Red, White and Saffron: Over 100 Civil Organizations Express Concern Over Alarming Rise of Hindu Supremacy in the U.S.
- Signatories say that the movement is “not only harmful to Indian, South Asian and Muslim Americans, but runs deeply counter to our values of collective liberation.”
More than 100 civil society groups have expressed “acute concern about the alarming rise of Hindu supremacy, also known as Hindutva or Hindu nationalism, in the United States.” The declaration was released on March 25 by Savera, an interfaith, multiracial, anti-caste coalition of Indian American and partner civil rights groups. It warned that the Hindu supremacist movement “now finds itself in a deepening alliance with various facets of the American far-right,” and pledged to take action to combat its spread in the United States.
The statement followed Savera’s recent report, titled “The Global VHP’s Trail of Violence,” which comprehensively outlined the deleterious impact of the U.S.-based Hindu supremacist movement, highlighting its deep connections with both the American far-right and violent supremacist actors in India.
“The Hindu supremacist movement is not only harmful to Indian, South Asian, and Muslim Americans, but runs deeply counter to our values of collective liberation,” the statement reads. “It is our shared responsibility to stand in solidarity with those who are bravely opposing supremacist politics and fighting for a truly multiracial democracy. Hindu supremacy deeply concerns us all, and we are committed to combating it.”
“The declaration’s signatories represent the breadth of American civil society,” Savera said, including organizations such as the Movement for Black Lives, Jewish Voice for Peace, Muslim Public Affairs Council, National Lawyers’ Guild, AAPI Equity Alliance, Ambedkar International Center, Ambedkar King Study Circle, American Muslim Empowerment Network, American Muslim Institution, Washington, D.C., American Sikh Council, Americans For Kashmir, Sikh Council for Interfaith Relations, South Asian SOAR, Sakhi for South Asian Women, DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving, Hindus for Human Rights, and Indian American Muslim Council.
Roja Singh, president of Dalit Solidarity Forum in the USA, lauded Savera for “giving voice to the majority of the Indian diaspora that stands opposed to Hindu supremacy. However, safeguarding our democracy from the far-right is a much broader fight, and it is equally critical that other communities take a stand against Hindu supremacy too.”
According to Prachi Patankar of India Civil Watch International, “Hindu supremacy has become a key axis of the U.S. far-right and a threat to US democracy.” While “it affects our communities most directly, it is a broader threat that portends the danger of a multi-racial far right. This overwhelming show of solidarity points to how we must combat these converging authoritarian threats: together.”
“Ethnonationalism is on the rise worldwide as economic collapse, the climate crisis, and war irreparably destroy communities and displace millions,” said Sophie Ellman-Golan of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. “We’re all up against a global alliance of supremacist, authoritarian political movements and leaders — from India and Israel to Russia, Hungary, the United States, and beyond. More than ever, we need to build multiracial, interfaith solidarity powerful enough to fight back.”
The signatories pledged to “reject all forms of hatred and supremacist politics, including Hindu supremacy; and to educate ourselves about the ideology and global presence of the Hindu supremacist movement, and its intersections with the broader far-right.” They said they “stand in firm solidarity with the global struggle to dismantle Islamophobia and annihilate caste, and in particular to support movements to combat anti-Muslim hate and ban caste discrimination in the United States.” Additionally, they “support calls for the United States government to center human rights and democracy in its engagement with the Modi regime, and stand with activists and organizations working to articulate a diverse, inclusive, and liberatory vision of Indian American identity.”