Rethinking Representation: Confronting Academic and Media Bias Against the Indian Americans

Gaslighting the entire community on the basis of a perceived threat should be unacceptable in civilized society. The consequences of such actions are reminiscent of the dehumanization faced by the Jewish community in recent history. It is unfortunate that roots of ethno-religious hatred have begun seeping into everyday life in a manner that is contrary to American values. This calls for serious reflection and action.Recent unfortunate deaths of more than 10 children of Indian origin in a span of 2 months and yet no one wants to address troubling matter of growing Hindu phobia, and Hindu hate.  These unfortunate incidents underscore the seriousness of irresponsible and hateful rhetoric, which jeopardizes the safety of the Hindu community.

It is time for academia to reevaluate its approach by renaming several South Asian study departments to reflect their focus on Hindu and India hate. It is alarming to witness how these departments systematically violate the principles of academic freedom, targeting Hinduism and India under the guise of intellectual inquiry. The irony lies in their deceptive nomenclature, as they rarely address similar issues in other South Asian countries.Atrocities & rampant human rights violations in some of these countries are well known & even recognized by UN but the “brave” south Asian departments that can fight so called “evil” Hindutva forces somehow never even consider questioning these other countries in south Asia& their religions.  This obvious “targeting” of Hindus & India by academia, media etc is conveniently recognized as “academic freedom”. But if the focus is only on India, why mislead everyone by naming the department as “south Asian studies”? Another peculiar observation is that in academia, rules have changed for these so called south Asian studies “experts”. They are held to different standards than most other departments. Having a “formal” degree, even if just on paper, in history, social sciences or any such related subjects automatically gives them the privilege to reject truth from primary sources of information and yet be considered “expert” in the subject. Such is this privilege, that it allows them to take away basic rights enjoyed by all other religions, such as the constitutional right of “freedom of religion” & right of self-determination, acceptance of insider view as most authentic & standard interpretation and so on from Hindus. By eliminating the need to consult original documents for facts or do anything similar that usually is expected of any “expert”, they can evade the scrutiny. As for media, it is noteworthy how those who constantly complain about atrocities, authoritarianism, violation of civil rights and so on, selectively notice these issues only in one country &by only certain group of people but of course per new standards for these departments it is not considered bias or hatred.

We all value accountability but where is the accountability for these institutions - academic or otherwise, media, lawmakers & even some common individuals? Constant misleading slander of Academia & media about atrocities, authoritarianism, violation of civil rights to paint a very negative image without bothering about potential consequences should not be justified, especially since they focus only on one country in a particular region without bothering to find facts. As ignorantand careless as these institutions seem about handling such community’s safety and other concerns in such matters, it is also irresponsible of them to shield these hate campaigns in the name of academic freedom and intellectual inquiry. We are all for academic freedom, but shouldn’t academic dishonesty and irresponsible journalism have consequences in civilized society? Academic freedom should not serve as a shield for hate campaigns or misinformation.Any academic study or research paper coming out of academic institutions should be open for fact checking, content that can be verified and supported with data and science. It is as if there is no place for scholarship in society anymore. Academic freedom should not come at the expense of someone's identity or dignity. It is imperative to flag factual errors and misinformation, demanding corrections when necessary.Flagging factual errors and misinformation or asking for a correction of a fake narrative are all perfectly reasonable and legitimate actions. As someone summarized it, “There is nothing liberal, intelligent, enlightening, civilized or progressive about shutting down someone because you don’t want to hear their opinions. Who are you to decide who should and shouldn’t be heard?” Truth is, no such comments, articles and papers, books etc. containing factually incorrect and hateful information are never accepted against other religions, even if it means denying academic freedom, except for Hinduism. Academic and media dishonesty has serious consequences for its subjects, especially when “victims” are “chosen”, rather than determined based on clear evidence. Denying real victims, the opportunity to express their suffering and healing is a grave injustice that cannot be tolerated.