Hindu American Foundation Responds to India West Letter Trivialising Hindu Americans Needs for Religious Workers

September 15, 2007

Author: Press Statement

Source: Hindu American Foundation

http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/media_letters_indiawest_r1.htm

Raju George C. Thomas’s recent letter to the editor entitled “Develop Domestic Religious Workers” was deeply disturbing for its blatant attacks on the Hindu community in the US.

By emphasizing the “Christian character of the U.S.” and the immigrants who are Christian or have converted to Christianity, Mr. Thomas explicitly asserts that one needs to be Christian or accept Christian values in order to be American. This is a highly dangerous and divisive message that ignores the fact that America is a multicultural and pluralistic society, not a Christian nation.

Mr. Thomas also claims that Hindus are trying to change the “Christian face” of America and “should learn to become more Americanized like other immigrants.” Contrary to Mr. Thomas’s beliefs, Hindu immigrants are well assimilated into American society, and the fact that Hindus choose to practice their religion by building temples does not make them any less American. Hindus, like all other religious groups in the U.S., have the right to construct temples to serve the needs of their community.

Although Mr.Thomas’s letter only singles out Hindus, it implicitly attacks all non-Christians in the U.S. who seek to preserve and express their religious identity.