The Georgia Meeting has handed a decision condemning Hinduphobia, making it the primary American State to take such a legislative measure.
Condemning Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry, the decision mentioned Hinduism is without doubt one of the world’s largest and oldest religions with over 1.2 billion adherents in over 100 nations and encompasses an array of various traditions and perception programs with values of acceptance, mutual respect and peace.
The decision was launched by Representatives Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones from Forsyth County within the suburbs of Atlanta, house to one of many largest Hindu and Indian-American diaspora communities in Georgia.
The decision noticed that the American-Hindu neighborhood has been a significant contributor to various sectors resembling drugs, science and engineering, data know-how, hospitality, finance, academia, manufacturing, vitality, retail commerce, amongst others
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It additionally famous that the neighborhood’s contributions of Yoga, ayurveda, meditation, meals, music, arts have enriched the cultural material and have been broadly adopted in American society and enhanced the lives of thousands and thousands.
Stating that there have been documented cases of hate crimes in opposition to Hindu-People over the previous couple of many years in lots of elements of the nation, the decision mentioned Hinduphobia is exacerbated and institutionalised by some in academia who help the dismantling of Hinduism and accuse its sacred texts and cultural practices of violence and oppression.
A transfer on this regard was spearheaded by the Atlanta chapter of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), which organised the first-ever Hindu Advocacy Day held on March 22 on the Georgia State Capitol. It was attended by round 25 lawmakers — each Republicans and Democrats — who joined the Hindu neighborhood to grasp its issues, pledge to create methods to guard the neighborhood in opposition to discrimination and facilitate the inclusion of Hindu voices in vital decision-making processes within the state.
“It was a real honor to work with Rep McDonald and Rep Jones in addition to different lawmakers who guided us by means of the entire means of getting this County Decision handed,” mentioned Rajeev Menon, CoHNA vp.
“We additionally heard that each one the lawmakers had been working actually lengthy hours given the quantity of legislative objects on the agenda, however nonetheless determined to hitch us on the Advocacy Day to indicate how a lot they worth the Hindu neighborhood,” he mentioned.
CoHNA basic secretary Shobha Swamy mentioned, “The problems confronted by Hindu People in Georgia and the remainder of the nation by way of false, Hinduphobic narratives are negatively impacting a neighborhood that has been hardworking, law-abiding and enriching the material of America.”
“We urged for his or her assist in combating such bigotry which advances hatred and creates the concept that Hindus and other people of Indian-origin want particular legal guidelines and monitoring attributable to allegations round some inherent propensity to discriminate,” she mentioned.
