NEW YORK — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has raised concerns that an upcoming event at Rutgers University could deepen prejudice against Hindus, particularly amid a recent spate of vandalism and violence targeting Hindu temples across the country.
In a letter sent Sunday to Rutgers University President William Tate, the lawmakers said that the event, titled “Hindutva in America: A Threat to Equality and Religious Pluralism,” misrepresents a peaceful and diverse religious community and could have harmful effects on Hindu students nationwide.
The letter was signed by Democrats Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Shri Thanedar of Illinois, and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia, along with Republican Rich McCormick of Georgia.
The event, scheduled for Monday, is reportedly based on a report carrying the same title. It is moderated by Sahar Aziz, a law professor, and features Audrey Truschke, a history professor known for controversial views on India’s Mughal history and her defense of Emperor Aurangzeb, who persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, and Parsis.
While the lawmakers emphasized that they were not calling for the event to be canceled, they urged Rutgers to ensure that university programming “promotes freedom of speech and expression, but does not single out and target Hindu American individuals and organizations.”
Citing a series of temple attacks — including incidents at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Indiana and the Shri Radha Krishna Temple in Utah — the lawmakers said the current climate of hostility made such rhetoric especially concerning.
“In this climate, we are concerned that the rhetoric of the report may fuel further prejudice, particularly impacting Hindu students on college campuses who may feel unfairly targeted or unsafe,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers also criticized the report for suggesting that law enforcement and civil society groups cut ties with “U.S.-based Hindu nationalist groups,” arguing that the document unfairly conflates religious organizations with political movements.
Among the groups mentioned in the report are the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), both of which issued statements rejecting the report’s claims.
HAF, in an open letter to Rutgers, said it did not seek to block the event but requested that the university “clarify that invited speakers or conference content reflects the organizers’ views” and publicly dissociate from the report’s allegations.
CoHNA said it had received messages from Hindu students in recent weeks who felt “vulnerable and concerned that their religion and identity are at risk simply for being a Hindu on campus.”
The issue echoes broader tensions seen on U.S. campuses, where leftist and Islamist groups have at times been accused of promoting anti-Hindu or anti-India narratives. During his presidency, Donald Trump’s administration took measures to address religious intolerance directed at Jewish students, a framework some Hindu advocacy groups now hope will extend to their communities as well. (Source: IANS)
