A woman is consoled as people mourn Sikh community leader and temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar during Antim Darshan, the first part of day-long funeral services for him, in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 25, 2023. Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib parking lot.
A woman is consoled as people mourn Sikh community leader and temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar during Antim Darshan, the first part of day-long funeral services for him, in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 25, 2023. Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib parking lot.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has revealed there is “credible evidence” of India’s involvement in the killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. This is part of a dangerous trend of Indian interference in Canada, particularly escalating under India’s current ruling party that is supported by Hindu supremacist groups (also known as Hindutva).
A recent report by the National Council of Canadian Muslims and World Sikh Organization details how the Hindutva movement has managed to make significant inroads in Canada. One of the aims of these Hindutva networks in Canada is to shut down justifiable criticism of Indian state policies and Hindutva forces. For example, Hindutva networks have targeted over a dozen academics in Canada with death threats for organizing conferences on Hindu nationalism. Dalit and caste oppressed advocates in Canada have similarly faced death threats and harassment.
As one step in this process, supporters of Hindutva are seeking to introduce and legislate “Hinduphobia” in Canada’s human rights laws. There are currently campaigns underway to recognize Hinduphobia in the Human Rights Code to recognize anti-Hindu prejudice and discrimination.
The “Hinduphobia” campaign in the U.S. and Canada is spearheaded by organizations with connections to the Indian government and who come from dominant castes. Caste is a hierarchical and dehumanizing social system based on inherited status and maintained through marriage, labour practices and social norms. An extensive Equality Labs report in the U.S and an unprecedented ruling by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal in Canada detail how caste discrimination operates in the diaspora.
Proponents of “Hinduphobia” claim to be victims of those who speak out against the right-wing ideology of Hindu nationalists and the violent caste system. Caste and Hindu supremacists falsely portray themselves as victims of “Hinduphobia” to distract attention from horrifying atrocities against Dalits, Indigenous Peoples (Adivasis), Muslims, Kashmiris, Sikhs, and Christians. This serves to vilify human rights advocates, while creating confusion amongst the broader public about being labelled as “Hinduphobic” if they speak out for human rights.
People of Indian origin in North America do face racist and xenophobic abuse that must be condemned. However, this discrimination is often based on racialization as immigrants, not based on religious beliefs. Where it is based on religious beliefs, South Asians who are Muslim or Sikh are most likely to face discrimination. More Muslims have been killed in targeted hate attacks in Canada than any other G-7 country in the past five years because of pervasive systemic Islamophobia.
“Hinduphobia” is a manufactured reverse-racism-type narrative, deployed to delegitimize the fight against casteism and the oppression of minorities in and by India. This dog-whistle campaign does not serve racial justice, it actually weakens it by maintaining Hindu nationalism and caste supremacy. Human rights protections and anti-discrimination laws are meant to eliminate systemic power relations. The narrative of “Hinduphobia” does the opposite; it grants even more power to those with power and maintains oppression.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Earlier this month, the South Asian Dalit and Adivasi Network wrote a detailed letter to all MPs across Canada urging them to reject any attempts to recognize “Hinduphobia.” They rightly explain that such a move “will have a disastrous impact on the safety of religious minorities, caste-oppressed communities and human rights defenders in Canada, India and beyond.”
It is evident that India’s far-right Hindu nationalist government might go as far as committing transnational assassination to suppress dissent. Leaders of all political parties have vowed to stand up to the Indian government in their investigation into the murder of Nijjar. If they are truly concerned about justice and accountability, our political leaders must also staunchly stand against the nefarious, chilling-effect of “Hinduphobia.”
M. V. Ramana is professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia.Harsha Walia is a Punjabi Sikh author and works in an organization to end gender-based violence in B.C.
