USHA will strive to empower Hindus everywhere through education, advocacy and activism

I don't actually see an issue with this; the line that stands out to me is :

Sadly it is being targeted for the wrong reasons. Hindus everywhere need to be proactive in safeguarding their interests

Thinking of 'Hindus' as a group being targeted, when none of the crimes shown religion or even ethnicity as a motivation - that shows some paranoia.

As was mentioned under the Yankee Hindutva post, the liberal space is being Hijacked by groups with Sangh affiliations. What business do these Hindu groups have in taking up field activism that has been a traditional vocation of the liberal sections with far more knowledge and experience? They are just cultivating a following and filling up a vacuum with the putrid hatred of Hindutva propaganda.

Abhi, I think you are being too idealistic here. Hindus have a right to be idiots too.

So you all would actually prefer that they NOT write to the FBI asking for a reduction in murders of students? I disagree that these murders/violent acts are unavoidable "local incidents." The sample size is probably too small to derive meaningful statistics, but there have been a lot of such stories over the years. I think grad students coming from South Asia are probably more sheltered/unaccustomed to the ways of life in the US and so its not surprising if they end up being targets. The Hindutva in the USA movement can be scary but based on what I see here there is nothing offensive about this org's efforts here. The efficacy of such efforts is another thing but this posting questions the intent, which is unfair.

2 · kayastha_lady said

As was mentioned under the Yankee Hindutva post, the liberal space is being Hijacked by groups with Sangh affiliations

The solution is simple ( humanities folks complicate the situation ) - for voluntary activities in subcontinent instead of religious organization why not volunteer/donate for organisations like VIBHA and ASHA
And for religion just go to the nearby American temple.

Could it be the same alarmist instincts at work here (in this group and you) just being expressed in different ways? Healthy balance, I'd say.

For once imagine that a few muslim youth had been targeted, and an Al Qaida affliated 'United States Muslim Organization' had backed an investigation into religiously or racially motivated hate crimes. One different regression variable and everything changes. This goes to show how the administration goes soft on Hindu and Jewish terrorists because they are not a threat to global hegemony, and are infact even allies. The question of moral inconsitency doesn't arise.

Poor persecuted Hindus. Being persecuted in India and now being persecuted in America. If only some nice folks from the neighborhood Vishwa Hindu Protection squad could do their thang like so many of the lovelies on the other thread would like...

I would be SHOCKED if the FBI decided to investigate any of these crimes. They are all local incidents and not part of some conspiracy

Legally speaking, Soumya Reddy's murder is probably going to be investigated by FBI since it is "across the state" crime. Interestingly the local police I believe is not releasing the autopsy report of that murder. As far as the other student murders ( UNC, Duke ) it has already been solved with the capture of the suspect. Well the most recent murder in Seattle was another Andhra student - Arpana. I think more than Hindu organization recruiting issue it is a concern of Telugu organizations since most of people murdered were from Andhra. This coincidence probably is scary.
But one can question that logic since majority of techies/student from South India are from Andhra Pradesh. In fact US is opening a separate consulate in Hyderabad so that they don't have to come to Chennai for visa.

The letter is unnecessarily alarmist, and, frankly, hyperbolic. This is a general issue of crime, it happens in all countries, and it's pretty random crime, not crime specifically targeted at Hindus. The last time I was in India (which admittedly, was a long time ago), there was a murderer in Meerut, I think, hacking people to death. Seriously. I actually mentioned it to the people I was staying with and they laughed "don't worry, nothing will happen to you."

Students who come to the US should research the local crime statistics online and perhaps this Hindu group would do more good by helping students do that, and guiding them on where to live near campus and how to deal with campus crime.

>>What business do these Hindu groups have in taking up field activism that has been a traditional vocation of the liberal sections with far more knowledge and experience?

Heh heh...An established defunct set-in-its-ways enterprise with obsolete solutions being threatened by an upstart kid working out of his garage and coming up with innovative solutions that the bureaucratic grey-heads at the enterprise cannot fathom.

I've seen this movie before. The kid wins. The enterprise crumbles.

M. Nam

Watching too many episodes of Criminal Minds and Numb3rs, I think we have enough data for FBI to poke their nose in and clear up if this is some serial killer or not. I would love to see this in one of thir episodes. I know, I know.

If this many american citizens had been shot within the same amount of time in India, I'm sure Americans or the American government would make a fuss.

This group is wasting its time. I asked the government for a "Iron Man" like suit to protect me from black people that want to kill me because I am of Indian descent and to my surprise they have not yet responded.

This is very serious Abhi. Not cool dude.

Yup, the letter is alarmist. But I don't think there's anything wrong with their writing the letter or even forming such a group in the first place. If people are dumb enough to donate, that's their loss. In any case, the group's actions could generate positive externalities (eg. greater vigilance among DBD students and perhaps greater awareness of hate crimes against browns).

the liberal space is being Hijacked by groups with Sangh affiliations

LOLZ!

Another thing clouding the perception of these killings is that people in India are geographically ignorant of the US. Have you ever been asked by a relative in India how you are coping with the fires in LA when you don't even live in the same time zone?!

If this many american citizens had been shot within the same amount of time in India, I'm sure Americans or the American government would make a fuss.

the US govt would probably issue a travel advisory, some congressman would probably be asked to comment on it by some people, and if a couple of blonde girls got shot, people over here in the US would be bombarded by news of it on CNN, FOX, 20/20, Dateline, etc (remember the Natalie Halloway case?)

In a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Hindu Alliance said it is “alarmed” by growing number of the killings, pointing out that there have been as many as five reported murders of Indian students and professionals in the past one year.

I would suspect, on the basis of just my own paranoias, that there is a likelihood of increased racial crimes of all kinds, and particularly against Indian/Chinese people along the lines of the Vincent Chin type stuff. But really, how is this different from the crimes against Sikhs and Muslims and Hindus as well as the government discrimination? It's just a more violent manifestation and is definitely not linked to just the last year or entirely conducted by poor working class White people or Black people, as the most common and even-more-unfounded-than-my-thoguhts assumptions go. So some simple questions that would help resolve why this group is probably problematic (thanks for digging up the link):

Gokul Kunnath said that post 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US; Hindus became targets of racial hatred, violence, discrimination and abuse due to ignorance and misperceptions. There are one billion Indians, about 20% of the global population. The global Hindu diaspora is peace loving, and believes in pluralism and freedom of worship. Sadly it is being targeted for the wrong reasons. Hindus everywhere need to be proactive in safeguarding their interests.

Why would Hindus be under attack AS Hindus? Wouldn't they be more likely under attack as foreigners, others, brown people, perceived Muslims, perceived job-stealers, etc? This brings up:
Why are Hindus and "one billion Indians" being equated? Indians and Hindus are not the same thing.

So in answer to whether it's good or bad to respond to these things - well obviously, it's great if people are willing to seek accountability and help people who are under attack, but the question is how they do it and with what ideology. In this case, it's a "threatened Hindus" mentality and I agree with your cynicism, Abhi, that while they might genuinely be concerned for the people who are attacked, they're using these incidents to promote something other than anti-discrimination. The very way in which they're think fosters easy divisiveness, and it's not the fault of "the left" - it's their fault.

Gokul Kunnath said that post 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US; Hindus became targets of racial hatred, violence, discrimination and abuse due to ignorance and misperceptions

apparently these misperceptions are so severe that "they" are attacking hindus in grad student dorms instead of in temples, where the success rate would likely be higher. i hope gokul corrects this misconception among "them".

I really don't believe that Hindus are being targeted. But I have enough evidence to believe that South Asians particularly Indian students at city campus schools ( U Penn, Duke e.t.c ) are targeted by African American youths who live nearby. And it's not just crime there's a big element of hate involved too. Indians are easy targets because they come across as studious geeks who are effete and won't not just retaliate but in many cases won't even report to the police ( the latter has some truth to it). The hate comes from the part that another minority is coming over from overseas and suddenly financially leapfrogging those who have been here a long time.

also, i hope gokul kunnath can join up with the zedster to oppose such acts of terror against unsuspecting hindus as "love guru". these are serious issues, and we need leading thinkers to courageously speak up about them. also here's a fund raising suggestion: therapeutic jaunts for the jaded hindu to exotic locations such as gujarat and orissa with support for some stress relief aided by a machete and some torches. garv se kaho and all that, you know.

If there were a couple million Americans in India and some of them were murdered then I would not think Americans would be in a panic. In the US, for some reason alot of universites seem to be in the same neighborhoods as alot of public housing, so if graduate student are robbed from or worse then I am sure it is just the proximity that is the issue and not the race. If anything it should be up to the universities to make sure its students are well aware of the dangers that surround them and not that of the FBI or whatever agency.

If your a CEO and you layoff or fire someone than there is a chance of that person attacking you. What is race based about this simple equation. There is a reason alot of companies have security escort fired people out of the building.

I know in Englad from what I am told, every Indian person's house has been robbed because it is known that Indian people keep alot of gold and jewlery in the house. If this is true then I can understand making a statement maybe at a temple's or where ever alot of Indian people are at, but what the hell is the police going to do? Make a special protect the Indians only division of the police?

If all the victims were turban-wearing Sikhs

6/7 brownz people murdered over the past year were from Andhra and were students. The former category is probably coincidental but the latter clearly suggests some kind of spike in campus crime (if victims were living close to campus). The number 6 has to be compared with the total number of murders (of students living close to campus ) committed over the past one year to conclude whether this is random or whether brownz students have been unfortunate victims.

20 · Mr Samboa said

But I have enough evidence to believe that South Asians particularly Indian students at city campus schools ( U Penn, Duke e.t.c ) are targeted by African American youths who live nearby.

i wonder how jurys will respond to a hate crime charge in these cases. targeting a particular ethnicity would appear to be a hate crime, but the reason for the targeting is not bigotry presumably, but that an indian would be less likely to fight back (i assume). likewise, latinos are often targeted b/c illegals are less likely to report. bigotry?

would the mafia targeting fellow italians be considered a hate crime?

Enter the Atlanta-based “United States Hindu Alliance” who want something done

I can’t find a website for USHA but I did find a statement by one of its founders (Gokul Kunnath) that may help to explain the psychology behind this request:

Here is the website where Gokul has made the statement which Abhi mentions in his post. From this website it is not clear whether Gokul's statement is in reference to doing something about 7 brown-student killings but seems to be a general statement about post 9/11 anti-brown hate crimes. Though not clear why he calls it as anti-Hindu when it could have been brownz from any religion.

Though not clear why he calls it as anti-Hindu when it could have been brownz from any religion.

I think 90% of the folks on the other thread would label you pseudo-secular for suggesting something so risible.

This is not an issue of Hindus being persecuted and being targeted for being Hindus.

It is a crime and standard law enforcement issue. I don't know if the objective of the organization is to help the families of these students obtain justice (which is a good thing), or use these incidents for their own agenda/visibility.

Keeping pressure on law enforcement and following is a good thing to do, using such incidents to leverage a particular agenda is not. I agree with MD - if the group is out to help, they may want to help inform/educate people. The Southern Poverty law Center has a map of where hate groups are operating, maybe some folks can score neighborhoods where colleges are located, aiding students when they're still researching schools to apply to.

Students who come to the US should research the local crime statistics online and perhaps this Hindu group would do more good by helping students do that, and guiding them on where to live near campus and how to deal with campus crime.

This is not an issue of Hindus being persecuted and being targeted for being Hindus.

Correction, this was an unedited sentence.

Should read "This is not an issue of people being persecuted or targeted for being Hindu"

I sort of agree with Shallow Thinker. These crimes dont seem to target religion , race, or skin color. Rather, they seem to fall into one of the follow categories: Random, Rage/Frustration , Desperation/Robbery .

17 · brown said

the US govt would probably issue a travel advisory, some congressman would probably be asked to comment on it by some people, and if a couple of blonde girls got shot, people over here in the US would be bombarded by news of it on CNN, FOX, 20/20, Dateline, etc (remember the Natalie Halloway case?)

Eh, that seems exaggerated but I could be wrong. The US has issued a travel advisory for women traveling to India, due to frequent incidents of Eve-teasing and even instances of gangrape, but you would have to dig the news to be aware of it.

Here's a website called safe campuses now. I make no claims for it - I just googled campus safety and it's the first thing that came up. I have no idea if it's a good, or alarmist, or anything else, website, so don't get too scared Moms and Dads who are reading and thinking about campus safety :)

26 · gba said

Though not clear why he calls it as anti-Hindu when it could have been brownz from any religion.

I think 90% of the folks on the other thread would label you pseudo-secular for suggesting something so risible.

Really, 90%? It takes a certain kind of fundamentalism to reduce those who don't buy your/Kayastha "Lady"/Prashad's world view to the most unhinged Rediff commenter

32 · rebozo said

Really, 90%? It takes a certain kind of fundamentalism to reduce those who don't buy your/Kayastha "Lady"/Prashad's world view to the most unhinged Rediff commenter

so we are just arguing on a number now? what's your estimate?

Tonight in Dallas, at a reception for Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs & Overseas Indian Affairs, a group made it a point to present Ravi with a packet containing their wishes for the Embassy and Indian Government to conduct and organize research on this issue, even so far as to involve CBI. Ravi agreed to present some of the ideas, like informing those studying in the States about safety precautions, but he shot down the global FBI involvement. Which, honestly, makes sense as it's an impossibility.

The Southern Poverty law Center is of no use to Indians concerned about safety. The southern poverty law center gets its money from jewish americans and is preoccupied with white nationalist groups who are not the biggest threat to Indians studying in the US.

Students who come to the US should research the local crime statistics online and perhaps this Hindu group would do more good by helping students do that, and guiding them on where to live near campus and how to deal with campus crime.

I think MD sums up my sentiment. While it might be a bit alarmist and even slightly trite for the group to write this letter, if they get the attention for it I hope that they find a way to help educate Indian students in their new environment. You hear of American college students falling victims to crime all the time. There are so many factors here, being out of the home for the first time, lack of real life experience that contribute to them being victims. Indian students I would think are even more susceptible to such crimes.

I don't see anything wrong with what this 'Pro-Hindu' group is doing.
I wouldn't be a part of it but wouldn't condemn it either. There are more 'Pro- Christian' and 'Pro- Muslim' groups that do things that rank much higher on the silly scale. I don't see the reason why this particular group's sillyness warranties criticism. There are more Muslims 'donating' money to Mosques that have their mullahs blatantly spewing hatred against non-Muslims.

Here's an interesting theory - Know all the inter-racial(?) violence that happens in Andhra Pradesh? As in Kamma vs Kapu, Reddy vs Naidu and whatnots in the Rayalseema areas? These things are khandaani feuds extending over generations. One wonders if the some of the murdered were offspring of such khandaans. "We'll find you even if you travel to the ends of the earth - and hunt you down" - That sort of thing.

35 · Magi said

The Southern Poverty law Center is of no use to Indians concerned about safety. The southern poverty law center gets its money from jewish americans and is preoccupied with white nationalist groups who are not the biggest threat to Indians studying in the US.

Just so this crap doesn't go unresponded to:

March 10, 2008 – Hundreds of guestworkers from India, lured by false promises of permanent U.S. residency, paid tens of thousands of dollars each to obtain temporary jobs at Gulf Coast shipyards only to find themselves forced into involuntary servitude and living in overcrowded, guarded labor camps, according to a class action lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The lawsuit charges that Signal International LLC and a network of recruiters and labor brokers engineered a scheme to defraud the workers and force them to work against their will in Signal facilities in Pascagoula, Miss., and Orange, Texas.

Try to leave the anit-semitism at the door ;)

It is a waste of time responding to name calling. It is in the best interests of Indian Americans not to be pawns of other groups. SPLC is conspicuously silent on the subject of attacks by blacks on white americans and asian americans.

18 · Dr Amonymous said

This brings up:
Why are Hindus and "one billion Indians" being equated? Indians and Hindus are not the same thing.

Right here in the US, when "Indians" or locally born desis talk among each other, the word "American" typically means a "white, christian" person. Other Americans of races like African/Mexican/Middle Eastern/Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Korean) or Indians are *not* what comes to the mind of most Indian people. In a similar manner, to most ordinary Americans (and this includes all races except Indian Americans) "Indian" typically means "Hindu" if they know something about Indian or it means "middle eastern turban head" if they know nothing about India. You might find 4000 people out of 300 million who know that many religions exist in India, but that's pretty much it

This is probably the most vacuous post on this blog. This post is like some of the "news" that are there in our newspapers just to fill a particular number of pages. I am from seattle and I remember the case of the murder of Aparna Jinaga. Police did nothing to find the murderers. If only she were white blond it would have made a big splash across all the news channels. You have to see that police does not investigate deep enough for the cases like Aparna's or other Indian students. It has nothing to do with Indian or Hindu. A pakistani muslim student or a russian orthodox murder would have suffered the same fate. This fact probably makes indian students(abundance in number in most of the US universities) a very easy target. They wont fight back and police wont look hard enough for the murderer.
Talking about religion, if a muslim immigrant gets murdered you have to see how muslim organizations will try to link it to hate crime so that police will atleast look into such cases further. If a Hindu organization is trying to apply some pressure to get these cases investigated, I dont see whats the big deal? They are not claiming that those people were killed because they were hindus. Why do psuedo seculars get all worked up when hindu organizations try to deal with issues faced by Indians? Its a worthy cause and even if Black panther, KKK or MSA were pushing for such efforts, I would have supported the cause.