshire legislative action supporting Bangladeshi Hindus?

See 🧵 Jon Danilowicz was appointed interim Executive Director of a Washington DC based org, Right to Freedom (R2F) in Nov 2024. Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey controls R2F’s books & records per their Form 990, and he publicly celebrated Danilowicz’s appointment.

#Breaking: HAF releases letter sent to Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison @SeaCityAttorney last week advising her that @cmkshama’s caste proposal targets Hindus & South Asians on the basis of their national origin and ancestry for disparate treatment. In doing so, the resolution… violates the very policy the resolution seeks to amend, not to mention Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Adding “caste” would be a departure from the practice of facially neutral policies applying broadly/generally to all people regardless of background/identity.

#Breaking: Court finds that Audrey Truschke & H4HR's Sunita Viswanath lied about HAF and that they along with @IAMCouncil & @Fiacona_us leaders harmed HAF with their lies.

Despite lies & harm, court dismissed HAF's defamation suit on procedural grounds. hinduamerican.org/press/false-st… Court found that Viswanath's allegation that HAF has "parent organisations" in India is "verifiably false," thus confirming that HAF has no existential ties to Indian orgs! Court also found that Truschke made "verifiably false" claims relating to HAF Board member @rajiv_pandit.

#Alert: In the wake of multiple anti-Hindu hate crimes over the last month alone, we called for unity & solidarity. Response?

Today, instead of standing with Hindus, @IAMCouncil released a @DemsTeaneck resolution demanding that the @FBI do surveillance of #HinduAmerican orgs. The @DemsTeaneck @iamc resolution uses a slur commonly used by #antiSemites, against Hindus. It actually calls Hindus “infilitrators” and paints Hindu advocacy as insidious.

When Hindus meet legislators and advocate on issues, it is not something to condemn. It is being American

#Breaking: After 4 months of relentless efforts by @hinduamerican working with allies, the word “Swastika” has been removed from @NYSenate & NY State Assembly bills NY A.9155 and NY S.7680.

BOTH bills originally referred to the swastika as “anti-Semitic and fascist symbols.” HAF’s Anita Joshi and Shereen Bhalla worked tirelessly providing solid arguments and building strategic relationships in making this happen.

We thank the NY State Senate and Assembly, and the sponsor leads for their efforts — @AMBichotte & @LizKrueger.

#Update: After HAF filed a defamation suit against IAMC, its partner groups & Audrey Truschke, @Georgetown's Saudi funded @bridgeinit released a "Fact Sheet" with several factually incorrect statements about HAF.

HAF wrote this letter to GU's leaders:
hinduamerican.org/press/bridge-i… HAF's letter to @Georgetown President & Provost @RobertMGroves states in part:
"This factsheet, carrying the imprimatur of Georgetown University, ignores the basic values of transparency, objectivity, impartiality & integrity of scholarship that Georgetown University expects.."

#Breaking: More than 80 @calstate faculty send blistering letter to Cal State Chancellor @josephlcastro and Board of Trustees strongly opposing policy change that will discriminate against and target ONLY Indian & other South Asian faculty.
hinduamerican.org/press/cal-stat… The faculty letter, signed by faculty of all ethnicities and faiths, opposes @calstate’s announcing its intention to add “caste” to the system’s anti-discrimination policy as part of a collective bargaining agreement with CSU faculty.

Full faculty letter: hinduamerican.org/wp-content/upl…

#Breaking: The @HinduAmerican's complaint against @Penn with US Dept of Education over #DGHconference & discriminatory "field manual" makes headlines.

Underscores landmark nature of HAF's action representing the #HinduAmerican community. @ssnyderinq

1/
inquirer.com/news/hindu-fou… “When an...entire religious tradition and its people are painted as dangerous, bigoted, an anathema to democratic ideals, you have no choice but to defend yourself."

Penn professor and student also quoted, opposing conflating of political problems in India with Hinduism." 2/

#Alert: US Chargé d'Affaires Atul Keshap is under personal/professional attack after doing what diplomats from Germany, Australia, UK, Singapore & dozens of EU countries did before--visiting RSS headquarters as part of routine diplomatic outreach in India.

#Hindphobia? 1/ Amb. Keshap made no endorsement & met several other civil society leaders during his honorable service & tenure. But @johnsifton @hrw @MalikMujahid & Pieter Friedrich, an operative funded by an @IAMCouncil founder, are brutally singling out Keshap as no other diplomat before. 2/

#Breaking: @HinduAmerican files Title VI complaint with @usdoegov @EDcivilrights over @Penn's involvement with #DGHConference.

The historic submission states that @Penn's involvement was part of a pattern of hostility towards Hindu students/faculty. 1/
hinduamerican.org/press/universi… @HinduAmerican's complaint asks for an investigation to determine whether @Penn's @SouthAsiaPenn & key faculty created a hostile environment for students and faculty and whether they misused federal funds in co-sponsoring #dghconference 2/

#READ: @HudsonInstitute releases bombshell report documenting that there are 55 interlinked Khalistan & Pakistan groups operating in the US.

While the #Khalistan project is known to be supported by #Pakistan, this is the first to expose ties in the US.
1/
hudson.org/research/17268… This report by @Aparna_Pande @husainhaqqani exposes ties including those mediated by convicted ISI spy Ghulam Nabi Fai with D.C. based Khalistan groups.

This section highlighting a network of Khalistan activism tied to @standwkashmir, @IAMCouncil and OFMI is a must read.

Hello @HannahEP @guardian

You cover us and label us without even reaching out for comment. Doesn't look like you visited our website either.

What a stunning lack of journalism ethics

See our positions hinduamerican.org/issues/
Rightwing? No. Leftwing? No.

We're @HinduAmerican We support freedom of expression and freedom of thought and belief. We also believe in the goodness of humanity to knowingly demonstrate kindness & compassion (ahimsa), while also being truthful (satya), thoughtful (viveka) & objective (vairagya).

hinduamerican.org/issues/haf-pol…

#REVEALED: Many @dghconference speakers previously promoted #AntiSemitic petition.

@abhashankar1 reports #DGH speakers endorsed a statement saying:
-"Zionist Israel is the only state in the world that is NOT a state of its own citizens"
-Israel is an "inherently racist state" Patwardhan, Sundar & Krishnan signed petition calling on India to join "socialist" Cuba & Venenzuela in "de-recognizing" & sanctioning Israel, calling it a "Zionist apartheid state."

Krishnan promoted PFLP that US designates a foreign terrorist org (FTO)
investigativeproject.org/8988/speakers-…

#Scoop: As promised, releasing more of @dghconference's "secret" list of co-sponsors.
❎Not a single co-sponsor is an expert in the study of Hinduism.
❎DGH sponsors have no competency to define Hinduism. That's why DGH attacks on Hindutva are transparent #Hinduphobic tropes Univ. admins. are dissociating, but stating that the DGH event is an academic meeting, thus support faculty.

Academic??
-"Dismantle" implies activism/violence.
-Indian communist politician is speaking.
-Hinduism is defined in contradictory, Hinduphobic terms.

List! 🥁...

#UPDATE: HAF's campaign to write to 41 universities ostensibly co-sponsoring the DGH event resulted in over 650,000 messages being delivered in less than 24 hours, overwhelming the system. The official DGH website has been down all day.

Where are we now? (Thread) Three universities--Dalhousie, Princeton, and University of Mass-Boston--have confirmed that they are not sponsors and asked that their logos be removed.

3 other logos were removed from the DGH site before it went down.

We'll still be following up with others. 2/

#BREAKING: HAF's Executive Director @SuhagAShukla writes to presidents of 41 universities reportedly co-sponsoring the controversial Dismantling Global Hindutva event.

The partisan political event targets Hindu students and puts their safety at risk. 1/
hinduamerican.org/press/universi… “The DGH organizers trade on the prestige of your institution’s name to host, not an academic conference, but a partisan event related to politics in India. The event platforms activists...[that amplify].. Hinduphobic discourse even while denying the existence of Hinduphobia." 2/

In celebration of #Pride2021 , we’re sharing a Hindu perspective on homosexuality. (Thread) While the equal religio-spiritual potential of all individuals is key to understanding a Hindu basis for dignity for LGBT persons, so too is the way in which Hindu religious texts and teachings are approached.

#Breaking: @HinduAmerican files suit in D.C. U.S. District Court against directors of @IAMCouncil, @Fiacona_us, co-founders of @Hindus4HR and @Rutgers_Newark’s Audrey Truschke, for defamation and a conspiracy to defame HAF. 1/
hinduamerican.org/press/haf-defa… The suit was filed after Truschke, Rasheed Ahmed, Sunita Vishwanath, Raju Rajagopal & John Prabhudoss ignored cease and desist letters requesting that false & defamatory statements made about HAF to unnamed co-conspirator @raqib_naik and published in @AJEnglish be withdrawn. 2/

@NYSenate passed S6648 to educate NY school children before educating itself.
S6648 and @NYSA_Majority A8545 endanger #Hindu #Jain #Buddhist American students by not distinguishing between the sacred meaning and usage of the #swastika and the hateful Nazi hakenkreuz. It erases #NativeAmerican history with the symbol too! #whirlinglogoflife. Please fix this @NYSA_Majority after doing some homework. @HinduAmerican has some important resources that you must read 👇🏼