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24-10-2022, 11:55 AM
By
Rowaida Abdelaziz
Oct 22, 2022, 08:00 AM EDT
|
Updated Oct 22, 2022
HOBOKEN, N.J. — Audrey Truschke, a professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University, never thought her work could result in death threats and vicious vitriol.
Yet Truschke, a scholar, mom, wife and author of three books, now sometimes needs armed security at public events.
The publication of her first book, in 2016, challenging the predominant perception of 16th- and 17th-century Mughal kings — Muslim rulers who are widely vilified by Hindu nationalists — put a target on her back. Her email was bombarded with hate mail. Her Twitter account was inundated with threats. People wrote letters to news outlets about her.
......
Far-right Hindu nationalism, also referred to as Hindutva, is a political and extremist ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform a secular and diverse India into an ethnoreligious Hindu state. Hindu nationalism has been around for over 100 years and was initially inspired by ethnonationalism movements in early 20th-century Europe, including those in Germany and Italy. Champions of Hindutva have viciously targeted religious minorities including Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, and have sought to silence critics such as academics and activists.
......
People impacted by Hindutva in the U.S. say the movement has crept into their hometowns and workplaces, making life more dangerous for them and threatening to make their communities less diverse and tolerant. The ideology has deep ties to white nationalist movements across the globe, and the targets of nationalist groups warn that the impact could be deadly if Hindutva is not addressed and defeated.
......
“Hindu nationalism has redefined the Indian mainstream,” Truschke said. “It’s an incredible success story. Fifty years ago, no respectable Indian wanted to touch it. It was just completely verboten due to the Hindutva embrace of violence and hate, and now it’s the dominant political position in India.”
......
In many ways, the rise of Hindu nationalism mirrors the rise of white nationalist extremism.
......
Like white supremacists, Hindu nationalists have propagated a revisionist history built on the idea that India, despite its secular constitution, once was and should still be a Hindu state and that members of other religious groups are not true natives of the country.
......
The alignment between Hindu nationalism and right-wing nationalist groups is flourishing in the U.S., which “doesn’t bode well for any marginalized groups,” Mandalaparthy said. “This is very much a domestic issue now and it’s very much a local issue.”
......
In many cases, those carrying out violence against religious minorities — Muslims, but other religious groups as well, including Christians, Sikhs and Dalits — feel direct support from India’s governing party. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government agency, recommended this year that India be put on its red list for “severe violations of religious freedom.”
Much better to read the long report at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/far-right...f8f38360e4
Rowaida Abdelaziz
Oct 22, 2022, 08:00 AM EDT
|
Updated Oct 22, 2022
HOBOKEN, N.J. — Audrey Truschke, a professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University, never thought her work could result in death threats and vicious vitriol.
Yet Truschke, a scholar, mom, wife and author of three books, now sometimes needs armed security at public events.
The publication of her first book, in 2016, challenging the predominant perception of 16th- and 17th-century Mughal kings — Muslim rulers who are widely vilified by Hindu nationalists — put a target on her back. Her email was bombarded with hate mail. Her Twitter account was inundated with threats. People wrote letters to news outlets about her.
......
Far-right Hindu nationalism, also referred to as Hindutva, is a political and extremist ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform a secular and diverse India into an ethnoreligious Hindu state. Hindu nationalism has been around for over 100 years and was initially inspired by ethnonationalism movements in early 20th-century Europe, including those in Germany and Italy. Champions of Hindutva have viciously targeted religious minorities including Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, and have sought to silence critics such as academics and activists.
......
People impacted by Hindutva in the U.S. say the movement has crept into their hometowns and workplaces, making life more dangerous for them and threatening to make their communities less diverse and tolerant. The ideology has deep ties to white nationalist movements across the globe, and the targets of nationalist groups warn that the impact could be deadly if Hindutva is not addressed and defeated.
......
“Hindu nationalism has redefined the Indian mainstream,” Truschke said. “It’s an incredible success story. Fifty years ago, no respectable Indian wanted to touch it. It was just completely verboten due to the Hindutva embrace of violence and hate, and now it’s the dominant political position in India.”
......
In many ways, the rise of Hindu nationalism mirrors the rise of white nationalist extremism.
......
Like white supremacists, Hindu nationalists have propagated a revisionist history built on the idea that India, despite its secular constitution, once was and should still be a Hindu state and that members of other religious groups are not true natives of the country.
......
The alignment between Hindu nationalism and right-wing nationalist groups is flourishing in the U.S., which “doesn’t bode well for any marginalized groups,” Mandalaparthy said. “This is very much a domestic issue now and it’s very much a local issue.”
......
In many cases, those carrying out violence against religious minorities — Muslims, but other religious groups as well, including Christians, Sikhs and Dalits — feel direct support from India’s governing party. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government agency, recommended this year that India be put on its red list for “severe violations of religious freedom.”
Much better to read the long report at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/far-right...f8f38360e4
