Teaneck's Anti-Hindu resolution can incite more hate against American Hindus, warns New Jersey lawmaker

New Jersey, Nov 07: A US State Assemblyman Raj Mukherji has slammed the anti-Hindu resolution approved by the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee and warned that such a resolution has dangerous potential of "inciting more hate against American Hindus."

"I condemn the Teaneck anti-Hindu resolution. The ties that bind the various South Asian diaspora communities in the US are much stronger - based on shared immigrant experiences - than the lines that divided their forebears. Let's promote religious freedom and mutual respect," he said in his letter of condemnation on Twitter.

Last month, the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee, a section of the New Jersey Democratic Party, had approved a resolution where it called certain Hindu organisations as 'dangerous hate groups' and offshoots of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a report in OpIndia.

"I condemn unequivocally the far-reaching, overbroad, and defamatory resolution passed by the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee (TDMC) that has the dangerous potential of inciting more hate against American Hindus. I am grateful to the NJ Democratic State Committee for disavowing and condemning the TDMC resolution. While the TDMC resolution could have done the same and (appropriately) stopped at condemning extremist ideologies and symbols of division in keeping with its ostensible objective, it instead abused a teachable moment and lumped in laudable, entirely American faith-based organizations with charitable missions and an exemplary track record of selfless service to community with unfounded allegations of terrorism and militant labels," Mukherji stated.

He said that the resolution could have the effect of catalyzing discrimination against Hindus in New Jersey, 35 years after the Dotbuster attacks in his hometown of Jersey City that instilled fear in the hearts of the elderly and other South Asian immigrants throughout the United States.

According to him, the ties that bind the various South Asian diaspora communities are much stronger - based on shared immigrant experiences - than the lines that divided their forebears in the United States. "Let's celebrate religious freedom and mutual respect and focus our energy on an inclusive, welcoming, and safe New Jersey for all," he said in his concluding remarks.

Passed on September 12, the TDMC resolution had labelled five major Hindu American organisations including the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) as 'Hindu nationalist' with 'direct or indirect ties' to an India-based organisation on the basis that all are Hindu-faith based organisations.