‘There’s a fear’: Amid rising attacks on Hindu temples, US Congressman’s call for urgent action.

US Congressman Shri Thanedar blasts those who deny existence of Hinduphobia: ‘What more proof do you need?’ 

Sanjay Singh | HENB | New Delhi | April 16, 2024:: Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar called for immediate action by law enforcement agencies against the rising number of attacks against Hindu Temples in the United States while interacting with members of the Hindu community on Monday.

In a press conference held  in National Press Club 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20045, Indian-American Democrat Congressman Shri Thanedar on  April 15 highlighted his resolution, H.Res.1131, which condemned the rise of Hinduphobia.

Talking about the fear among the Hindu community, the Congressman said “local law enforcement hasn’t taken enough action” to investigate the recent attacks.

This comes shortly after Shri Thanedar introduced a resolution against Hinduphobia in the House of Representatives, condemning anti-Hindu bigotry, hate, and intolerance against the community. The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

According to the resolution submitted last Wednesday, Hindu Americans have been the victims of discrimination, hate speech and assault in schools and on college campuses.

“…the House of Representatives— (1)celebrates the contributions of Hindus and Hinduism to the United States of America; (2)declares the United States as a place that welcomes the diversity brought by Hindu Americans; (3)condemns Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry and hate, and intolerance; and (4)makes appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press,” the resolution states.

In the  Monday press conference titled “celebrating Hindu Americans and condemning Hinduphobia”, Thanedar stressed on the threats being issued to Indian-Americans residing in the United States.

“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 while citing it as a reason for introducing the resolution in US Congress.

Congressman Thanedar further said, “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.”

Another Indian-American, Vijay Sadhawal, expressed his concern regarding the “bias of American media” towards the Hindu community residing in the US, saying that the resolution is just a starting point in raising a voice for the American Hindus.

“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.

He also drew parallels to the attacks on Kashmiri Pandits after the 1990s and said that he “sees a tremendous similarity that serves the institutions.”

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__Inputs from ANI & The Hindu.