Inside This Newsletter

 HAF HOLDS NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING IN FREMONT, CA

HAF EXPRESSES SADNESS OVER THE DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

 HAF WRITES TO SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS EDITORS REGARDING MISREPRESENTATION OF PRESS RELEASE
 

HAF Holds National Executive Council Meeting in Fremont, CA

Press Release
DATE: March 29, 2005

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) National Executive Council gathered for a biannual meeting in Fremont, California, from March 25-27, 2005. The visit to the Bay Area culminated with a presentation of the foundation’s ongoing Hindu Awareness Campaign on the evening of March 26 to a cross-section of several community and interfaith religious leaders.

During the intensive meetings, HAF Executive Council members from across the United States reiterated their commitment to their mission of promoting tolerance, pluralism and understanding by working proactively to promote a better awareness of Hindus and Hinduism in America.

Segments of the meeting focused on strategic planning for the upcoming release of HAF’s major project for 2005—release of the first-ever Hindu Human Rights Report later this year. The HAF leadership discussed the impetus of the report being their deep concern about the state of Hindu human rights throughout the world, noting the thousands of deaths of Hindus in Bangladesh the past several years, and the hundreds of documented hate crimes in 2004 alone. HAF noted that Pakistan continues to support terrorism in India's state of Jammu & Kashmir after ethnically cleansing the state of over 400,000 Hindus & Sikhs. Additionally, HAF discussed the ongoing official discrimination against Hindus in most Islamic states. The report is of immediate significance HAF leaders felt, as these issues are almost completely ignored by human rights groups that document abuses in South Asia.

HAF expressed concern over the growth of Hinduphobia in America and announced plans to document this as well. Vinay Vallabh, member of HAF's Executive Council said, "Propagated by extremist groups not committed to pluralism, HAF plans to counter Hindu hate with a public education campaign."

Reiterating plans to organize a day of interactions with government officials in Washington, D.C., Rajan Patel, member of HAF's Executive Council, said, "HAF successfully educated government officials on Hindu issues in 2004, and will continue to promote the Hindu and American ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and understanding with elected officials across the country."

The HAF Hindu Awareness Campaign and reception for community leaders and supporters was held in Fremont as well. Representatives from all major religious groups were present.

Swaminathan Venkatraman, HAF Executive Council member, explained, "The number of people that attended and the broad diversity in their backgrounds representing 6 major faiths shows the support we have in the Hindu and non-Hindu community. We look forward to continued support so that we can establish an office and hire full-time staff to present a Hindu American perspective on the issues facing Hindus in this country." The program focused on issues of bias and misrepresentations of Hindu issues, beliefs and aspirations in government fora, academia and media. The presentation also sought to highlight positive, proactive steps that HAF is taking to address these imbalances.

Marilyn Pranno, Chief Visionary Officer of NKB Media Services, and a community member who saw the presentation for the first time remarked, "This was a wonderful program that educated me about the challenges facing Hindu Americans and the tremendous work HAF is doing to educate fellow Americans about Hinduism and Hindu American issues. I am proud to be a supporter and member."

For further information: Please contact HAF.
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HAF Expresses Sadness Over the Death of Pope John Paul II

Press Release
DATE: April 2, 2005

The Hindu American Foundation expresses sadness over the death of Pope John Paul II, head of the Roman Catholic Church. In an age of declining spirituality, the Pope was a beacon of piety not only to Catholics but to people of all faiths across the globe. During his papal reign, he inspired many to commit their lives to social service by providing education and healthcare to the underprivileged.

"The Pope was a man of true peace and justice," said Pawan Deshpande, member of the Hindu American Foundation Executive Council. "His strong commitment to human rights, democracy and interreligious dialogue will not be forgotten." In Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 21, 1995, Pope John Paul II stated, "The Catholic Church has been fully committed to pursuing the path of dialogue and cooperation with the members of other religions. Interreligious dialogue is a precious means by which the followers of the various religions discover shared points of contact in the spiritual life, while acknowledging the differences which exist between them."

HAF hopes that those inspired by Pope John Paul II's legacy will heed his call for interfaith dialogue and cooperation in order to create a more peaceful, just, tolerant, pluralistic, and equitable world.

For further information: Please contact HAF.
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HAF Writes to SJMN Editors Regarding Misrepresentation of Press Release

March 24, 2005

Dear Editor,

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) never stated that the denial of a visa to any Indian elected official was “Hinduphobic” as stated in today’s report titled “Denial of official's visa causes stir among Indo-Americans.” We called House Resolution 160 “Hinduphobic” for its neglect of Hindu human rights in South Asia. The U.S. government has ignored the fact that in India’s Jammu and Kashmir state over 50,000 Indians have been killed and that over 400,000 Hindus and Sikhs are living in refugee camps in other parts of India because of the ethnic cleansing by Pakistan supported Islamist terrorists. In Bangladesh in the past few years, thousands of Hindus have been murdered, gang raped, and rendered refugees after the election of an Islamist government. Why has the United States largely ignored these much greater tragedies? Are the lives of Hindus worth less than others? We are greatly distressed that worldwide, few have stood to champion the rights of Hindus.

HAF also deplores your attempt to depict us in a sectarian manner. As Hindus, we naturally focus on the human rights of our community. But the tragedy that befell Hindus and Muslims in India after the burning of a train in Godhra and subsequent riots should be condemned by all people of conscience. However, some Islamist and Indian communist groups are promoting a discredited report by the current Indian railway minister, Laloo Yadav, which states that 58 Hindus burned themselves to death but framed Muslims for it so that riots would lead to genocide. Your statement that the riots began “allegedly” after Muslims set fire to the train serves to propagate such conspiracy theories. Mr. Yadav, it should be noted, was recently convicted in a $200 million corruption case and jailed during his tenure as Chief Minister of the State of Bihar.

Sincerely,

Mihir Meghani
President, Hindu American Foundation

Quoting from the San Jose Mercury News on March 25, 2005 in a correction titled "Setting the Record Straight":
“An article Wednesday in the local section about the Bay Area Indo-Americans’ reaction to the federal government’s refusal to issue a visa to a controversial Indian politician was unclear.  The Fremont-based Hindu American Foundation labeled as “Hinduphobic” a U.S. House of Representatives resolution that helped lead to the visit being canceled.  The group did not use the term to refer to the cancellation itself.”

For further information: Please contact HAF.
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