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Below are endorsements from
HAF's report, Hindus in South
Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights 2005
"The 2005 human rights report of
the Hindu American Foundation is a valuable resource for those
of us concerned about religious freedom and human rights for
all people around the world. As the leader of the Congressional
Working Group on Religious Freedom, I am grateful for this
report that brings needed attention to the many instances
of discrimination, harassment, violence, and destruction of
temples and property experienced by Hindus in South Asia,
especially in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Its recommendations
will be useful as we seek to ensure the right of all people
in all places to practice their religion in peace, absent
from discrimination and persecution."
Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)
“We thank the Hindu American Foundation
for its ongoing efforts in keeping Congress informed about
human rights issues worldwide.”
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
“Thank you, Nikhil for your tremendous
work on behalf of the Hindu-American Foundation and for inviting
me to speak on the occasion of the release of the Hindu American
Foundation’s Second Annual Report of the status of Human
Rights of Hindus in South Asia, Afghanistan and Fiji. As someone
who fled Communist oppression, I fully understand the need
to fight valiantly for the cause of freedom for all, especially
for those persecuted for their religious beliefs. The 2005
Report documents that the Hindu people are frequent recipients
of ethnic cleansing, terrorism and discriminatory laws- including
over 500 sobering accounts of murder, rape, kidnapping, arson,
and the desecration of property and holy sites.
This year’s edition of the Human
Rights report highlights human rights abuses against Hindu’s
beyond South Asia, including the island nation of Fiji. According
to report, Hindus in Fiji are repeatedly subjected to attacks
on community leaders and their places of worship. Such information
is of serious concern, seeing that Hindu’s comprise
38% of the population residing in Fiji. Beyond simple documentation,
this unique report is also helping to raise awareness of these
little-addressed abuses, as well as the rising of Islamist
extremism and the spread of political violence’s in
South Asia. The Hindu American Foundation’s report is
a valuable contribution to all those committed to fighting
discrimination and human rights violations, all over the world.
As an ardent human rights advocate in the United States Congress,
Ileana will continue to work with her colleagues to ensure
that all are afforded the protection they deserve, especially
Hindus who are persecuted by extremist groups.”
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(R-FL)
“I commend the Hindu American Foundation
for its excellent work in completing this critical report.
By documenting human rights violations against Hindus in Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Fiji, and the Indian state of Jammu
and Kashmir, the Hindu American Foundation continues to raise
global awareness of these abuses. I will work with the foundation
by informing my colleagues in Congress of the findings in
this report.”
Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY)
“As past Co-Chair of the Congressional
Caucus on Indian and Indian Americans, I am pleased that the
Hindu American Foundation continues to be a strong advocate
for Hindus around the world. By reporting ongoing human rights
violations, this valuable survey will help keep my colleagues
and I informed on a critical problem threatening members of
the world’s third largest religious group.”
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC)
“I commend the Hindu American Foundation
for their work to promote tolerance and combat hate, discrimination,
and terror. This 2nd Annual report on the status of human
rights violations against Hindus in South Asia provides an
important chronicle of abuses that are all to common, even
today. I hope that this report will draw appropriate attention
to the despicable practices of genocide and ethnic cleansing,
so that we can take immediate steps to ensure the physical,
political, and economic security of Hindus in South Asia.”
Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
“I would like to commend the Hindu American Foundation
for publishing this critical report which demonstrates how
much work must be done in combating human rights violations
against Hindus worldwide. By bringing these abuses into the
light of day, the Hindu American Foundation is leading the
fight for international policies that promote tolerance and
understanding of Hindu beliefs and bring an end to religious
persecution.”
Congressman Jim Davis (D-FL)
“I commend the Hindu American Foundation for continuing
to highlight the treatment of Hindu minorities worldwide.
Clearly, this report emphasizes the ongoing struggle for religious
freedom across the globe.”
Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY)
“This report is a real wake-up call for all of us
who believe strongly in freedom and freedom of religion. There
is no place for discrimination and human rights violations.
America needs to be strong voice for religious freedom worldwide.”
Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
“HAF’s human rights report
is a welcome analysis of the situation of Hindus across the
world. Often ignored situations of serious oppression, such
as in Bangladesh, are described in detail.”
Sannyasin Arumagaswami
Managing Editor, Hinduism Today Magazine
“Everyone who is concerned with
obtaining the necessary human rights and privileges for people
of all religions should be indebted to the Hindu American
Foundation for bringing into the light the serious discriminatory
practices and unacceptable behavior which in any way makes
for insensitive treatment of Hindus and their faith. The impressive
scholarship and challenging research in the Hindu American
Foundation’s study provides a unique foundation to secure
long overdue attention to the concerns of the Hindu community.
All of us who are concerned with the true meaning of human
rights must lend our support to the Hindu community whenever
and wherever ignorant and cruel judgments isolate and demean
Hindus and any other minority which is suffering, even briefly,
pain, indifference and antagonistic assaults.”
Ernest H. Weiner
Executive Director, Northern California Region
American Jewish Committee
“It gives me great pain to note
that extremist Muslims, a tiny minority, are unleashing terror
on our Hindu brothers and sisters. In this day and age - we
all must work jointly to root out extremism not only from
the Indian continent but all over the world.”
Iftekhar Hai
President, United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance
“The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomes
this report which will help the international community and
Non-governmental Organizations to have a broader understanding
of the human rights situation in that important region of
the world.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper
Associate Dean and Co-Founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
“The Survey of Human Rights Reports 2005 prepared
by the Hindu American Foundation is excellent. The Bangladesh
Hindu minorities will benefit from this report and the extent
of labour and energy made by your team is very much praiseworthy
and the fruits of your labour and untiring efforts have brought
a new change/hope in the minds of the minorities of Bangladesh.
HRCBM-Dhaka is very much grateful to you all for the dedication.”
Rabindra Ghosh
President, Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities-Dhaka
“On behalf of the members and office
bearers of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Unity
Council, USA, I write to gratefully acknowledge your continued
coverage of the fact that the religious and ethnic minorities
of Bangladesh, particularly the Hindus, are being systematically
eliminated through a state-sponsored campaign of religious
and ethnic cleansing. Your report accurately reflects the
reality, and we hope if you kindly continue to apprise the
community of civilized nations of our plight then some day
the issue might receive the attention that it deserves. Once
again we remain profoundly grateful to HAF for your consistent
effort to educate the world about our plight, which has remained
largely unreported.”
Dwijen Bhattacharya
Spokesperson and Director of Communications & Publications
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, USA
“I recently reviewed your report entitled “Hindus
in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights (2005)”.
On behalf of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF), I commend
Hindu American Foundation for highlighting the human rights
problems faced by Hindus throughout South Asia. IAKF in particular
appreciates your highlighting the plight of the minority Hindu
population in Kashmir. The Kashmiri Pandits have suffered
from terrorism since 1989, and have been displaced from their
homeland. Tens of thousands still live in makeshift ‘refugee’
camps in Jammu. Their situation is often overlooked by human
rights observers, and their struggle for repatriation made
difficult by many factors, mainly the lack of security guarantee
in the Valley of Kashmir. Your report accurately points to
the groups responsible for terrorism in Kashmir, and makes
appropriate conclusions to solve this problem. The 2005 Hindu
Human Rights report is exhaustively referenced and should
be used as a research vehicle for individuals and organizations
alike who focus on human rights abuses in South Asia, including
the rights of the minority Kashmiri Hindus. Once again, I
commend you and your organization on its work.”
Rahul T. Pandit, M.D.
President, Indo-American Kashmir Forum
“I congratulate the Hindu American Foundation, the
voice of the 2 million strong Hindu American community, for
producing the 2nd Annual Hindu Human Rights report on the
status of Hindus in regions of South Asia where they are minorities.
It is indeed an objective compilation from reports by credible
human rights groups of the bigotry and hatred that Hindus
have faced in parts of South Asia, Afghanistan and Fiji. Hate
and bigotry has to be fought with greatest might and eliminated
from the face of this earth. I can’t think of a better
organization than HAF which is focused on educating policy
makers and leaders of a diverse community to promote understanding
and harmony.”
Jeevan Zutshi
Founding member, Indo-American Kashmir Forum,
Kashmiri Overseas Association and the Indo-American Community
Federation
“When a single Afghan man was recently
threatened with death for converting to Christianity, there
was a global outcry, and rightly so. But Hindus face such
persecution daily in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Fiji,
and other parts of the world as well. Even within India, the
homeland of Hinduism, Hindus are subjected to harassment and
intimidation by groups seeking to convert them to other religions.
Hinduism is a religion famous for its liberality and tolerance
of religious diversity. But the same respect is not being
extended to the religious freedom of Hindus. Murder, rape,
intimidation, the destruction of places of worship: these
are the brutal realities faced by many Hindus daily for practicing
their peaceful and inoffensive religion. The world needs to
act with the same vigor to protect the human rights of Hindus
as it does for the sake of other groups.”
Jeffrey D. Long, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religion and Asian Studies
Elizabethtown College
“This report by the Hindu American
Foundation about the religious persecution suffered by Hindus
in South Asia is a real eye-opener. As a minority in Islamic
societies that consider them to be “idolaters,”
Hindus in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan face unimaginable
persecution routinely. What is most disturbing is that this
blatant oppression goes unnoticed by our government and seems
to have no impact on our foreign policy. And it is not only
Muslims who engage in Hindu-bashing; the fundamentalist Christian
majority of Fiji is hardly better, although anti-Hindu policies
have not been adopted by the government there. The saddest
case of all, however, is in Kashmir, where for decades Hindus
have been subjected to ruthless ethnic cleansing. The remarkable
Hindu culture of Kashmir has been obliterated there, and Kashmiris
suffer an exile that is unknown and ignored. One hopes that
this report will be widely read in government circles and
promulgated in the media. This is a heartbreaking story indeed.”
Nathan Katz, Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies
Florida International University
“A really exceptional piece of
research and dedication that makes us all Hindus aware of
our civilizational past and brings us current to the injustices
of minority-ism in religiously intolerant communities. The
Hindu ethos is peace loving, spiritual, and ever-exploring
the truth in life, and in this day and age of global inter-connectedness
it is but obligatory on different religions to share, learn,
and co-create happiness for the individual soul. HAF has done
an exceptional job of highlighting the pain of human existence
in intolerant circumstances. The Gods, in any religion, will
not forgive devaluation of human life. I wish HAF’s
efforts will lead to the eradication of human pain and suffering
from my fellow brethren’s lives, as with intolerances
in any and all religions.”
Robinder Sachdev
CIO of The Imagindia Institute, New Delhi
“Namaste. Thank you for your wonderful
work. It is extremely important to make sure that people do
not lose the awareness of this information and the facts that
you have presented. I also feel strongly that the recommendations
that you have included should be taken seriously. I can only
hope that the governments of the US and India will see this
as the eyes of the larger Hindu community, such as those in
the US, watching what India is doing and the injustice that
is going on against Hindus across the globe. I am encouraged
to see the work that HAF is doing to keep raising this information
in front of those who may make a difference, either politicians,
or simply those of us who raise our voices about such issues.”
Stephen Knapp
President, The Vedic Friends Association
"The second annual Human Rights
report of HAF is a very welcome and necessary supplement to
the work of Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD). Based in The
Hague (The Netherlands) and being an organization with special
focus on minority rights in Asia, GHRD expresses deep appreciation
for the detailed level of research in this annual report.
GHRD will take responsibility for bringing this report under
the attention of media and governments in Europe."
S. Sital
Chairman, Global Human Rights Defence
The Netherlands
"Agni Foundation, being a Hindu
organisation, is very proud on this second annual Human Rights
report by HAF. It is, at the same time, sad and true that
Hindus in Asia are being marginalized with no action or attention
from the western world. Recognition of this matter, shown
in detail by this research done by HAF, is very necessary
not only in Hindu circles, but especially in the ignorant
societies themselves. Therefore, Agni Foundation will distribute
this report in Europe and demand attention from media and
governments."
A. Autar
Chairman, Agni Foundation
The Netherlands
Citizens of South Asian Indian origin
and/or descent constitute an increasingly important element
within the rich tapestry of the American republic, both for
their own individual contributions to the communities in which
the live and work and for their reinforcement of the strategic
links between the United States and India, the two largest
democracies in the world. Many of these individuals, as the
overwhelming majority of Indians, hail from the Hindu tradition,
one of humanity’s oldest expressions of religious aspiration
and the third largest religious community in the world.
In this context, the publication of Hindus
in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights (2005)
is a very significant event. As the second such annual report
by the Hindu American Foundation, it represents a major milestone
in the history of the Indian American—particularly its
Hindu American component—community as it joins other
ethnic and religious groups in bringing its concerns to the
public square. On this achievement, the reports authors and
the farsighted civic leaders sponsoring their work should
be congratulated.
Perhaps more importantly, however, the
report raises a number of worrying concerns about one ancient
faith community’s experience with contemporary challenges
to that most basic of human rights, the unalienable right
to freely pursue through the religion of one’s heritage
or choice the eternal riddles of the human condition: What
is humanity? From whence does it come? To where is it headed?
This report deserves careful reading
and consideration by scholars, policymakers, and all men and
women of good will.
Dr. J. Peter Pham
Director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public
Affairs
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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