I have advocated a definition of anti-Hinduism for a while now. I am pleased to note that others have worked on this issue as well. Namely, Sarah L Gates, the Global Hindu Federation, Dr Indu Viswanathan, Hindu American Foundation, Hindu Matters in Britain to name a few. It’s time we had one definition that we can all subscribe to, one that we can have adopted at the UN, one that at the very least is adopted by India, USA and UK.
Hindus have been under attack now for many centuries. There has been a consistent pattern followed by the invaders of India (Bharat) in their core belief of being anti-Hindu. Each invader put in place various systems to enslave Hindus in their own land. In the main it was by force, using violence and rape as a tool of subjugation. Each invader not only wanted to rule Bharat, but they also wanted to destroy all aspects of its culture and Dharmic traditions. It defines their grotesque ideology of anti-Hinduism.
Anti-Hinduism has spread to many nations across the globe, and within many people and their communities. Over the past several decades we have seen the confluence of Marxists, socialists, fascists, Islamists and the elite of imperial west exhibiting their hatred for Hindus.
The reason for this hatred for Hindus is complex and often stems from many ideological perspectives as well as the insecurity of those who promote and practice such racism.
It is now time to define anti-Hinduism (which can also be referred to as Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu, Hindumisia, Hinduodium) to protect the global Hindu community from persecution, and to expose those who perpetrate this evil. What follows is an exposition to aid understanding, and in finalising a definition that exemplifies all aspects of this hatred towards Hindus.
Anti-Hindu persecution affects Hindus in many spheres of life:
• Racial equality
• Religious equality
• Employment
• Media and broadcasting
• Exclusion in/from public bodies
• Educational institutions
• Crime and policing
Working Definition (Short):
“Anti-Hinduism (Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu, Hindumisia, Hinduodium) is a certain perception of Hindus, which may be expressed as hatred toward Hindus. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Hinduism are directed towards Hindus and/or their property, towards Hindu community institutions and/or religious facilities.”
Anti-Hinduism can be further expressed as prejudice, aversion, hostility, or hatred towards Hindus and encompasses any distinction, exclusion, restriction, discrimination, or preference against Hindus that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other sphere of public life.
For example:
Manifestations might include the targeting of India (Bharat), conceived as a Hindu collective. However, criticism of India, like that levelled against any other country, cannot be regarded as Anti-Hinduism.
Anti-Hinduism is frequently expressed in speech, writing, visual forms, and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.
Contemporary examples of anti-Hinduism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, considering the overall context, include, but are not limited to:
• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Hindus in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of a religion.
• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Hindus or the power of Hindus as collective — such as, but not exclusively, the myth about Hindus and the Caste system (a system imposed by the British during the British Raj in India), that Hindus are ideologically fascists, that Hindus are idol worshippers, and denigrating Hindu deities as animals. These are just a few examples to help place the anti-Hindu sentiments in context.
• Denying the multiple counts of Hindu ethnocide and genocide perpetrated over a period many centuries.
• Denying access to educational institutions to exercise freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
The question remains, which national Government or international body will take up this challenge and put in place a definition for anti-Hinduism that will protect Hindus, as does the definition on antisemitism which protects the Jewish community?
