International
pti-PTI
Washington,
Sep
22:
There
is
now
a
dangerous
hybridisation
of
hate
against
the
Hindu
community,
a
US-based
scientific
research
organisation
has
said,
citing
the
increasing
attacks
on
them
in
this
country
and
various
parts
of
the
world.
“We’ve
seen
that
there’s
been
a
growth
of
over
1,000
per
cent
and
anti-Hindu
slurs
are
stoking
fears
of
replacement
mixing
with
anti-semitic
memes,
with
other
forms
of
narratives,
and
hatred
shared
by
white
supremacists,
by
Islamists,
and
others,
and
creating
a
toxic
atmosphere
of
hostility,”
said
Joel
Finkelstein,
chief
science
officer
and
co-founder
of
the
Network
Contagion
Research
Institute.
Presenting
key
points
of
his
latest
research
at
the
“Building
Representation
and
Education
on
Hindu
American
Lived
Experiences”
organised
by
the
Coalition
of
Hindus
of
North
America
(CoHNA)
at
the
US
Capitol,
Finkelstein
said
that
in
recent
months
vandalisation
against
Hindu
temples
had
increased
in
the
US,
and
in
Canada,
it
is
going
through
the
roof.
UK
police
make
47
arrests
Leicester;
Hindus
and
Muslims
make
joint
appeal
for
communal
harmony
“And
now
we
see
what
amounts
to
a
low-grade
pogrom
occurring
in
England,”
Finkelstein
told
members
of
the
Hindu
American
community.
He
was
referring
to
the
ongoing
violence
against
Hindus
in
the
United
Kingdom.
Based
out
of
New
Jersey,
the
Network
Contagion
Research
Institute
(NCRI),
a
nonprofit
organisation,
studies
misinformation,
deception
manipulation,
and
hate
across
social
media
channels.
Observing
that
Hinduphobia
is
one
of
the
most
complicated
hatreds,
Finkelstein
said
there
is
now
a
dangerous
hybridisation
of
hate
against
the
community.
Responding
to
a
question,
he
said
that
there
is
a
likelihood
of
escalation
of
hatred
against
the
Hindu
community
in
the
world.
Congressman
Hank
Johnson,
the
only
Buddhist
lawmaker
in
the
current
Congress,
also
expressed
concerns
over
the
recent
increase
in
hate
against
Hindus
in
the
US.
“We
must
stand
together
against
hatred
towards
our
religion,
race
or
background,
but
unfortunately,
enough
hate-related
incidents,
especially
against
Hindu
Americans,
are
here
in
the
United
States
of
America
as
well
as
other
groups,”
Johnson
said.
Nikunj
Trivedi
from
CoHNA
said
the
contributions
of
Hindu
Americans
to
American
society
have
been
profound
over
the
years.
“We
come
from
diverse
…
we’re
not
just
scientists
or
some
nerds
sitting
in
some
classroom.
We
have
different
types
of
people
you
have
from
actors
and
actresses
to
Congressmen
and
CEOs,”
he
said.
Responding
to
a
question,
Finkelstein
said
there
had
been
a
rug
over
this
problem.
“There
is
a
huge
issue
when
it
comes
to
Hinduphobia.
It
is
very
difficult
to
talk
about
it
in
the
Hindu
community,”
he
said.
Over
the
past
year,
CoHNA
has
held
three
congressional
briefings
on
various
issues
impacting
the
Hindu-American
community.
“Hindus
are
a
vibrant
and
diverse
community
that
has
contributed
significantly
to
American
progress,
well-being,
and
democratic
values,
whether
during
the
COVID-19
pandemic
or
in
the
day-to-day
things
that
make
the
US
a
great
nation,”
CoHNA
said.
Foreign-funded
Islamist
hit
squads
on
a
mission
to
eliminate
Hindus
“Yet,
our
community
is
often
the
target
of
bigotry
and
hate,
as
witnessed
in
the
recent
attack
on
a
local
temple
in
New
York
and
the
twice
desecration
of
the
Gandhi
statue
on
temple
premises,
two
separate
hate
incidents
on
Hindu
men
and
women
in
California
and
Texas,
or
in
the
growing
online
hatred
and
academic
bias
against
Hindus.
In
fact,
according
to
the
2020
FBI
data,
hate
crimes
against
Indian
Americans
are
up
500
per
cent,”
it
said.
Hindu
community
leaders
and
organisations
from
all
over
the
US
on
Wednesday
descended
upon
Washington
DC
to
engage
with
their
political
representatives
and
discuss
various
matters
impacting
the
community.