Opinion: Why New York Times Apologized to Irish But Not Hindus
Rahul Chandra is an executive board member of World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) and has been working for global Hindu empowerment at social – political levels in America and internationally since past decade. A businessman and entrepreneur, he is currently Sr. director and vice president at Delaware based technology firm VHS Corp Inc.
Days earlier in California, six students of Irish origin and one Irish American died when the apartment balcony they were standing on collapsed. Days later New York Times published a racially motivated article on how J1 Visa system is being exploited by Irish students from Europe and the ruckus they create in America. The racially motivated article at this time of misery resulted into an anguish and protest against NYT in the Irish American community and Irish people worldwide. Days later New York Times published an apology to Irish people about the ill timed and ill motive article.
Now it’s not the first time that the ‘5 Star Activists’ Editorial board of New York Times has insulted an immigrant community in time of grief. It’s in the DNA of New York Times to insult immigrants communities, their culture and traditions by publishing blasphemous content and cheap selling stories. Hindus and Hinduism have been a constant target of New York Times – whether it’s ‘Yoga & Sex Scandal’, Blasphemy content on Hindu scriptures or defamation of Hindu saints and seers in America and New York times has been very prompt and persistent in anti-Hindu publishing since decades. Many Hindu leaders and organizations did complain to New York Times editorial board with facts and figures on their anti-Hindu community publishing. Unfortunately their editors never apologized to American Hindu community.
Why? Because just like India based main stream media knows the depth and level of political & activist power of Hindus of India have, New York Times is well aware of the shortcomings and taken for granted and carefree attitude of majority Hindus in America when it comes to defamation of Hinduism and associated components.
NYT is aware of the fact that unlike the Irish Ambassador to the United States, there is no Indian Ambassador or any American Hindu political leader who will raise a strong objection to anti-Hindu or anti-Hinduism publishing. As a matter of fact when NYT once published an insulting anti India article last year, there was a call made out to New York – New Jersey – Washington DC based Hindu community (Tri State they say) to boycott NYT, but that call didn’t make any impact. Taken for granted attitude (‘Sab Chalta Hai’) is one major reason why Hindus face persecution worldwide. No doubt Hindus were quickly enslaved for 1200 years by occupying British and Islamic forces. It was because of their apathy for such defamation and fellow Hindu brothers who fight for Hindu cause.
This is because there is no office of a political organization in power or substantial leadership on this earth (representing one sixth Hindu humanity) who will sign an official objection to political and racially motivated persecution of Hindus. No one did when Hindus were persecuted in Kashmir, no one is bothered with the current inhumane persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Unlike Vatican, Dubai and Israel, there is no country or piece of land governed by a leadership which can say “Our country and the Hindus who live here protest your assault on Hindus and we will keep protesting it with all power vested within us at world platform until justice is delivered”
Despite of three million Hindus and hundreds of Hindu organizations operating on the landscape of America, members of majority Hindu organizations lacks the skill and courage to fight anti-Hindu journalism exhibited by NYT. Though Hindus are one of the most educated and affluent community in America, they are a politically weak community and their influence on White House, Senate and Congress is microscopic.
This can be measured from that fact that a handful of leftists and Islamists activists in America were able to defeat the hundreds of Hindu organizations backed activists in America on the Indian PM Narendra Modi Visa for nearly a decade. It was only when Narendra Modi became Indian PM that such voices were compressed officially because of diplomatic reasons. Similar case is with NYT, where a handful of India and Hindu haters are able to develop, publish and circulate defamatory content on Hindus with no regret.
One reason is the lack of mentorship programs prevalent at many Hindu organizations to develop and skill Hindu activists to fight the mighty Leftists – Islamist and Ultra -Christian forces in America. While ninety nine percent Hindu organizations in America are ‘Bhakti Yoga’ (Devotional) based organizations who are busy in Yoga, devotional songs and festival celebrations. Countering Leftists – Islamist and Ultra -Christian forces is totally out of scope agenda for them.
The remaining Hindu social organizations have failed to bring up robust and mature Hindu activists capable of ideological fighting the well fed, skilled and defined forces of Leftists – Islamists and Far right Christians. There are many reasons for such failure. Affluent Hindu families are scared of organizations with ‘Hindu’ word ( a serious identity crises American Hindus face). They see ‘Hindu’ word organizations a radical as if they are collecting funds to drop an Atom bomb on Pakistan.
Once in an interview to me Dilip Mehta (a Sr. American Hindu leader) said “FBI and IRS keep line item (granular) level detailed data of all organizations in US, never in the history of America any ‘Hindu’ word titled organization has been persecuted of supporting any activity contrary to American laws, Hindus need to come out openly and support organizations with Hindu empowerment agenda rather than just focus on their regional community agenda (Bengali, Brahmins, Punjabi etc), such behavioural differences are because of identity crises which Hindus have in America”.
The inclusion of many Hindu businessman at top leadership of Hindu organizations is also damaging Hindu defence systems in America. The whole equation of Intellectuals driving organizations, activists operating it and businessman funding projects has been diluted. The dependency on Hindu business houses is aggravating in America as most middle class and affluent Hindus are suffering from Hindu identity crises and are least bothered about American Hindu cause. As a result of this non involvement of working and professional class crowd funding operations for such ‘mature activist building’ programs has failed and dependency has increased on few affluent Hindus who take utmost advantage of such financial helplessness.
While a large number of Hindu business nor support or are interested in Hindu cause, few past donors, occupy key leadership posts in American Hindu social organizations, Later develop a strong distaste for Hindu intellectuals as their intellectual and far sighted advice disturbs his self imposed philosophy ” I got money, I am the intellectual and rest all are fools, so my way or highway” .
This attitude has resulted in serious confrontation among the American Hindu intellectual community and selective Hindu business man. In some cases this confrontation has even resulted in filing of legal cases for petty subjects for geographic and organizational dominance. The reason being most Hindu businessman suffers from ideological incoherence and lack insight into such defamatory issues – as such foresight comes with years of reading, research and ground work which intellectual has but businessman lacks.
Now in the scenario of Leftist, Islamists right Christian attack what happens is that the when the philosophically assaulted society approaches Hindu organizations, the Hindu businessman sitting at top leadership position hides behind curtains and is now confused ‘What To Do’ – ‘How To Do’ , as he neither has the skills to counter organized activism of Leftists nor is he willing to take lead and risk exposing him and his business in public to such ‘ideological’ wars. Later after feeling helplessness, he turns to Hindu intellectuals, but they are already upset as they were previously confronted and made less important.
More over many Hindu intellectuals have in a long hard way realized that such Hindu businessman tactic is simple – When it comes to deadly ideological confrontation, push forward the intellectual at his own risk but during rewards and appreciation project self as Hindu hero and community saviour. Thus in the end no one is left to counter ‘ideological’ persecution and the whole show from Hindus part looks like a ‘Mickey Mouse’ episode which Leftists, Islamists and far right Christians cherish a lot.
In my opinion if Hindus want anti-Hindu editorial board of NYT dominated by Leftists – Islamists and far right Christians apologize for the decades of anti-Hinduism content they publish, they should first come out of their regional community Indian organization scope, not suffer from ‘Hindu’ phobia identity crises, join and fund organizations with ‘Hindu’ word. This mass funding will result in less dependency on Hindu business houses, thus deploying more intellectuals at leadership positions.
Hindu organizations also should in their programs should appoint intellectuals in program steering committees and let Hindu businessman financially support projects rather than controlling it.
Affluent Hindus should respect, regard and allow Hindu intellectuals to operate freely and listen to their advice and suggestions. Apart from Yoga, weekly parade and devotional festival celebrations, Hindu organizations should develop, support and train focused hardened Hindu activists, writers and leaders who can counter the mighty Leftists – Islamists and Far Right Christian anti-Hindu empire in America in the language and action they understand and succumb to. There are only 7-10 ‘Super’ Hindu activists in entire N American region as compared to 100 – 150 ‘Super’ anti-Hindu activists (Indian PM calls such activists ‘5 Star’ activists. The geometric ratio being 1:20. Population, affluence and education is not helping American Hindus whose ‘idea logical’ protects stands 1 is to 20 in opposition.
“Today our temples are being attacked in Dallas, Seattle and Carolinas by anti-Hindu racist forces in America, tomorrow it’s you. Attack on Hindu temples is an omen of Hindu persecution “ – Rahul Chandra
Source: WHN Media Network