Representative Image. / Pexels

While Hindu organizations and individuals (outlined in Part 4) strive to cultivate civic participation and cultural pride grounded in Sanatan Dharma, a parallel ecosystem operates with a singular focus: to delegitimize, defame, and dismantle that very effort. Cloaked in the language of human rights, academic freedom, and social justice, groups such as the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), Equality Labs, and their academic and political collaborators have built a coordinated infrastructure that targets Hindu identity as inherently oppressive. 

Part 5 (A) focuses largely on IAMC and HfHR, while the next installment, 5(B), will focus on the major “caste” issue and Equality Labs. Part 5 is not a random criticism, but it is an organized and deliberate cultural erasure of Bharat’s civilizational heritage.

Also read: Rutgers University Part 4: Custodians of Dharma — The Positive Impact of Hindu Organizations and Individuals

IAMC, HfHR, and the Hijacking of Human Rights Discourse

IAMC has become a leading voice in promoting narratives that portray Bharat as a fascist, theocratic regime. Through lobbying and media partnerships, it amplifies separatist and extremist positions while attacking democratic institutions and Hindu organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Despite its advocacy under the banner of "civil liberties," its actions consistently align with anti-Hindu sentiments. In states like Minnesota, IAMC has been visibly active—promoting controversial causes such as defunding police and normalizing Islamic religious broadcasts in public spheres, creating an environment of discomfort for Hindu and other communities alike. 

Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR)—despite “Hindu” in its name—is a textbook example of cultural appropriation turned subversion. Rather than protecting Hindu civil rights, it relentlessly vilifies Hindu festivals, community events, and public expressions of faith. Selective outrage is their modus operandi—turning a blind eye to the persecution of Hindus globally while portraying Hindus in Bharat and the diaspora as aggressors. HfHR also has its footprint in Minnesota because one of its co-founders, Sunita Vishwanathan, worked collaboratively with Professor Emeritus Rambachan. They participated in conferences focused on Hindu philosophy and ethics, including the controversial conference on “Dismantling Global Hindutva” discussed below.

HfHR’s affiliations with individuals like Audrey Truschke (Rutgers University) and other so-called  “Hindu scholars” have given a veneer of academic legitimacy to what is, in essence, ideologically driven activism. These scholars build careers on unsubstantiated claims and weaponize “academic freedom” to wage a campaign against Hindu thought and tradition.

Academic Collusion: The “Dismantling Global Hindutva” Conference

Perhaps the most egregious example of academic collusion is the 2021 "Dismantling Global Hindutva" conference. Deceptively marketed as a scholarly discussion, it was in truth an ideological inquisition. Backed by departments at prominent universities, the event silenced dissenting Hindu voices and institutionalized a narrow, prejudiced worldview under the guise of scholarly debate.

Rather than promoting intellectual diversity, such events foster fear among Hindu students and scholars—making them hesitant to express cultural or civilizational pride due to fear of professional retaliation. These institutions, while championing "diversity and inclusion," frequently exclude Hindus and silence their voices from that very promise.

Cultural Subversion: “Holi Against Hindutva” and the Assault on Tradition

Campaigns like "Holi Against Hindutva" illustrate the depths of cultural subversion.

Under the auspices of Students Against Hindutva Ideology (SAHI), closely affiliated with HfHR, the movement sought to malign a Hindu sacred festival, Holi. A symbol of unity and joy, and celebration of the spring harvest as a festival of color, was rebranded as instruments of political violence. These efforts strip millennia-old traditions of their meaning and reduce them to caricatures in the service of ideological agendas. This is not merely a cultural misunderstanding; it is intentional distortion. 

Academic Invasion and the Aftermath of the Rutgers Report

The Rutgers Report, a widely cited yet anonymous publication, typifies academic dishonesty. It represents a collective effort by unnamed authors to paint Hindutva and Hindu organizations as extremist threats, relying more on innuendo than evidence.

Recent incidents—such as faculty pushback at the University of Houston over a course on lived Hinduism, and a censorship case at a University of California campus—show that the problem is spreading. When students object to references to Bharat’s elected leaders as "nationalist threats," they are ignored or silenced. The author personally wrote to both institutions to no avail, except for a prefunctory response.

This pattern is not isolated. There exists a well-networked cabal of academics and activists across the country dedicated to propagating anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat narratives, often aided by university leadership eager to appease donors or grant-making bodies.

Conclusion: The Battle for Narrative Sovereignty

Parts 4 and 5 of this series reveal a sobering reality: this is not merely a political battle—it is a civilizational one.

On one side stand those who seek to honor, preserve, and modernize the timeless values of Sanatan Dharma. On the other hand, parts 5A and B are organizations and individuals who, under various guises, aim to dismantle Hindu identity, erase Bharat’s civilizational contributions, and delegitimize the Hindu diaspora’s voice.

The time for neutrality has passed. Hindu Americans must rise—not with hostility, but with clarity, conviction, and courage. This is a call not to defend politics, but to defend Dharma, culture, and truth.

NOTE: The author acknowledges the use of ChatGPT in researching topics and the meaningful improvement of content.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad)