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Ms. Glee Johnson, President
State Board of Education
1430 N Street, Room 5111
Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Ms. Glee Johnson and Members of the
State Board of Education,
I am writing to express my support of the
original recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee and Content
Review Panel Expert, Dr. Shiv Bajpai and the efforts of the
Hindu American Foundation to ensure a fair and open process.
The Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendations correct many
of the inaccuracies and biases prevalent in the textbooks
up for adoption by the State of California and are necessary
to present a balanced portrayal of Hinduism. Also, I strongly
oppose the attempt by some motivated individuals and groups
to suggest otherwise in an effort to further their political
and sectarian agendas.
I find that the Hinduism portrayed in these
textbooks, and the religion practiced at home by Hindu American
families differs drastically. Needless to say, these contradictions
are the source of great confusion for Hindu youth and have
a devastating effect on their self-esteem. For many non-Hindu
students, these glimpses into Hinduism may be their first
and last. In reading the textbooks now, students will fail
to gain insight into the real contributions Hindu civilization
has made in this world and Hinduism’s message of tolerance
and pluralism that inspired Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau
and Martin Luther King, Jr., among many others. Instead, they
will learn that the holy books of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam are Divinely revealed texts, while Hindu holy scripture
are “poems”, “stories” and “myths.”
They will also learn about the misuses of Hinduism to perpetuate
social evils without explanation that these evils exist throughout
the world regardless of religious tradition. And they will
learn about the “inferior” status of women, without
a discussion of the central role of the feminine divine in
Hinduism and the existence of female saints and prominent
female religious figures. The bias towards Hinduism is also
reflected by what students will not learn: they will not study
the misuses of other religions to perpetuate social evils
such as slavery, holocausts and forced conversion; they will
not read about obscure sects and practices in other religious
traditions; and they will not encounter a discussion of the
historically inferior status of women in all other world civilizations.
As elaborated above, the current textbooks
do nothing more than perpetuate stereotypes and foster prejudice
against Hindu Americans. As such, I urge the SBE to approve
the accepted revisions and edits of VF and HEF, which will
vastly improve the current textbooks. I kindly request my
letter to be delivered to all Board members. Thank you for
your cooperation and consideration.
Respectfully,
This petition has been closed.
However, you may continue showing your
support by donating online
to HAF's legal defense fund.
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