Dismantling Global Hindumisia with Hindutva
by Gargi Shanbhag
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arlier this month, a faceless organization announced a global virtual conference (to be held Sep. 10-12) synonymous with its self-professed agenda: ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ (DGH). When I read what they’re all about and what this conference intended to do, I wasn’t shocked, to say the least. Their exact words will make you giggle, if not laugh: This rise of militant Hindu groups in India and the corresponding escalation of violence against religious minorities and other marginalized communities are well documented, including by global media. The interesting part is breaking this dense narrative down. ‘Rise of militant Hindu groups’ – if one exists at all? Some politically and
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ideologically charged non-rightist groups often label one of India’s oldest nationalist organizations, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as a militant group. Point of fact: It is not. There are innumerable instances of cases where RSS has contributed to humanitarian aid; etc. (Comparatively, here in the USA, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) assertively advocates for Hindu American rights.) Furthermore, non-rightist groups have taken to describing assertive Hindus (Hindus who are striving to protect their faith
from being insinuated against and maligned) as ‘Bhakts’/’Sanghis’. ‘Escalation of violence against religious minorities’ – in Pakistan? Or, the escalation of violence against the religious majority in India? Starting with… 1. The Kashmir Pandits’ genocide in 1990; 2. The Godhra train blast; 3. Several Hindu girls being raped and murdered when they refuse to convert to Islam; 4. The mob lynching of two Hindu sadhus in Maharashtra; 5. A deadly attack on yet another Hindu monk – Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati – in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh; 6. Atrocities against minority Hindus in the Muslim-majority Mewat district of Haryana; and
OCTOBER 2021 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM
