New Delhi: Various Hindu organisations and religious leaders have endorsed a statement that says the “time is long overdue” for Hindus around the world to break the “collective silence and speak out” against Hindutva-fuelled hate and violence against Muslims and other minorities in India.
The statement, compiled by the US-based Hindus for Human Rights, was published in the Indian Express originally. Since then, several Hindu organisations and leaders have signed on to express solidarity.
The statement says there is increasing violence against Muslims in India, carried out in the name of Hinduism.
“As representatives of diverse Hindu traditions with deep histories, we are dismayed to see Hindu leaders in India and abroad openly embracing Hindutva—a century-old political ideology that sees citizens of other faiths as inherently foreign and not qualified to enjoy the full benefits of Indian citizenship,” it says.
Visuals of saffron-clad sadhus, sadhvis and swamis “calling for genocidal violence against millions of Indian Muslims” at the Haridwar ‘Dharma Sansad’ are a “chilling sight that we cannot ignore”, the organisations said.
Noting other developments like Muslim women being put up for “auction” on apps and the hijab ban in Karnataka, the statement says it is “long overdue for Hindus around the world to break our collective silence and speak out against this hate that violates the deepest teachings of our tradition”.
“Our answer is clear: the only way we can break the cycles of religious violence across South Asia is if we stand up for each other’s right to thrive and live with dignity,” the statement adds.
The signatories of the statement pledged to speak out against anti-Muslim words and actions; build and strengthen relationships with Muslim neighbours, leaders and institutions in our communities; keep their temples and homes open to all; and commit to Hindu teachings of religious freedom and social justice that challenge notions of religious nationalism, casteism, and hatred for people of other traditions. The Wire
