Close X
Sunday, January 12, 2025
ADVT 
International

My Meetings With PM Modi Highlighted: Tulsi Gabbard Alleges ‘Profiling’

Darpan News Desk IANS, 29 Jan, 2019 09:36 PM

    Democratic presidential aspirant Tulsi Gabbard has alleged that she had become a victim of "religious bigotry" and some media outlets were targeting her and accusing her supporters, who have Hindu names, of being Hindu nationalists.

     

    Ms Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, wrote an op-ed for the Religious News Services on Sunday, describing the campaign against her, supporters and donors as "profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis".

     

    The 37-year-old had on January 11 announced that she would be running for the White House in 2020.

     

    In the hard-hitting piece, Ms Gabbard pointed out to the accusation against her of being a Hindu nationalist. "Tomorrow will it be Muslim or Jewish Americans? Japanese, Hispanic or African Americans?" she asked.

     

    "My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as 'proof' of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him," she said.

     

     

    "I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president," the four-term Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii said.

     

    "And, while the headlines covering my announcement could have celebrated this historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world's third-largest religion, some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters," Ms Gabbard said.

     

    Tulsi Gabbard said India was one of America's closest allies in Asia and is a country of growing importance in a critical region of the world.

     

    "The strategic partnership between our two countries has been a priority for several decades now. To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can only be rooted in one thing: 'religious bigotry'. I am Hindu and they are not," Ms Gabbard said.

     

    She referred to the attack against her in the past by political opponents. "Religious bigotry and attempt to foment fear of Hindus and other minority religions persist. During my 2012 and 2014 elections, my Republican opponent stated publicly that a Hindu should not be allowed to serve in the US Congress and that Hinduism is incompatible with the US Constitution," she said.

     

    In the 2016 race for Congress, her Republican opponent said repeatedly that a vote for her was a vote for the devil because of her religion, Ms Gabbard wrote.

     

    "Republicans like Ben Carson said in 2016 that a Muslim-American would be unqualified to serve as president. Democratic Senators have recently grilled and opposed Republican judicial nominees because of their connection to Catholicism," she alleged.

     

    These actions and attitudes not only undermine the Constitution, but also incite fear and force people into the shadows because of their religion, Ms Gabbard said.

     

    She said after her 2012 election, she made a personal decision to take "my congressional oath of office on the supreme yoga/Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna's teachings have provided wisdom and spiritual solace to me throughout my life, including when I was serving our country in the Middle East during the Iraq war."

     

    "Those who are trying to foment anti-Hindu sentiment expose the dark underbelly of religious bigotry in politics and must be called out. To advocate voting for or against someone based on religion, race, or gender is simply un-American," she said.

     

    Tulsi Gabbard had last September refused to be the chairperson of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago, citing her differences with its organisers who were seen close to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian-Origin Couple Slashed With Knife In UK Fruit Store Robbery

    Indian-Origin Couple Slashed With Knife In UK Fruit Store Robbery
    An Indian-origin couple were slashed in a knife-point robbery at their fruit and vegetable shop in Handsworth, in the West Midlands region of England.

    Indian-Origin Couple Slashed With Knife In UK Fruit Store Robbery

    Watch: Moment When Indian Naval Commander Abhilash Tomy Was Rescued By French Vessel

    Watch: Moment When Indian Naval Commander Abhilash Tomy Was Rescued By French Vessel
    Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the commander is “conscious and doing okay” after his ordeal.

    Watch: Moment When Indian Naval Commander Abhilash Tomy Was Rescued By French Vessel

    Not All Are Terrorists: Pak On India Objecting To Burhan Wani Stamps

    Not All Are Terrorists: Pak On India Objecting To Burhan Wani Stamps
    Pakistan Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi said India used incidents that happened in July to cancel peace talks that it agreed to in September.

    Not All Are Terrorists: Pak On India Objecting To Burhan Wani Stamps

    Egyptian Man Gets Arrested In Saudi Arabia For Having Breakfast With A Woman

    Egyptian Man Gets Arrested In Saudi Arabia For Having Breakfast With A Woman
    An Egyptian man working as a hotel receptionist in Saudi Arabia was recently arrested after posting a short video of himself having breakfast with a fully-veiled female co-worker on social media.

    Egyptian Man Gets Arrested In Saudi Arabia For Having Breakfast With A Woman

    German Triathlete Banned From Japanese Buffet Restaurant After Gobbling Up 100 Plates Of Sushi

    German Triathlete Banned From Japanese Buffet Restaurant After Gobbling Up 100 Plates Of Sushi
    Jaroslav Bobrowski, a young Ironman triathlete from Germany, was recently banned by an-all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant for eating around 100 plates of food, something the owner considered "not normal" and very bad for business.

    German Triathlete Banned From Japanese Buffet Restaurant After Gobbling Up 100 Plates Of Sushi

    PICS: Indian-American Escapes Unhurt As Small Plane Crash-Lands On His Car In Texas

    PICS: Indian-American Escapes Unhurt As Small Plane Crash-Lands On His Car In Texas
    The small aircraft faced some mechanical glitches and as a result, collided with several vehicles as it tried to make an emergency landing in Texas. One such car was a Tesla and the man thanked God and his vehicle after they managed to exit without a scratch.

    PICS: Indian-American Escapes Unhurt As Small Plane Crash-Lands On His Car In Texas