Awareness of Hindu issues on rise [in the U.S.], activists say

[Guest guest]

Awareness of Hindu issues on rise [in the U.S.], activists say

By Todd R. Brown

09/27/2007

 

Fremont [California]

In their South Asian homeland, Hindus are more than 800

million strong, yet Indians overall make up less than 1

percent of the U.S. population with about 1.7 million

people.

 

Still, recognition of Hindu Americans and the issues they

face is on the rise, according to an advocacy group co-

founded by Fremont resident Mihir Meghani.

 

" Four years ago, a congressman - I won't name him -

asked us if we were Shias or Sunnis, " said Meghani, an

emergency room physician and president of the Hindu

American Foundation.

 

" Now we're on the hill, on Capitol Hill. There is a more

basic understanding of who we are. "

 

The Maryland-based group recently held its fourth annual

legislative meetings in Washington, D.C., which included

talks with U.S. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, and a reception

that had record attendance and drew its first senator.

 

" We're really educating policymakers, " Meghani said.

" We're not a lobbying group. I'm working on more

eloquently passing on the message (of) how similar Hindu

and American ideals are - pluralism, tolerance and

understanding. "

 

Among the group's priorities is trying to prevent federal

immigration officials from tightening the requirements for

R-1 visas for religious workers, an idea that already seems

to be keeping Hindu temple builders out of the country.

 

" It used to be overarching, " said Ishani Chowdhury,

executive director of the foundation. " If you were a Hindu

or Jain or Muslim you

 

could apply. Now they're defining it as more of a Judeo-

Christian priest. We want ... to incorporate Eastern

terminology. "

Chowdhury said construction of a temple in Hawaii is on

hold because several shilpi - stone carvers who sculpt

traditional Hindu temple elements - have been denied the

visas.

 

" That's an ancient deal, " said Chander Puri, a volunteer at

the Fremont Hindu Temple near Grimmer Park. " All the

temples have those statues, the deities. "

 

The federal government argues that a crackdown is

necessary because a 1999 assessment of the visa program

found a 33 percent fraud rate among applications.

 

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that

religious organizations file 22,338 religious worker petitions

a year.

 

While the foundation is asking Congress to pressure

immigration officials to widen the scope of the definitions,

Meghani said his group also is seeking House and Senate

resolutions on Diwali, the festival of lights, which takes

place in November and celebrates the victory of knowledge

over ignorance.

 

" This is about recognizing the importance of Diwali to

Hindu, Jain and Sikh Americans, " he said, " recognition that

our community has come of age, that this is an important

festival for us. Every year, we're seeing more and more

support for it. "

 

The foundation plans a fundraising dinner Friday night at

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Milpitas to

encourage community building across ethnic lines. A

University of Hawaii associate professor of religion is slated

as the keynote speaker.

 

Meghani said his group has formed several interfaith

coalitions, including one with the New York-based

American Jewish Committee, to foster awareness.

 

" A lot of the Jewish groups have helped us out a lot, " he

said. " We're still relatively small. For them to understand

the importance of our group and community, we've really

been honored by that. "

 

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