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In Bad Faith? British Charity and Hindu Extremism

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In Bad Faith? British Charity and Hindu Extremism “I recognized two people pulling away my daughter Shabana. My daughter was screaming in pain asking the men to leave her alone. My mind was seething with fear and fury. I could do nothing to help my daughter from being assaulted sexually and tortured to death. My daughter was like a flower, still to see life.Why did they have to do this to her? What kind of men are these? The monsters tore my beloved daughter to pieces.” Medina Mustafa Ismail Sheikh, then in Kalol refugee camp, Panchmahals District, Gujarat This report is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of Indians who have lost their homes, their loved ones or their lives because of the politics of hatred.We stand by those in India struggling for justice, and for a secular, democratic and tolerant future. 2 IN BAD FAITH? BRITISH CHARITY AND HINDU EXTREMISM INFORMATION FOR READERS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A separate report summary is available from Any final conclusions of fact or expressions of www.awaazsaw.org. Each section of this opinion are the responsibility of Awaaz – South report also begins with a summary of main Asia Watch Limited alone. Awaaz – South Asia findings. Watch would like to thank numerous individuals and organizations in the UK, India and the US for Section 1 provides brief information on advice and assistance in the preparation of this Hindutva and shows Sewa International UK’s report. Awaaz – South Asia Watch would also like connections with the RSS. Readers familiar to acknowledge the insights of the report The with these areas can skip to: Foreign Exchange of Hate researched by groups in the US. The key sections of the report. Sections 2–4 look at Sewa International UK (the fundrais- All enquiries to [email protected] ing wing of HSS UK), its activities around the Gujarat earthquake 2001 and its other sup- A NOTE ON METHODS ported projects. The report is based on: site visits to Gujarat vil- Section 5 documents extensive links lages in September 2003; interviews in Gujarat between the HSS UK family of organizations from March–May 2003; interviews in the UK, US and the Indian RSS. and other parts of India during 2003; and analy- sis of paper and electronic documents, primarily For readers unfamiliar with the RSS or those produced by Hindutva groups. Hindutva, background information is given in Appendices 4–8. ISBN 0 9547174 0 6 A glossary of Indian terms is given at the end © Awaaz – South Asia Watch Limited, 2004 of the report (Appendix 9) Published by Awaaz – South Asia Watch Ltd, Updates to the report are available at London. www.awaazsaw.org. 3 IN BAD FAITH? BRITISH CHARITY AND HINDU EXTREMISM CONTENTS RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................................5 APPENDICES Appendix 1: The finances of HSS UK and Sewa SECTION 1: SEWA INTERNATIONAL UK AND International...............................................54 HINDUTVA...............................................................................6 Appendix 2: Sewa International UK one year Section summary...................................................................6 progress report .........................................56 Hindutva violence in India....................................................7 Appendix 3: Non-earthquake related organizations How does this affect the UK?..............................................9 supported by HSS UK...............................57 Sewa International UK........................................................11 Appendix 4: Hindutva and the RSS ..............................59 SIUK: a part of the RSS Hindutva mission.......................12 Appendix 5: Women, dalits, adivasis and the RSS....63 Links with Sewa International India.................................13 Appendix 6: RSS service and education networks...66 Sewa Bharati’s supremacist agenda ...............................13 Appendix 7: Historical associations with Nazi and Fascist ideologies ....................70 SECTION 2: THE GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE 2001.............17 Appendix 8: RSS languages of deception ..................73 Section summary.................................................................17 Appendix 9: Glossary......................................................75 The context...........................................................................18 Discrimination against Dalits and Muslims ....................18 LIST OF TABLES Intimidation of other NGOs ................................................19 Table 1: Sangh parivar and violence......................8 SIUK’s India Quake Appeal ................................................19 Table 2: The UK and Indian sangh parivar ..........10 Box: Hindutva intimidation .................................................20 Table 3: Sewa Bharati-Gujarat Schools Sewa Bharati’s use of village reconstruction funds .....21 – Project 2.................................................23 The funding of RSS schools...............................................23 Table 4: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK Other RSS projects..............................................................25 Summary of Funds ....................................54 Box: Anti-minority violence in Chanasma .......................26 Table 5: Sewa International UK’s village progress......................................................56 SECTION 3: THE SEWA INTERNATIONAL – FUNDED Table 6: Sewa International UK’s VILLAGES ..............................................................................27 infrastructure facilities progress ...........56 Section summary.................................................................27 Table 7: Sewa International UK’s school Chapredi ................................................................................28 building progress ......................................56 Mithaspasvaria ....................................................................30 Table 8: Organizations, projects and other Rapar......................................................................................30 work of Sewa International UK ..............57 Badanpur...............................................................................31 Rampura ................................................................................32 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: HSS UK annual training camp 2001.......11 SECTION 4: OTHER RSS PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY Figure 2: Homepage of Sewa Bharati....................15 SEWA INTERNATIONAL UK...............................................33 Figure 3: Another Sewa Bharati website..............15 Section summary.................................................................33 Figure 4: SIUK homepage, December 2002 ..........21 Kalyan Ashram Trust UK.....................................................33 Figure 5: SIUK homepage, December 2003 ..........21 Orissa Cyclone 1999 ............................................................34 Figure 6: Atalnagar (Chapredi village)...................28 Sewa Education Aid............................................................36 Figure 7: RSS dedication plaque at rebuilt Bharatiya Shiksha Samiti ...................................................37 Chapredi .....................................................28 Swa Roopwardhinee...........................................................38 Figure 8: Hindu temple, Chapredi village ..............29 Prabhodhini Gurukula .........................................................38 Figure 9: Gateway, Chapredi village Devi Ahalyabai Smarack Samiti........................................39 (Malayala Manorama) .............................29 The scope of SIUK aid ........................................................40 Figure 10: Bird shelter and community pavilion, Conclusion ............................................................................40 Chapredi (Malayala Manorama) ............29 Figure 11: K. S. Sudarshan, Mithapasvaria village30 SECTION 5: THE HINDU SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH UK Figure 12: Bharat Mata Poojan at AND ITS ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS..................................42 Karnataka girls’ school ............................40 Section summary.................................................................42 Figure 13: HSS UK 9-day annual training camp.....43 Modelled on the Indian RSS..............................................43 Figure 14: NHSF UK Annual lecture .........................70 UK affiliates...........................................................................43 Figure 15: European HSS and VHP members The HSS, religious sectarianism and religious hatred .45 attending World RSS Camp.....................50 Links with the Indian RSS ..................................................46 Figure 16: Barry Gardiner, Brent North Attendance at major RSS / VHP events in India............49 Labour MP at VHP Wembley event .......51 The Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK ........................................50 Figure 17: VHP rifle training camp, Patan, Links between VHP UK and HSS UK................................51 Gujarat ........................................................52 Links with VHP India ...........................................................51 Figure 18: VHP UK at VHP International Coordination meeting...............................53 4 IN BAD FAITH? BRITISH CHARITY AND HINDU EXTREMISM RECOMMENDATIONS Because of their role in funding, promoting or glorifying RSS organizations that have been directly responsible for or implicated in seri- ous, large scale sectarian violence, hatred or violation of human rights in India: The charitable status of Hindu Swayamsevak
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