Hinduphobia In US: The Assembly of the American (US) state of Georgia has passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia (bigotry towards Hindus). The proposal has been introduced by Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones, representatives of Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta.
The resolution states that Hinduism is one of the largest and oldest religions in the world. It has over 1.2 billion followers in over 100 countries. Hinduism includes a range of diverse traditions and belief systems with values of acceptance, mutual respect and peace. With the introduction of this proposal, Georgia has become the first US state to have such a legislative measure.
Contribution of Hindu community in many important areas
The proposal has been introduced by Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones, representatives of Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta. Forsyth County, Georgia This county is considered to have the largest Hindu and Indian-American diaspora communities. The resolution states that the American-Hindu community has been a major contributor in diverse fields such as medicine, science and engineering, information technology, hospitality, finance, education, manufacturing, energy, retail trade.
It also added that the community’s contributions to yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, art have enriched the cultural fabric and been widely adopted in American society and have enhanced the lives of millions.
Hate crimes against Hindus
During this, it was said that in the last few decades, cases of hate crimes against Hindu-Americans have been registered in many parts of the country. The resolution states that Hinduphobia has been institutionalized by some academics, who advocate eradicating Hinduism and blame its holy scriptures.
The Atlanta chapter of the Alliance of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) took the necessary first step in this regard. The same organization organized the first Hindu Advocacy Day on March 22 at the Georgia State Capitol. It was attended by about 25 lawmakers, including both Republicans and Democrats.
American Hindu community happy
The American-Hindu community has expressed happiness over the passing of the resolution. Rajeev Menon, Vice President of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), said, “It was an honor to work with McDonald and Jones, along with other representatives who guided us through the process of passing this county resolution.”
CoHNA General Secretary Shobha Swamy said, “The issues faced by Hindu Americans in Georgia and the rest of the country through false, Hinduphobic narratives are negatively impacting a community that is hardworking, law-abiding, and committed to serving America. Enriching the fabric.”