Indian-American Congressman highlights inaction on attacks targeting Hindu temples
Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar interacted with members of the Hindu community on Monday in Washington DC, drawing attention to the increasing incidents of attacks on Hindu temples across America.
Thanedar said that the attacks have instilled fear within the community. He also criticized local law enforcement, alleging lack of action in investigating these incidents.
On April 10, Thanedar introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives denouncing Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry, hate, and intolerance. The resolution has since been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
“We’ve seen a lot of attacks happening on Hindu temples across the United States and we’ve seen a lot more in more recent times. And it’s time for us to seek support. There’s a fear. Many Hindu communities are under fear. And what we’ve seen is that local law enforcement hasn’t taken enough action. We have not seen any suspects, any arrests, or any resolution to these issues,” he said, citing it as a reason for introducing the resolution.
“That (attack incident) has created a lot of fear among the Indian American community, among the Hindu community, and a lot of misinformation has been spread. And so, the purpose of this resolution is to bring that to the attention of Congress and to the Biden administration.”
Thanedar emphasized that he expects bipartisan support for the resolution in the Congress.
“Well, I expect bipartisan support because American values–freedom, equality, and racial justice–are all American values. And I expect my congressional colleagues from across the aisle to co-sponsor this resolution and be part of it,” he said.
“I’ll continue to stand and fight for justice, just like I fight for justice for my community in Detroit, Michigan, and fighting against racism, fighting against systemic racism that my community in Detroit has experienced for decades,” he added.
Another Indian-American, Vijay Sadhawal, who attended the event, expressed his concern over the “bias of the American media” towards American Hindus. Sadhawal said that the resolution resolution represents just the initial step in efforts to amplify the voice of the Hindu community.
“We have enough Hindu Americans in the country that can actually be a steering rod, so to speak, for protecting our minority rights in this country. And yet we see that the instruments of democracy, like the media, civil society, and NGOs, seem to be biased against the Hindu population of the United States,” he said.
“The proposal that Congressman Thanedar has introduced. I think it’s a starting point. It’s a starting point for saying that, hey, we are people. We are also people, as Americans, as anybody else. We have as many rights as everybody else has,” he added.
Sadhawal drew parallels to the attacks on Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s, saying that he “sees a tremendous similarity that serves the institutions.”
(ANI)
