As Introduced
135th General Assembly
Regular Session S. C. R. No. 6
2023-2024
Senator Antani
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To condemn Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry. 1
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING):
WHEREAS, Ohio is home to a significant Hindu American 2
population and dozens of Hindu temples, religious centers, and 3
cultural centers throughout the state; and 4
WHEREAS, Hinduism is one of the world's largest and oldest 5
religions with over 1.2 billion adherents in over 100 countries 6
that encompasses an array of diverse traditions and belief 7
systems with values of acceptance, mutual respect, and peace; 8
and 9
WHEREAS, The United States has welcomed more than four 10
million Hindus from all corners of the world and given them 11
better opportunities and the freedom to practice Hinduism, also 12
known as "Sanatana Dharma"; and 13
WHEREAS, Hindu Americans in Ohio represent diverse ethnic 14
backgrounds, including individuals of Indian, Pakistani, 15
Bangladeshi, Malaysian, Indonesian, Afghani, Nepali, Bhutanese, 16
Sri Lankan, Fijian, Caribbean, and European descent; and 17
WHEREAS, Ohio and our nation have greatly benefited from 18
Hindu Americans, especially through the Vedanta philosophy, 19
Ayurvedic medicine, classical Indian art, dance, music, 20
S. C. R. No. 6 Page 2
As Introduced
meditation, yoga, literature, and community service; and 21
WHEREAS, Hindus are primarily an immigrant community and 22
first started immigrating to the United States in the early 23
1900s, and came in increasing numbers after the lifting of the 24
Asian Inclusion Act of 1924 in 1943 and the abolishment of 25
quotas for immigrants based on national origin in 1965; and 26
WHEREAS, Despite their positive contributions to Ohio and 27
this nation, Hindu Americans face stereotypes and misconceptions 28
about their heritage and have been the targets of bullying, 29
discrimination, hate speech, and bias-motivated crimes; and 30
WHEREAS, Hindu American religious symbols have been 31
misunderstood, including the sacred swastika, which translates 32
to "all is well" in Sanskrit and has been used in religious 33
observances for over 4,000 years; and 34
WHEREAS, This misunderstanding and misappropriation has led 35
to frequent harassment of the Hindu American community; and 36
WHEREAS, In June 2021, the Understanding Hinduphobia 37
Initiative developed a working definition of Hinduphobia as "a 38
set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and 39
behaviors towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that 40
manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred;" and 41
WHEREAS, There have been documented instances of anti-Hindu 42
hate crimes against Hindu Americans over the last few decades in 43
many parts of the country, especially on college campuses, in 44
parallel with the rise of Hinduphobia; and 45
WHEREAS, According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 46
Hate Crimes Statistics Report, crimes targeting Hindu Americans 47
are on the rise; and 48
WHEREAS, In July 2022, a report released by Rutgers 49
University titled "Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of 50
S. C. R. No. 6 Page 3
As Introduced
Hinduphobia on Social Media," detailed how hate messages on 51
social media translate into real life threats for people of the 52
Hindu faith; and 53
WHEREAS, Two attacks occurred in August 2022, when vandals 54
twice broke into the grounds of a Hindu temple in Richmond Hill, 55
New York and repeatedly took a sledgehammer to a statue of 56
Mahatma Gandhi, while repeating anti-Hindu slogans. A week 57
later, a Hindu man ordering a bean burrito at a Taco Bell in 58
California was assaulted by a man who spit at him, mocked his 59
vegetarian diet, and let loose a flurry of invective. "You 60
f_____g ugly ass Hindu... Cow urine, that's what you shower in," 61
he screamed. Nearly simultaneously, a viral video shows a woman 62
in Texas approaching Hindu women of Indian origin, without 63
provocation, threatening to shoot them, yelling, "Go back to 64
India, we don't want you here, I hate you f_____g Indians." 65
WHEREAS, One out of three Hindu American students reported 66
that they have been bullied in school for their religious 67
beliefs according to the Hindu American Foundation's 2015 study 68
on bullying and bias against Hindu students; and 69
WHEREAS, Hinduphobia is exacerbated and institutionalized 70
by some in academia who support the dismantling of Hinduism and 71
accuse its sacred texts and cultural practices of violence and 72
oppression; and 73
WHEREAS, There have been attempts to institute 74
laws/policies across the country that target, racially profile, 75
and discriminate against Hindu Americans; now therefore be it 76
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 135th General 77
Assembly of the State of Ohio, condemn Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu 78
bigotry, and intolerance and declare Ohio as a place that 79
welcomes the diversity brought by Hindu Americans; and be it 80
further 81
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As Introduced
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly 82
authenticated copies of this resolution the news media of Ohio. 83