Dr Tara Singh
Concerned about the rising incidence of hate crimes within the Hindu and other minority communities in New York and elsewhere, the Surya Narayan Mandir’s Spiritual Leader, Pt Ram Hardowar felt it necessary to facilitate a meeting on June 8, 2024, with stakeholders (Offices of the NYC Commissioner on Human Rights, the NYC Police Department Hate Crime Task Force, the Coalition of Hindus of North American, CoHNA, and the Indo-Caribbean Hindu community) to discuss ways in which our community could combat this ugly development. According to NYS data, hate crimes increased by 90% from 2020 to 2022. In NYC it increased by 10% between 2022 and 2023.
On May 8, 2024, the Bharatiya Abhyas Mandali Temple on Watts Street in Curepe, Trinidad and Tobago was vandalized. Six murtis were destroyed. And in Queens New York on August 16, 2022, a group of people walked past the Tulsi Mandir and smashed the Gandhi statue with a hammer and defaced it with spray paint. NYC Mayor condemned such virulent behavior.
The NYPD defines a hate crime as: “any offense or unlawful act that is motivated in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion or religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.” NYPD advises: “To report a hate crime, individuals should follow the same process as reporting any other crime….It is important to note that a person’s immigration status does not prevent them from reporting a hate crime or accessing essential services.”
Mr. Nikunj Trivedi, President of CoHNA, emphasized that his organization’s mission is to advocate for a better understanding of Hindu heritage and tradition but has the prevention of hate crimes and biases against the Hindu community, as one of its main objectives. He said that for the Hindu and other minority communities to repel hate crimes, “we must heighten our community’s awareness and educate them of the resources available to fight this social evil.” Pt Hardowar stated: “it is important to recognize biases and hate crimes against Hindus. Not all hate crimes are of a physical nature, some can be very subtle and even more hateful.’
Recognizing that a sacred symbol, Swastika, of Hinduism and other faiths has been subject to perversity in its meaning and application, Mr. Tridevi provided a historical account of the Swastika, which is a Sanskrit word meaning “all that is good.” It is an ancient and deep sacred symbol that has been continuously used beneficially for over 10 thousand years. “It is an auspicious symbol of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. The symbol (though differently named) is also deeply sacred for Native American, Ancient African, and other indigenous traditions.” Swastika stands for “peace, prosperity and wellbeing.”
Uninformed people have been confused between the Nazi “Hakenkreuz” (hooked cross) and the Swastika. The “Hakenkreuz” though similar in shape to the Swastika, stands for hate and terror.
To add significance to the historical and cultural value of the Swastika and cleanse it of any contaminants generated through perversity, spiritual leaders of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Native Indian (comprising the Swastika Awareness Coalition (SAC)) took an innovative step in having a Proclamation signed in October 2022 that asserts the viability and sacred value of the Swastika. This SAC Proclamation has already been endorsed by over 40 dharmic and indigenous organizations.
According to Pt Hardowar, “this workshop was designed to give a better understanding of hate crimes and what appropriate actions to take, once identified. CoHNA is congratulated for organizing this event along with the NYC Commission on Human Rights and Office for Prevention of Hate Crimes.”