Hindus believe in the freedom of thought, expression, and worship. It is the only
tradition that accepts the right of every human being to pursue his/her own spiritual
path. Swami Vivekananda, the inspiration behind the modern Hindu renaissance movement
and one of the greatest saints of
India
, argued “Let there be a hundred thousand paths to God.” Hindus have always believed
in the validity of every path, crooked or straight. Bhagwan Shri Krishna, an incarnation
of Vishnu, had clearly stated this truth more than five thousand years ago in the
battlefield of Kurukshetra in
India
. Hence all Hindus follow the ancient call of the sages of
India
for acceptance of every path. Acceptance of multiple paths does not equate to equality
of religions. Every path is unique in its own way. Mutual acceptance is a prerequisite
for mutual cooperation and harmony.
Freedom is our birthright and is necessary for our own spiritual evolution. The
vast amount of literature that clarifies the political thought of the founding fathers
of
America
clearly illustrates their longing for a free society. The spirit of freedom, as
conceived by the sages of ancient
India
, resonated in the intellectual life of American society from its early days. It
is this atmosphere of freedom that makes the life of Hindus in
America
more fulfilling and enriching. Therefore, Hindu Americans will be at the forefront
of the fight to protect and preserve our individual liberties as guaranteed by the
constitution. We urge elected officials
and governmental authorities to take note of Hindu sensibilities in the following
areas:
Airport security
procedures
Hindu religious leaders and ordinary Hindus
wear sacred materials on their person as part of their religious practices, and
beliefs. During security checks, the security officers at airports have created
serious problems for devout Hindus. Hindus have been asked to remove the turbans
on heads and their sacred threads, and sacred ornaments have been touched. We request
all airport security personnel to be familiar with Hindu sensibilities on this very
important matter by introducing relevant information in their training.
Restrictions
on Cremation and Last Rights
It is a custom among almost all Hindus to spread the ashes of departed souls after
cremation in large flowing bodies of water such as the ocean or the rivers. Hindus
should also be allowed to build cremation facilities that cater to the special needs
of Hindus. We urge Congress to pass legislation for accommodating these basic needs
of Hindu families in
America
. The
U.S.
must follow in the footsteps of
Great Britain
in making such religious practices legal and acknowledging the religious diversity
of
America
.
We reject any attempt by the state (whether local, state or federal) to control
the places of worship of Hindus. The recent attempts by the executive and judiciary
branches of the New York State Government to control the Hindu Temple of New York
are a blatant violation of the First Amendment and the separation of church and
state. In order to prevent such incidents in the future, we urge Congress to pass
legislation that will clearly delineate the boundaries that separate Church and
State. We ask the entire political establishment strongly to denounce the unconstitutional
intrusions of the state in matters concerning religious worship.
We urge all in the political establishment to accept our reasonable demands for
equal availability and equal opportunity. Although Hindus are happy to see the celebration
of Diwali being organized by the White House, most Hindus feel that the absence
of the President in such events in the past is a chilling testimony to unfair treatment.
We further demand that there must be equal treatment of all religious traditions
when the government interacts or engages with people of faith. It is time for
America
to treat Hindus and Buddhists at par with Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others
on matters concerning faith.
America
’s political establishment has historically failed to even acknowledge the presence
of Hindus in this great country. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, political
leaders from both parties failed to mention the presence of Hindus when proclaiming
our nation’s religious diversity and collective resolve. Some leaders in
America
even confuse Hindi (the language spoken by more than 400 million people in countries
all around the world) with Hindu, the faith of a billion people worldwide. USHA
urges all to acknowledge our presence, our unique way of living, and our contributions.
USHA is a strong advocate of the separation of Church and State. The world has witnessed
innumerable conflicts and human suffering whenever the demarcation between faith
and politics where ambiguous. Hence, we whole-heartedly support separation of church
and state as enshrined in the Constitution.
Displays become a symbol of exclusivity, fear, and discrimination when the materials
displayed in public places belong to only one religion. We strongly condemn the
display of the Ten Commandments for it contains a reference to “false gods.” We
believe that if any such displays are permitted by law, they should be non-controversial
and inclusive to respect the religious diversity of our society.
Hindus and people of many other faiths have had to suffer the harassment of Christian
evangelists for more than a century. Although we respect the right of any human
being to adopt any faith of his or her own choice, targeting people of other faiths
for the purpose of converting them to Christianity is the worst form of harassment
and violence.
Hindus living in neighborhoods across
America
are witnessing a concerted effort by evangelists to confront Hindus in their subdivisions,
offices, college campuses, and other public places in an openly intimidating way.
During such scenarios, the evangelists proclaim to Hindus that they are going to
go to “hell” because they have not accepted Jesus Christ as the “Savior.” Such public
utterances should be treated as a form of hate crime for it encourages innocent
followers of these evangelists to perpetrate various types of hate crimes against
Hindus and their places of worship. We urge Congress to pass legislation to stop
the constant harassment by Christian evangelists and make it a federal crime.
Just as people of various faiths are allowed to display their religious symbols,
Hindus should be given the right to display religious symbols in the workplace and
wear dress that suits their religious beliefs. Hence, we strongly endorse the Freedom of Religion at Workplace Act.
We urge congress to monitor violations of law and provide adequate funds for enforcement
of this law.