HinduPACT AHAD -American Hindus Against Defamation

Our nation is seeing a disturbing rise in racism & xenophobia against Sikh & South Asian Americans. No one should feel unsafe in their home because of their faith, identity or color of their skin. It is incumbent on all of us to stand up to anti-Asian hate, wherever it appears.

HfHR stands with our Advisory Board member @tmkrishna as he challenges the compulsory singing of Vande Mataram’s devotional stanzas. Patriotism cannot be manufactured through religious compulsion or punishment. A secular democracy must protect freedom of conscience.

In the days after September 11, representing @SakhiNYC and @WAWHumanRights, several South Asian women New York organizers (myself included) spoke up against the rampant Islamophobia, hate crimes, grief, and worked hard to build unity. Twenty five years on, it was such a surprise to find recordings my my three appearances on @democracynow in the immediate aftermath of the terror attack. The seeds of @Hindus4HR were already planted since I spoke as a Hindu, even singing the Gayatri Mantra, spoke emotionally about the safety of my Muslim siblings, and insisted on radical solidarity in the face of growing hate, violence and polarization, not to mention imminent war. A Wave of Hate Crimes Against Aran and Asian Americans Sweeps the Country, September 18, 2001 democracynow.org/2001/9/18/a… Organizing for Peace: New York Police Revoke Permit for Muslim Peace Vigil, September 21, 2001 democracynow.org/2001/9/21/o… Afghan Factions Meet in Bonn: Are the Voices of Women Being Heard?, November 28, 2001 democracynow.org/2001/11/28/… As @rozina_ali and so many others are showing us, Islamophobia has increased in the 25 years since September 11. The work of love, unity and repair is more important today than ever. Om Shanti 🪔