Washington, D.C., February 13, 2018 – Today we met at room 1540 at Longworth House Office building to discuss the religious freedom in India. The program was sponsored by the International Religious Freedom Caucus, co-chaired by Congressmen Gus Bilirakis and Thomas Garrett. The meeting was run by Miranda, Maya, and Tripp representing different Congressmen.
Ajaya Kumar Singh, a Dalit leader himself, gave a presentation of what is going on in India with Dalits, Christians, and Muslims.
When my turn came, I asked Jay Kansara, representative of HAF, the Hindu America Foundation to take the initiative and make statements against the lynching of Muslims, persecution of Christians and harassment of Dalits? I also urged HAF to write to the Government of India urging them to grant a visa to the USCRIF Commissioners to do their findings of religious freedom in India.
I hope to see HAF come out clean and looked up to as a just American organization. I asked him to issue a press release to say that every Indian has a right to breathe, eat, drink, wear and believe whatever he or she desires, and no Indian has a right to forcibly impose his ideas on others. The Government of India will listen more to HAF than anyone else, as they all have similar affiliations. Some of the other things I have said are expressed in the letter below.
Ultimately, we all have to come out clean and wash our inconsistencies and operate beyond reproach. If we don’t stand up for the rights of others, then who will? It is not about Hinduism or Hindus, it is about the radicals among Hindus we need to work with.
I made an assertion that if an American Hindu is attacked; Indian Muslims will stand up for them. We have a stellar record of that.
John Prabhudas also encouraged Jay to take the responsibility, and he did a great job in explaining how it matters to us in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Sana, spoke exceptionally well, she gives me hope that our next generation has an interest in the well being of India. She was articulate and spoke American (meaning precise information to the point without digressions).
The IAMC provided the lunch, good homemade Biryani, and fruit tray. I believe it was prepared by Zubair’s family.
My apologies for not remembering the names, as I had to dash out because of the car parking was 20 minutes walk and the time we had was just 20 minutes left on parking.
I hope someone will write the notes of the meeting. I know the staff of the congressmen took extensive notes. If they send me, I will share with those who want to see, let me know if you do. I have submitted the following recommendations to them.
If the Dalits and others are treated like what India’s constitution calls for; that is Dalit women are not the object of sex for the upper caste Hindu men; and they are not entitled to the Dalit women and they are not raped and hung on trees, and if a Dalit groom rides a horse and the upper caste accepts it instead of beating the groom up; if a Muslim is not lynched for eating meat (suspecting it beef) and if Christian nuns are not raped and harassed. If HAF and HEF can focus on correcting this in India, then the California textbooks should be corrected.
We cannot dupe our children, teach them one thing but when they visit India, they see it differently. The Indians parents look stupid to the American Indian Children. Over the years, I have asked some of my extremist fellow Indians to show their comments to their children and ask them honestly to grade them on the scale of the stupidity of their statements.
Mike Ghouse
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Tuesday, February 13, 2018
International Religious Freedom Caucus.
US Congress.
Washington, DC