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Published on Saturday, January 18, 2020 by Common Dreams Hindu Fascism: An NEVER All-American Threat MISS A We, as Muslim and Hindu women of color, have watched in horror as both the BEAT country of our ancestors, India, and the Get our best delivered to country of our birth, the United States, your inbox. have devolved into nationalism and fascism. Your email * by Sameena Mustafa, Arti Walker-Peddakotla

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Laura Flanders Democracy vs. Dictatorship: Don't Let Bloomberg U.S. President Donald Trump with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: White House / Flickr) Muddy That Choice...

Like all cities with large Indian diasporas, Brett Wilkins Chicago has Devon Avenue where purveyors of UN Publishes List of Companies Indian clothing, food, and wares congregate. Profiting from Chicago’s obsession with honorary street signs Israel’s Illegal Settlements in gives away the sectarian divisions that fester Palestine both here and “back home.” The signs “Gandhi Marg” and “Mohammed Ali Jinnah Way,” Anis Shivani referring to the revolutionary leaders during So Many More India’s independence from Britain, one Hindu People and one Muslim, echo the religious split stoked Understand the Meaning of by the British persists to this day. Now, a Neoliberalism Today, and That’s a Huge Thing homegrown movement has taken up the mantle in an insidious and deadly way that threatens U.S. democracy as well. Rawan Elhalaby Banking is Changing. Its Lack The leader of India, Prime Minister Narendra of Diversity Must Modi, has been groomed by the right-wing, Change, Too, and Congress Can Help xenophobic and Islamophobic Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) along with its polticial arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Democratic While known as the world’s largest democracy Socialism” – Bring and founded as a secular one per its it on Corporate constitution, India with a large Hindu majority Socialists! has re-elected him, a well-documented fascist aligned with a group that destroyed a 16th Jamie Peck century mosque and sanctioned mass killings of Can Beat Trump Muslims in the state of Gujarat. The former with His Liberal Chief Minister of Gujarat and now Prime Vision for America. Primary Voters Minister Modi joined the RSS in his youth (like Know It. Brett Kavanaugh joining the Federalist Society) and oversaw the Gujarat massacre. (For a deep- Alex Kotch dive into Indian political history, refer to this Democratic overview by in .) Presidential Candidate Michael We, as Muslim and Hindu women of color, have Bloomberg Is a GOP Bankroller watched in horror as both the country of our ancestors, India, and the country of our birth, Amitrajeet A. the United States, have devolved into Batabyal How the T-Mobile- nationalism and fascism. As activists and Sprint Merger Will political candidates, we expected resistance to Increase Inequality our political work from outside and within our own communities because we have challenged Thomas Hanna, the status quo that many Indians willingly Mathew Lawrence capitulate to in their eagerness to live up to the Reimagining white-supremacist model minority stereotype. Democratic Public Ownership for the Twenty-first Sameena ran against an incumbent for Century Congress, while Arti was elected as the only woman of color on her local Village Board. Anthony Torres While we differ in our religious beliefs, we share When the People a commitment to progressivism, anti-racism, Lead, Leaders anti-casteism, and secularism. We have been Follow—Lessons disappointed that a vocal upper caste Indian From the Fight to Impeach and American minority has operated with a Remove Trump “business as usual” attitude, attempted to silence us, or, even worse, aided the expansion Abigail Penny of the RSS/BJP ideology within America. Measuring Our Impact on the Planet

Alan MacLeod For Media in New Hampshire, Losing Is Winning and Winning Is Losing

Unfortunately, this expansion has boosted the # More Views fortunes of Trump and the Republican Party. Right-wing Hindu Americans took center stage when the Republic Hindu Coalition held a rally Connect With Us for Trump in October 2016 in New Jersey. A Facebook graphic (insert) from the Overseas $ % & Friends of the BJP boasts of its reach into 30 U.S. cities along with millions of calls to Indian- American voters, a mobilization that will likely ramp up in 2020 to boost Trump’s re-election News That Matters chances. 'Grotesque Corruption': Emily's List, Center for The RSS/BJP collaboration has been a bipartisan American Progress effort. On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Raja Sold Out to Michael Krishnamoorthi has built up his reputation as a Bloomberg Trump critic on the House Oversight Committee for the U.S. press and a champion for religious 'These are the Bad Times': Trump to freedom, while cultivating a base of support Deploy Heavily with Hindu nationalists that actively wish to Armed Border Patrol suppress religious minorities in India and the Tactical Units to U.S. Progressive Hindu and Muslim activists Help With Immigration Arrests wrote an open letter urging Raja, as he directs in Sanctuary Cities people to call him, to cancel his appearance at the World Hindu Congress convening in Climate Crisis Could Lombard, Illinois last year and chastising him Cause a Third of for past efforts to advance their fascist agenda. Plant and Animal Species to The event, organized by the RSS, drew Disappear Within 50 protestors who ended up being assaulted by Years: Study attendees and called “dirty Muslims.” Warren, Sanders Join Letter Urging Raja’s office not only failed to issue an apology AG Barr to Resign for these hate crimes, but then he attended Immediately Over Modi’s joint rally with Trump this past 'Corrupt' Role in September in Houston. Billed as “Howdy Modi,” Roger Stone Case with an audience of over 50,000 Indian Video Reveals Americans, Raja embraced Modi, who later held Threat of hands with Trump at the same event. Trump and "Wholesale Transfer Modi have both issued Muslim bans, Trump by and Privatization of executive order and Modi with the aid of his America's Public BJP-controlled Parliament passed the Lands" on Trump's Agenda, Says Citizenship Amendment Act. Watchdog Group

As first-generation Indian American activists, 'More Political we are dismayed by the lack of outrage from our Interference at DOJ': fellow South Asians, Hindus and Muslims when Barr Installs Outside we have called out the “open secret” of Modi- Prosecutor to Scrutinize Michael supporting U.S. based Democrats and voiced our Flynn Case opposition to Modi. As the world rages in protests against fascist dictators, we urge Federal Appeals conscientious South Asians, Democrats, and Court Strikes Down progressives to call out and challenge elected Trump's 'Work-or- Die' Medicaid officials like Raja who support dictatorial Requirements in regimes. Arkansas

Modi’s actions, coupled with his imposition of DCCC-Backed martial law in Muslim-majority Kashmir and Incumbent Henry now with the Citizenship Amendmen Act, have Cuellar Gets Support From Koch Network drawn massive global protests, reported to be in As Progressive the hundreds of millions. To show our solidarity Primary Challenger with anti-Hindu fascists in India, an interfaith Jessica Cisneros intergenerational coalition across castes and Picks Up Union classes, we have joined Equality Labs’ national Endorsements day of action on Sunday, January 19th, with the Trump's Plan to Chicago protest taking place on Devon Avenue. Unveil Next Round of 'Tax Scam' Just We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put Before 2020 Election a check on fascism and authoritarianism by Slammed as protesting Modi and defeating Trump in 2020. 'Another Political Ploy' Staying silent while Muslims, Dalits (lower caste Hindus), students, and workers get attacked by Warren Slams Indian police and the RSS for the simple act of Bloomberg for protesting these hateful laws further enables Blaming 2008 Financial Meltdown Modi’s regime of hate and bigotry, and On End of Redlining strengthens the relationship of these two Policy hateful dictators. To defeat evil, we must take action to fight it in all its forms, both here and # More News abroad.

Further Sameena Mustafa is a host of the “Hand Her the Mic” podcast, past Congressional Trump Shoots Susan Collins In candidate, and first-generation Indian American Muslim. the Middle of 5th Avenue. She Says She's "Troubled" But Still Arti Walker-Peddakotla is a Oak Park Supports Him Village Trustee, U.S. Army Veteran, and first-generation Indian American Hindu.

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to Maintaining her ceaseless, republish and share widely. craven political posturing, hopefully former Sen. Susan This is the world we live in. This is Collins somehow continues to the world we cover. deny Trump's atrocities and her own culpability. This week, she fled a query about whether Because of people like you, another world she still thinks Trump learned is possible. There are many battles to be his "lesson" from won, but we will battle them together— impeachment, and dismissed all of us. Common Dreams is not your his ugly Revenge Tour by normal news outlet. We don't survive placidly explaining he's just " on clicks. We don't want advertising angered" and that's "reflected dollars. We want the world to be a in (his) personnel choices." Her better place. But we can't do it alone. It Presidential Medal of Wa!ling doesn't work that way. We need you. If is probs in the mail. But b efore you can help today—because every gift of it arrives, vo te her out. every size matters—please do. Without Read More... Your Support We Won't Exist. # More Further Please select a donation method:

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