The Indian American community is the most prosperous ethnic
minority in the United States.The median income of an Indian-American (IA)
household is almost twice than the national average. Known for their academic
prowess and humility, the Indian-Americans, off late, have gained substantial
political ground. President Obama, over the course of his presidency, has
appointed many members of the IA community to significant and prestigious
positions. Most notable of those has been the appointing of Preet Bharara as
the United States Attorney for the Southern District of the State of New York,
Manhattan who has spearheaded many crusades against the Wall Street. Even the Surgeon General of USA, or "America's Doctor", is of Indian origin, Vivek Murthy.
The stellar positioning of this community comes with the responsibility of staying united in their endorsements and the use of their political clout. The fact that they possess a considerable fortune and money is the most crucial component of an American political campaign , only makes this responsibility greater.
It's because of these reasons that an event endorsing Donald Trump for President and courting support for him by the Republican Hindu Coalition on October 15th in New Jersey, has set a dangerous precedent.
The event masqueraded as a charity fixture but was a propaganda
event of the Hindu Right Wing fringe. It was publicized on the social media
with inflammatory keywords and hashtags like #KashmiriPundits, #HinduRefugees and #VictimsofTerror ! Staying true
to every Right Wing propaganda, issues seemed to have been strategically mixed
and convoluted to serve the sole purpose of rabble rousing. For instance, while
the matter of displaced Kashmiri Pundits
is old, legitimate and complex, the term "Hindu
Refugees", placed right next to it, makes the two look related, which is
far from true. But if said in the same vein, it has the potential of unearthing
painful memories, from more than 25 years ago. The Hindu Refugees mentioned
above are indeed the refugees from Bangladesh (in some cases, from Pakistan) which
the Modi government has decided to grant citizenship. For the common public, especially
the Diaspora, to realize such nuances is hard.
The dangerous cocktail of dreadful memories
and little known facts, served along with, misplaced emotions, and bingo, you
have an agitated crowd. That's Politics 101 which RHC probably learned at the
Trump University!
What could be the common denominator between Donald Trump and an
American Hindu fringe? Or between the displaced Kashmiri Pundits from 1989 and
the Bangladeshi Hindu Refugees from today?
Islamophobia!
Yes, as accomplished as American Indians are, there is a fringe
that harbors communal hatred against the Muslims. Some afflictions die hard!
Distance and nostalgia may just aggravate that. The political activism among
Indians in USA, since the "Hindu
Hriday Samrat" (roughly: Emperor of the Hindu Hearts), Narendra Modi came
to the national political forefront, has increased manifolds. The
"academically inclined" and "humble" Indian Diaspora has
since then, roughed up journalists and thrown members of the LGBT communities at his rallies, in USA. The community
has conveniently also ignored that the aforementioned citizenship program for
the Hindu Refugees is religion based, conveniently ignoring the Muslim refugees
who are also escaping the same terrorism in those countries.
All Trump had to do to pander to this rich fringe, was just to be,
well, Trump! He equated Indians to Hindus, insulting the rich and complicated
communal fiber that connects the country. He proclaimed that, if elected, he
would be a great friend of India, and famously, in his signature incoherence,
that he is a big fan of "The
Hindu" (not the newspaper, I assume)!
Via @SchrekReports on Twitter |
For Trump, it was not hard to win over the communally charged
crowd. As most of the expat Hindus, the crowd was pro-Modi. And if there's one
thing that will appeal to them is their leader being not related to the
infamous Godhra incident and the Gujarat riots. As ridiculous as it may sound,
flyers accusing Hillary Clinton for framing Modi were distributed at the event.
Enough said!
Though the Indian Americans are not expected to deviate from their
traditional stance of voting Democratic, because of Trump, such coalition of
two extreme nationalistic ideologies is dangerous. The chaos of the Right Wing
is contagious. T hey appeal to the primal fear of the masses and are reluctant to the New World Order.
Most dangerously, it eventually makes obscene, palatable!
Donald Trump is obscene and the Indian American community must not
contribute in him becoming palatable.
P.S.
Since this event, Trump has allegedly, appeared in a #AbKiBaarModiSarkar kind of video, speaking Hindi, on the pretext of #Diwali wishes!
Now, I have seen it all!
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