Hindu Mahasabha

Hindu and African American Leaders in Georgia Celebrate Black History and Their Shared Experiences

Retrieved on:

Thursday, March 14, 2024

ATLANTA, March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A unique, first of its kind event at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, brought together luminaries from the Georgia state legislature and the Atlanta Hindu and Indian American communities for an evening focused on Building Bridges and Connecting Communities. Organized by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), the event highlighted the definitive role of the civil rights movement in the U.S, the paths it opened in the years to come for the Hindu and Indian American communities, and the road ahead.

Key Points:

The bridge has been built and now it's time for us to crossover," said the keynote speaker for the evening, Rep. Carl Gilliard , Chairman of the Georgia Black Legislative Caucus.
"The history of Black America is the history of America itself, so we are very pleased today to be celebrating it with our friends in the Hindu American community.
In later years, I was privileged to work alongside pioneering leaders like Maynard Jackson and to give back to my community."
"The historical connections and cultural exchange between the African American and Hindu communities offer a great foundation for future collaboration," said Rajeev Menon, Vice President of CoHNA.

'The Kerala Story': How an Indian film ignited violence against Muslims and challenges to interfaith marriage

Retrieved on:

Friday, July 28, 2023

These ideas date back to the British colonial era and have far-reaching implications for people’s everyday lives.

Key Points:

These ideas date back to the British colonial era and have far-reaching implications for people’s everyday lives.
The trailer claimed 32,000 Hindu girls had been converted to Islam by Muslim men with the intent of recruiting them to ISIS.
Once the film came out, citizens tried to get it banned by sending a petition to the India’s Supreme Court.

Political fallout

The figure of 32,000 women in the film’s trailer was immediately challenged by Indian political leaders and also debunked by fact-checkers from the website, Alt News.
The filmmakers agreed to change the number and a new trailer was released.

Challenges in the Indian Supreme Court

Some politicians decried the propagandist nature of the movie and in West Bengal, it was banned by the government.
Politicians there said the film “manipulated facts and contains hate speech in multiple scenes” and they banned the film to “avoid violence and hatred.” The Indian Supreme Court lifted the state ban though agreed that a disclaimer on the film was necessary.
The disclaimer indicated that the film provides “no authentic data” to support the 32,000 figure and that it presents fictionalized accounts.

Islamophobia from the 19th century

In the 19th century, Hindu scholars and new religious organisations (like Arya Samaj and Hindu Mahasabha) began producing a new Hindu-centric version of Indian history.
This history grew in response to British colonialism but at the same time, shared similarities with British colonial ideas.
By the late 19th century, India was constructed around Hindu heterosexual relationships and family values in opposition to Muslim sexual deviance and rampant Muslim sexuality.

Challenges to interfaith marriage

Love jihad’s centrality to Hindu nationalist politics has led to specifically stringent laws focused heavily on sexuality and marriage.
Read more:
India’s 'love jihad' anti-conversion laws aim to further oppress minorities, and it's working
Hindu vigilantes, in partnership with the police, launch missions to separate interfaith couples.
One response to the chatter about “love jihad,” is an Instagram channel called India Love Project launched to celebrate stories of interfaith love and marriages.

'The Kerala Story': How an Indian propaganda film ignited violence against Muslims and challenges to interfaith marriage

Retrieved on:

Thursday, July 27, 2023

These ideas date back to the British colonial era and have far-reaching implications for people’s everyday lives.

Key Points:

These ideas date back to the British colonial era and have far-reaching implications for people’s everyday lives.
The trailer claimed 32,000 Hindu girls had been converted to Islam by Muslim men with the intent of recruiting them to ISIS.
Once the film came out, citizens tried to get it banned by sending a petition to the India’s Supreme Court.

Political fallout

The figure of 32,000 women in the film’s trailer was immediately challenged by Indian political leaders and also debunked by fact-checkers from the website, Alt News.
The filmmakers agreed to change the number and a new trailer was released.

Challenges in the Indian Supreme Court

Some politicians decried the propagandist nature of the movie and in West Bengal, it was banned by the government.
Politicians there said the film “manipulated facts and contains hate speech in multiple scenes” and they banned the film to “avoid violence and hatred.” The Indian Supreme Court lifted the state ban though agreed that a disclaimer on the film was necessary.
The disclaimer indicated that the film provides “no authentic data” to support the 32,000 figure and that it presents fictionalized accounts.

Islamophobia from the 19th century

In the 19th century, Hindu scholars and new religious organisations (like Arya Samaj and Hindu Mahasabha) began producing a new Hindu-centric version of Indian history.
This history grew in response to British colonialism but at the same time, shared similarities with British colonial ideas.
By the late 19th century, India was constructed around Hindu heterosexual relationships and family values in opposition to Muslim sexual deviance and rampant Muslim sexuality.

Challenges to interfaith marriage

Love jihad’s centrality to Hindu nationalist politics has led to specifically stringent laws focused heavily on sexuality and marriage.
Read more:
India’s 'love jihad' anti-conversion laws aim to further oppress minorities, and it's working
Hindu vigilantes, in partnership with the police, launch missions to separate interfaith couples.
One response to the chatter about “love jihad,” is an Instagram channel called India Love Project launched to celebrate stories of interfaith love and marriages.