Unpacking Hindu Nationalism: Its Influence and Islamophobic Narratives in the American Context

In episode 18 of Unpacking Islamophobia, Bridge Associate Director Mobashra Tazamal speaks with Safa Ahmed, the Associate Director of Media & Communications for the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), and Pranay Somayajula, the Organizing and Advocacy Director for Hindus for Human Rights, on the topic of Hindu nationalism in the United States.

While there has been much discussion about Hindu nationalism in India, as it is the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), there’s been little information on how Hindu nationalism manifests outside of India and how it impacts communities in the west. In this episode, Ahmed and Somayajula discuss two recently released reports: Survey: Detrimental Effects of Hindu Nationalism on Indian American Muslims by the IAMC and ReThink Media, and HAF Way to Supremacy: How to Hindu American Foundation Rebrands Bigotry as Minority Rights by We are Savera. The survey by the IAMC looks at how Hindu nationalism has led to fractures within the Indian American community, finding that out of the 950 individuals surveyed, a staggering 80 percent noted that they feel less comfortable in Indian American cultural spaces since the rise of the BJP in India.

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