A fortnight ago, The Telegraph reported prevalence of anti-Hindu hate in schools in Britain. It, quoting study by the Henry Jackson Society, found that Hindu pupils are being “held responsible” for the actions of India and facing xenophobic slurs from white pupils. Instances like Hindu students being bullied to convert to Islam and beef being thrown at them are just few occasions testified in the report by a UK-based think tank. Report found that Muslim pupils called for Hindus to convert or face “threats of hell for disbelievers” using terms such as “kaffir”.
In yet another example of the report, a child “was harassed and told that if he converts to Islam, his life will become so much easier.” The other was messaged, “You aren’t going to survive very long… If you want to go to paradise, you’ll have to come to Islam… Hindus are the herbivores at the bottom of the food chain, we will eat you up.” Another parent said children were told to watch videos of an Islamic preacher and to “convert because Hinduism makes no sense”.
Hindus have been the victims of religious discrimination and systematic violence throughout history, including forced conversions, recorded massacres, genocides, temple sacrilege and destruction, as well as the destruction of educational facilities.
Ashish Bose, a professor in population research, has written extensively about religious extremism in Afghanistan after the 1980s, Hindus and Sikhs came under “intense hate” as a result. Their “targeted persecution” caused an exodus and compelled them to seek asylum.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group of Muslim Rohingyas, assaulted the Kha Maung Seik hamlet cluster of Rakhine State in Myanmar on August 25, 2017. Kha Maung Seik Massacre witnessed deaths of more than 99 Hindus, according to Amnesty International report. According to certain media reports, Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar were responsible for the kidnapping, religious torture and forced conversions of Hindu Rohingyas, especially women.
Radical forces in Fiji perpetrated a number of riots against Hindus in the late 1990s. A militant, terrorist group led by George Speight, kidnapped the democratically elected Fijian government in the spring of 2000, which was headed by Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry. It is noteworthy that this archipelago in South Pacific has 28% Hindu population. Attacks on Hindu temples and institutions have increased by 14% since 2004, according to Fiji government reports.
Leave aside systematic persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hindus in Pakistan are often subjected to systemic discrimination and dehumanization. Hindu girls are reported to have been abducted and coerced into becoming Muslims. In 2010, a member of Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission asserted—though unofficially—that every month, 20 to 25 girls from the Hindu community are kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam.
Since the beginning of the year, three Hindu temples were vandalised in Australia. The walls of these temples were defaced with Anti-India slogans. Earlier in January this year, the Swaminarayan Temple in the Mill Park area of Melbourne was desecrated. On the 16th of January, the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu temple in Carom Downs, Victoria was damaged and on 23rd of January, the ISKCON Temple in Albert Park Melbourne was vandalised. Authorities of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON had expressed concern and raised the matter with the Government of Australia. Unfortunately, this is becoming a disturbing pattern. Vandalism, destruction and Hinduphobic graffiti were left on the Louisville, Kentucky, Swaminarayan Temple as a consequence of an incident in late January 2019 in USA. These incidents are not just some stray incidents. Hindus in the US are highly respected due to their wealth and intelligence. However, a street gang known as the “Dotbusters” attacked and threatened Indian-Hindus repeatedly in New Jersey in 1987. The “bindi”, which Hindu women traditionally wear on their foreheads, gave rise to the term.
Similar attacks had been seen in other countries like Canada and Britain. In October last year, hooligans clashed with Indian supporters in Brampton, Canada. This was during Diwali celebrations at a mall. Around 500 people had gathered there for celebrations.
Recently, a tweet from official handle of Ukraine Defense Ministry portrayed Maa Kali in a demeaning pose. “This is not a work of art. Our faith is not a matter of joke. Take it down and apologise,” exerts twitteratis, which forced the tweet to be taken down.
With more than 1.2 billion Hindus in many different countries, the Sanatan-Dharmis are 1.8 billion. With Sikhs, Jain and Buddhists into the fold, Sanatan Dharmis are close to second-largest believers’ group worldwide. With 48.14 percent of its population being Hindu, Mauritius has the third-highest Hindu population proportion worldwide, behind only to India and Nepal. Hindu communities are particularly significant and powerful in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Fiji, Bhutan, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and Sri Lanka. Hindus are prevalent all throughout the world, with particularly large populations in the United States, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Myanmar, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Non-Indians also practise Hinduism, notably the Ghanaian Hindus in Ghana, the Tengger and Osing of Java (Indonesia), the Balamon Chams of Vietnam, and the Balinese of Bali Island (Indonesia). This article urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate Global Sanatan Dharma Dhamma Confedaration as an inter-governmental organisation, consisting of all countries with majority Hindu and Buddhist population. The organisation shall be “a collective voice of the Santan Dharma-Dhamma” and should work to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Dharma Dhamma in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”. This would act as a political group to safeguard cultural interests and Human Rights of Sanatan Dharma Dhamma followers around the world. India can chair the group, with member countries like Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Bhutan, Suriname, Sri Lanka, Japan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Mongolia. USA, UK, Canada, EU can join in as observers initially. This group should be made based on the principles of inclusivity, diversity, and respect for all cultures and religions. It is important to promote harmony and peaceful coexistence among all countries and communities. It is high time Government of India takes the initiative and forms a Dharma and Dhamma alliance. Though there are organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh, which are working towards the interests of pan-hindutva global followers, but this bold initiative by Narendra Modi, shall be a step further in India’s image as a global leader taking India a step further towards-Vishwaguru Bharat.
Siddhartha Dave is an alumnus of the United Nations University in Tokyo and a former Lok Sabha Research Fellow. He writes on foreign affairs and security.
