Originally published under the title essentials of hindutva in 1923, it was retitled hindutva. This is the context in which the rhc and its cognates such as the hindu american foundation attempt to invoke the category of hindu american as an identity distinct from the indian american. Hindu american foundation reveals its supremacist ideology through smear campaign against cag and indian muslims hafs opposition to house resolution 417 is a disservice to india and hinduism say. Hindutva hinduness is the predominant form of hindu nationalism in india. Hindutva loses some heft in the us congress sabrangindia. Silicon valleys indianamerican congressman joins pakistan. American libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage. Rightwing hindu groups are seeking to gloss over indian history and deny the reality of caste discrimination by deleting the word. Introduction to hindutva extreme hindu nationalism hindu fascism th e current ruling political party of india the bharatiya janata party bjp stems from an ideology similar to nazism, called hindutva. Suhag shukla, executive director and cofounder of the hindu american foundation told india abroad that the ayodhya verdict is a victory of indias secular and pluralistic fabric. Congress amid rising antimuslim violence in modis ind. Beware of the rise of hindu supremacists in america.
Heath, d, mathur, c eds communalism and globalization in south asia and its diaspora. The hindutva view of history rewriting textbooks in india and the united states kamala visweswaran, michael witzel, nandini manjrekar, dipta bhog, and uma chakravarti when hindu nationalist or sangh parivar organizations in india came to power at the national level in 1998, one of the first things they did was to establish a. The hindu american foundation haf is a hindu american advocacy group founded on. Haf takes strong objection to assertions in siliconeer. Chaf is involved in the areas of human rights, civil rights and education among others. Hindus in american textbooks religious literacy project. Difference between hinduism and hindutva difference between. And so, too, hindu american organizing is vilified as champions of varied alleged sympathies.
Hindutva driving fascism in india, islamophobia in the us. Their very territorialized yet universal claims have been finding particular resonance among migrant populations, particularly in north america. Hindutva efforts to rewrite history in california schools fail. The california textbook controversy, the global south 2, no. Featured movies all video latest this just in prelinger archives democracy now. Pdf when hindu nationalist or sangh parivar organizations in india came to power at. The texasbased vedic foundation vf and the american hindu education foundation hef citation needed, complained to californias curriculum commission, arguing that the coverage in sixth grade history textbooks of indian history and hinduism was biased against hinduism. Washington dcbased hindu american foundation haf, however, believes that pramila jayapal is a hindu. An american hindutva scholarly publishing services. India and religion in nineteenth century america, is the primary resource focusing on hinduism in the context of 19thcentury north america. California textbook controversy over hindu history wikipedia. Tulsi gabbard flags hinduphobia is it hindutva donors. Intro to the hindutva american foundation sangh samachar.
Pdf the hindutva view of history rewriting textbooks in. The problem is not the belief, as the preachers of all religions ridiculously claim superiority of their faith. Anti hindu hate crimes rise again in united states. With regard to colonial and 19thcentury american history, michael altmans dissertation, imagining hindus. In late 2008, indian police arrested members of a hindu cell allegedly involved in the malegaon blasts. Hindu american advocacy evolved independently of the political ascent of hindutva in india, and is more often a manifestation of diasporic explorations of religious identity, awareness, spiritual awakenings, and a realization that hindu philosophy offers hermeneutical traditions to inform contemporary social justice concerns. Army captain pratima dharm become the first hindu chaplain in the american military. Pdf the hindutva view of history rewriting textbooks in india. Mysticism spread in the world from hindutva with civilization dating back to aryan era.
Members of the hindu american foundation, a political. For those who want to understand the true meaning of hindutva. The story outrageously accused the hindu american foundation haf of being a front organization for the rashtriya swayamsevak sangh rss in the us. Hindutva american political donors and allegations of dual loyalty. The hindutva view of history rewriting textbooks in india and the united states. Every year tens of thousands of hindutva supporters come to the united states as students and it professionals. The hindu american is one who signals ideological affinity with, and political support for the hindutva project in india. American libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library.
Lobbyists of the hindu american foundation haf, also play a vital. However, the debate raged on, as the hindu american foundation haf, another group with hindutva ties, promptly sued the state to force the changes. One can criticize specific threads and strains in it, but to deny it completely is detrimental for hindus. Therefore, to understand the significance of this term hindutva, we must first understand the essential meaning of the word hindu itself and realize how it came to exercise such imperial sway over the hearts of millions of. It presents itself as a human rights organization, providing a voice for the hindu american community. The coalition against genocide cag recently authored a report, in which they seek to associate the hindu american foundation with various hindu nationalist organizations, and. The hindu american foundation haf, founded september 3, 2003 is a hindu advocacy group operating in the united states. Speak out against the hindutva assault on californias. Gabbard has managed to stay in the race despite candidates with a higher popularity rating and more number of delegates like elizabeth warren, michael bloomberg, pete buttgieg and amy klobuchar dropping. Articles and links on this site will refute hindutva claims which also includes the blatantly false claim that the taj mahal was a hindu temple and that hindus used flying machines 7000 years ago. Hinduism in america oxford research encyclopedia of religion.
The organization describes itself as a human rights and advocacy group, providing a voice for the. The 1920th century hindu resurgence and the hindutva politics are nothing new, but a continuation of this history. The term hindutva, on the other hand, was coined by hindu nationalist leader and champion of hindu causes, vinayak damodar savarkar, in his famous 1923 pamphlet hindutva. Posted in caste, hindu american foundation, hindu fundamentalism, hindutva, rashtriya swayamsevak sangh by ravi on july 27, 2007 excerpts from an amicus curiae brief filed in the superior court of the state of california sacramento county opposing hindutva attempts to saffronise school textbooks in california.
Hindu nationalists defend the advent of a hindu state in india, while projecting the universal appeal of their ideology. The superior court of california in sacramento has rejected the hindu american foundation hafs demand for a preliminary injunction against publication of new sixthgrade textbooks. His actions have angered hindu american supporters of indian prime minister narendra modis supporters. The foundation is long known for promoting narendra modis hindutvadi agenda amongst the indian americans, and has been alleged by its critics of raising saffron dollars that promote bigotry and intolerance mildly claimed to be hindu nationalism all across india, which has, sadly, made gandhiazadnehrus india unsafe for the nonhindus.
Savarkars pamphlet forms part of the canon of works published during british rule that later influenced postindependence contemporary hindu nationalism. When the hindutva label is used to harm hindu americans part ii. Promoting human dignity, mutual respect, and pluralism. Hindutva inspired violence, brahminicalcasteist oppression, or plain patriarchy. Hindus for trump best exemplifies how hindutva hindu ness operates as an ideological phenomenon that affects the indian. The hindu concept of dharma is not just faith or religion, as it is commonly but mistakenly taken to be. Hindutva, a word synonymous with psyche of people in india with offshoots enveloping the globe, is in the right perspective a philosophy, a way of life.
Indian american hindutva believers are ecstatic about indias court decision on babri masjid by bhargavi kulkarni and suman guha mozumder. The reference to the word, hindu could be found at numerous places in ancient sanskrit texts, but the two widely accepted theories on the origin of the term suggest that the word has a foreign origin also alluded to by arvind sharma 2002 in his article, on hindu, hindustan, hinduism and hindutva. Hinduism is a minority religion in the united states of america, ranking fourth largest, and constituting 0. Suhag shukla, executive director of the hindu american foundation was upset with the congressional hearings on october 22nd, 2019, about modi governments gross violations of human rights. The first known use of the term saffron terror is from a 2002 article in frontline. But he also concedes that hindutva is not the only facet of hinduism today. Hindutva proponents view india as a hindu nation, define indian culture in terms of hindu values, and seek to establish the hegemony of hindus and the hindu way of life. The author begins the book with a disclosure that this book makes no distinction between hinduism and hindutva. The hindu american foundation haf has repeatedly slammed various resolutions passed by the uscirf, which criticise atrocities and violence perpetrated against religious minorities in india. Tulsi gabbard has emerged as an unlikely survivor in the race for becoming the democratic partys presidential candidate in the united states.
The rss is the largest culturist organization in the world. Hindutva embrases all the departments of thought and activity of the whole being of our hindu race. The sangh combine haf, hef and vf claimed that textbooks were. Democrats from the progressive wing of the democratic party are finding it increasing difficult to support prime minister modi as he ferociously pushes his hateful hindutva agenda. Anybody, who during the war, plans to stir up mass feeling, resulting internal disturbances or insecurity, must be resisted by any government that may function for. The steady growth of the american hindutva movement threatens to further marginalize minorities within the hindu american community and homogenize american hindu identity. April 24, 2006 hindutva defeated again in california courts. In washington, dc, organizations like hindu american foundation have consistently sought to deflect any attention on indias human rights record or accountability for its egregious violations of religious freedom. Ahead of holi holiday, indian american students protest.
Spotlight series report coalition against genocide. The vast majority of american hindus are immigrants from south asia mainly india, nepal, sri lanka, and bangladesh, some from bhutan, maldives, afghanistan, and pakistan. Hindu american foundation seeks arrests of those behind. Introduction to hindutva extreme hindu nationalismhindu fascism. To take another example, the hindu american foundation claimed recently that even the questioning of brahminical patriarchy is a an act of hindu phobia. The event was organized by students against hindutva, a growing body of indian american students from 21 university campuses to protest indias caa. Its guiding concept, hindutva hinduness calls for indias former untouchables, christians, and muslims to be assimilated, expelled, or annihilated so that a hindu majority nation is transformed into an exclusively hindu. Organization for minorities in india ofmi, indian american muslim council, and dalit american foundation described the violence against religious minorities and dalits under the rule of bharatiya janata party bjp. Fbi report indian supreme court verdict on ram janmabhoomi a victory for archeology, history, hindus and muslims hindu american foundation hails passage of armenian genocide resolution ngos call on secretary pompeo to sanction pakistan for gross human rights, religious freedom abuses. America and the vishwa hindu parishad overseas vhpo, or world hindu council, ekal vidyalaya. Over the last three decades, a movement toward hinduizing indiaadvancing the status of hindus toward political and social primacy in india has continued to gain ground in south asia and diasporic communities.
The organization describes itself as a human rights and advocacy group, providing a voice for the 2 million strong. Hindu nationalism in the united kingdom and north america. The term was popularised by vinayak damodar savarkar in 1923. The hindu american foundation haf is a hindu american advocacy group founded on september 3, 2003 and headquartered on capitol hill in washington, d. Founded in 2003, hafs work impacts a range of issues from the portrayal of hinduism in k12 textbooks to civil and human rights to addressing contemporary problems, such as environmental protection and interreligious conflict, by applying hindu. A report on nonprofit groups 3 executive summary 1.
Hindutva, as it is understood, is an ideology that is identified with indian culture in the light of hindu values. Hindu american foundation 910 seventeenth street nw, suite 316a washington, dc 20003 t. Tulsi gabbard took thousands from members of rightwing hindu group. In the february 17, 2006 issue of india abroad, several letters to the editor from girish agarwal of the friends of south asia fosa and raja swamy were published containing defamatory and blatantly false statements about the hindu american foundation haf. The term promoted by vinayak damodar who interestingly professed. Hindu american foundation haf, an influential organization among mainstream hindus who are duped by some of hafs benign advocacy on behalf of hindus, barely suspecting hafs links to rss and its complete alignment with the hindutva agenda. Hindu mahasabhas shyama prasad mukherjee, a minister in bengal under fazlul haqs ruling coalition, writes to british government expressing solidarity and with advice on how to suppress quit india movement, saying. Hindu american foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Cracks are beginning to appear in the hindu american community. Archival evidence article in economic and political weekly 354.
The february issue of the monthly magazine siliconeer carried a cover story on the hindu communitys efforts to california textbooks issue. The search for an ideology in times of cow politics hinduism is often described as a way of life for its range of doctrines and practices. The hindu american foundation haf was founded in september 2003 by mihir meghani, an emergency care physician, aseem shukla, an associate professor in urologic surgery, suhag shukla, an attorney, nikhil joshi, a labor law attorney, and adeeti joshi, a speech therapist. Hindus find themselves, and where the hindu american foundation. Founded in 2003, hafs work impacts a range of issues from the portrayal of hinduism in k12 textbooks to civil and human rights to addressing contemporary problems, such as environmental protection and interreligious conflict, by applying hindu philosophy. Haf and the hindutva assault on ca textbooks 200506 in 2005, three sangh organizations the hindu education foundation, the vedic foundation and the hindu american foundation sought to change the content of middleschool social studies textbooks in the state of california. Jul 27, 2007 posted in caste, hindu american foundation, hindu fundamentalism, hindutva, rashtriya swayamsevak sangh by ravi on july 27, 2007 excerpts from an amicus curiae brief filed in the superior court of the state of california sacramento county opposing hindutva attempts to saffronise school textbooks in california. Haf addresses defamatory and false statements in india. A controversy in the us state of california concerning the portrayal of hinduism in history textbooks began in 2005. However, it was in the aftermath of the 29 september 2008 bomb blast in the predominantly muslim town of malegaon in maharashtra that it came to be used widely. New york the hindu american foundation has condemned the violence in delhi that resulted in deaths and the destruction of places of worship and called for the arrest and prosecution of those. Hindu american foundation reveals its supremacist ideology. Please post your comments directly on the huffington post by clicking here.
Critics say that the hindu american foundation is a pernicious organization with ties to the indian right wing movement. The texasbased vedic foundation vf and the american hindu education foundation hef citation needed, complained to californias curriculum commission, arguing that the coverage in sixth grade history textbooks of indian history and hinduism was. Indianamerican hindutva believers are ecstatic about. Suhag shukla, indian american executive director of the hindu american foundation, was upset with the congressional hearings held on oct. The hindu american foundation s director, suhag shukla, has called the campaign an anti hindu project that demeans religious traditions by importing caste wars onto our college campuses. Haf addresses defamatory and false statements in india abroad letters. Hindu american foundation 2007 hyperlink to hinduphobia. It explains the idea of hindutva and binds it in a really nice way the true idea and reason behind the ideology is presented in beautiful way. Khanna mentions important article documenting congresswoman tulsi gabbards rss ties. This is the text that hedgewar read just prior to starting the rss. It is championed by the hindu nationalist volunteer organisation rashtriya swayamsevak sangh rss, vishva hindu parishad vhp and hindu sena.
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