Newsletter (October 2024): Advocacy, Awareness, and Action Against Hindutva Hate and Extremism
Assalamu alaykum!
October was packed with impactful events led by IAMC. From urging sanctions on BJP officials linked to transnational repression, to unmasking far-right alliances of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and sparking dialogues on Hindutva, Zionism, and white supremacy in Vermont—our team has been hard at work.
Read on for a summary of our highlights.
SUMMARY
- IAMC released a coalition letter calling for sanctions on top officials in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their role in transnational repression
- Released a report with the Savera coalition on the far-right collaborations and activities of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
- Hosted an awareness event in Vermont on Hindutva, Zionism, and white supremacy
- Organized and co-sponsored several events, meetings with elected officials, and galas at the chapter level
- Published four op-eds in the Jacobin Magazine, The Diplomat, Just Security, and Times of San Diego
- And more!
Keep scrolling to learn more about this month’s achievements in detail.
CALLING FOR SANCTIONS ON TOP BJP OFFICIALS
Transnational repression shouldn’t go without consequences. Last month, the Advocacy Team spearheaded a coalition letter calling on Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen to impose travel and financial sanctions on Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The two have been linked to transnational repression cases in both Canada and the US.
The letter was signed by CAIR-National, Hindus for Human Rights, FIACONA, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Assembly of America, and other key coalition partners.
Read the full letter here.
DISCUSSING FAR-RIGHT IDEOLOGIES IN VERMONT
For our brothers and sisters in Vermont, we hosted an educational event on Hindutva, Zionism, and white supremacy, titled “Threat to American Muslims from Far-Right Ideologies.” With IAMC Associate Director Amin Zama and Advocacy Director Ajit Sahi as keynote speakers, the event delved into the pressing challenges posed by far-right extremism to American Muslims.
If you’re interested in collaborating on a similar awareness event in your area, contact Amin Zama at amin@iamc.com.
NEW REPORT: HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION AND HINDU SUPREMACY
IAMC and our partners in the multifaith, multiracial Savera coalition, in partnership with the esteemed think tank Political Research Associates (PRA), have just released a full-length report on the Hindu American Foundation, titled “HAF Way to Supremacy: How the Hindu American Foundation Rebrands Bigotry As Minority Rights.”
This is the Savera coalition’s third report exposing some of the largest and most active Hindu supremacist groups in America, and we pulled no punches in exposing HAF’s extensive history of anti-Muslim bigotry, its connections with the broader global sangh and the American far-right, and its work to divide and polarize communities of color.
The report covers:
- HAF’s collaborations with the American far right, including with anti-Muslim actors, and their repeated instances of anti-Muslim bigotry, hate speech, and propaganda narratives
- HAF’s repeated attempts to defend Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s anti-minority policies
- How HAF spreads Hindu supremacy and Modi propaganda to an American audience
- HAF’s extensive history of litigation to suppress critics and oppose civil rights protections for caste-oppressed groups
Read the full report here, and check out Savera’s 30-day education campaign on HAF on our social media.
IAMC IN THE MEDIA
IAMC’s Media Team kept up our streak of publishing op-eds on important US-India issues in major publications, with three op-eds placed on topics ranging from transnational repression to religious intolerance in the diaspora.
Be sure to check out (and share!) all of our op-eds below:
- The Diplomat: US Congress Should Support the Transnational Repression Reporting Act, by IAMC Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed
- Jacobin Magazine: India’s Largest Paramilitary Force Got Away With Terror
- Times of San Diego: Don’t Let Hindu Nationalism Undermine Religious Tolerance Among Indian Americans, by Mohamed Nasrullah
- Just Security: Congress Should Protect Americans from Transnational Repression, by Rasheed Ahmed
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
If there’s one thing our chapters do best, it’s staying engaged locally. Last month, our volunteers across the country collaborated with grassroots organizations, raised awareness in our communities, hosted a number of events, and worked to educate local elected officials on the dangers of Hindu supremacy.
Read more about their achievements for October below.
Boston
- Participated in the New England Muslim Festival 2024 (pictured above) held in downtown Boston on October 5, where chapter representatives set up a table with information about IAMC, brochures, and IAMC dossiers
- Created a youth WhatsApp group to follow up on the excitement and interest generated by Boston’s recent Youth Summit
Atlanta
- Displayed a booth at Islamic Center of Macon (ICM) 5th International Day event, where chapter representatives educated the local community on the global threat of Hindu supremacy
- Co-sponsored and attended CAIR GA Fundraising Gala dinner event on Saturday, where chapter representatives also set up an IAMC information table
- Co-sponsored a UNRWA event to support Gaza, where chapter representatives set up an IAMC table booth
- Co-sponsored the Tenth Annual Community Champions Gala event, hosted by Asian American Advancing Justice (AAAJ).
- IAMC Atlanta Chapter was recognized at the appreciation lunch organized by ICNA Relief to honor community leaders
- Co-sponsored the Atlanta-based Voices of Muslims (VoM) gala dinner with Congressmen Ro Khanna and Hank Johnson, as well as several GA legislators. IAMC Atlanta set up an IAMC information table at the event.
- Attended in-person meeting with Congressman Hank Johnson to discuss both rising Hindu supremacy in the US as well as the genocide in Gaza
Chicago
- Sent a chapter delegation to the annual dinners of CAIR-Chicago and The Council Of Islamic Organization of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) to educate the broader community about Hindu supremacy and its threats to American Muslims
Dallas
- Organized and announced an upcoming screening of the film “Israelism” and conversation with Middle East Eye journalist Azad Essa on his book “Hostile Homelands”
- Sent a chapter delegation to the Annual DFW Religious Freedom summit
MORE
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