We commend U.S. authorities for thoroughly investigating and clearing the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, in the 2021 labor discrimination case and caste exploitation case. By 2023, plaintiffs withdrew their claims (allegedly paid less than $1 USD per hour, and forced to work up to 90 hours per week, exploited the workers’ caste position),…
By Geeta Sikand California Senate Bill-509 (SB 509) is now with Gov. Gavin Newsom until October 12th! As expected, the CA legislature passed the highly problematic SB 509, a bill that will discriminate between certain groups by privileging one group over the others. It will arbitrarily assign labels of ‘dissidents’ to the pro-Khalistani extremists and ‘agents’ to Indian Americans, especially…
By Madhu Hebbar This is a 3-part series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (this article) Hindutva, like all nationalisms, is context-dependent, shaped by India’s pluralistic yet fragmented society and its history of external domination. Far from being supremacist, it reflects a pragmatic response to historical challenges, with a global outlook that critics overlook. The principle swadesho bhuvana trayam* exemplifies…
By Madhu Hebbar This is a 3-part series: Part 1, Part 2 (this article), Part 3 Left-leaning academics, particularly in Western and Indian secular institutions, frequently criticize Hindutva as a monolithic, aggressive ideology that marginalizes non-Hindus, especially Muslims and Christians. This critique, often rooted in postcolonial, Marxist, or secular universalist frameworks, reveals a native bias within academia—a predisposition to view…
By Madhu Hebbar This is a 3-part series: Part 1 (this article), Part 2, Part 3 Nationalism, a force that binds people through shared identity, culture, or values, takes diverse forms across the globe, each shaped by its historical and cultural context. From the civic nationalism of the United States to the ethnic nationalism of 19th-century Europe, from Swami Vivekananda’s…
By Madhu Hebbar Western academia and media exhibit a stark double standard in their treatment of world religions. Islam, with 1.9 billion adherents across 57 majority-Muslim countries, is often handled with caution, shielded by accusations of “Islamophobia” and “orientalism,” even when addressing its deficits in gender equality and democracy. Hinduism, practiced by 1.2 billion people, mainly in India, faces…
By Madhu Hebbar Since 2001, Islamic countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Pakistan, have donated billions to U.S. universities, raising concerns about their influence on academic narratives, particularly antisemitism, Hinduphobia, and portrayals of Hindutva as fascist. Reports from the National Association of Scholars (NAS) and the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) document financial…
By Madhu Hebbar On April 22, 2025, a horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed the lives of at least 26 tourists, predominantly Hindu, in the scenic Baisaran Valley. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility, admitting to targeting victims based on their religious identity. The attack, one of the deadliest in India…
By Shreyas Suresh “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah” — righteousness protects the one who upholds it. This ancient Sanskrit saying encapsulates the essence of the Hindu spirit: to live with integrity, stand by one’s principles, and, through peaceful perseverance, overcome adversity. This wisdom was vividly embodied on April 14th when hundreds of Hindu Americans gathered at the Glenview Hanuman Mandir to honor…
By Avatans Kumar (The author is an award-winning journalist) Another day and another Hindu Mandir is vandalized and desecrated in the US. This time, it was the turn of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, Southern California. The perpetrators spray-painted the walls of the Mandir with graffiti that called for death to the land of the Hindus…
Dr. Indu Viswanathan I am a lifelong New Yorker, so, naturally, Saturday Night Live has been a part of my regular media consumption for as long as I can remember. SNL has been the incubator for some of our favorite American comedians, producing fun droplets that sometimes integrate seamlessly into pop culture. (Think Debbie Downer.) At its best, SNL…
