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NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline JULY 02, 2021 | The Indian Eye 30
a coalition of 75 american hindu Temples and spiritual
Organizations Write to rutgers university expressing concerns
regarding professor audrey Truschke’s actions
The letter also expressed solidarity with Hindu students and pledged to stand by them.
Our Bureau cluding from the United States,
Canada, India, Guyana, Trini-
New Jersey
A
dad & Tobago, Nepal, Pakistan,
coalition of 75 Ameri- Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Ma-
can Hindu temples and laysia, and Singapore, among
organizations others.
spiritual
(including 17 from New Jersey) The letter comes against the
from across 20 states sent a letter backdrop of an ongoing con-
to Rutgers University today ex- troversy at Rutgers University,
pressing anguish and concerns where Professor Truschke has
regarding Professor Audrey continued to make disparaging
Truschke’s actions and state- comments about Hindu texts,
ments. The letter, coordinated deities, and festivals while de-
by the Coalition of Hindus of nouncing concerns from Hindu Hindu sacred texts or slanders develop a sense of cultural iden-
North America (CoHNA), in- and non-Hindu students and the Hindu deities while rationalizing tity – this includes lessons from
cluded some of the largest tem- broader Hindu community as such behavior as ‘academic free- the Bhagavad Gita, stories from
ples and spiritual organizations, the work of the “Hindu Right.” dom,’” remarked the letter. the Mahabharata and the Ra-
whose memberships include tens “We cannot help but feel in- The letter outlined Profes- mayana, chanting mantras, per-
of thousands of attendees from tensely hurt and abused when sor Truschke’s selective and out- forming classical dances, yoga,
diverse sectarian, social, ethnic, a professor uses her authority of-context usage of verses from learning how to offer puja and
and national backgrounds - in- and deliberately misinterprets Hindu texts to create false narra- much more.
tives about Hinduism and India, Thousands of yoga and spir-
peddle bigotry and Hindupho- itual centers around the coun-
bia and advance the idea that try derive inspiration from the
Hinduism rationalizes murder, Bhagavad Gita to live a life of
rape, and other social evils. “In well-being and peace. The letter
doing so, Professor Truschke de- also added how the sacred text
monizes Hinduism as inherently has inspired famous personali-
misogynistic, oppressive and sav- ties such as Gandhi, Albert Ein-
age,” added the letter. stein, Carl Jung, Henry David
“We are thankful to all the Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson,
temples and spiritual organi- Hermann Hesse, and T.S. Elliot.
zations who signed this letter While expressing support for
after hearing about Profes- academic freedom, the letter
sor Truschke’s statements and also condemned any violence
actions,” said Nikunj Trivedi, and threats of violence against
President of CoHNA. “This Professor Truschke, as such acts
letter demonstrates that there go against Hindu ethos. Howev-
is a broad and deep concern er, the letter also stated that big-
within the Hindu communi- otry and Hinduphobia on social
ty and a sense of sadness due media and in scholarship must
to the continued maligning of not be excused under the guise
our religious texts and deities.” of academic freedom, especially
The signatories shared how when such remarks can have an
thousands of Americans attend adverse impact on how Hindu
temple services and programs students are viewed on campus
daily, offer puja to Shri Rama by their peers. Surely, Rutgers
and Shri Krishna and embrace would not tolerate a professor
a path of devotion, self-realiza- using selective passages from
tion, and inner strength. Simi- sacred texts to advance Islam-
larly, many kids of all ages also ophobia, anti-Semitism, racism,
participate in temple programs or xenophobia. Hindus should
to learn about their heritage and be accorded the same treatment.
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