April 5, 2005 > Hindu American Foundation Sheds Light on Hindu Plight

by Arathi Satish

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) National Executive Council gathered in Fremont for their biannual meeting the weekend of March 25-27. The highlight of the weekend was the dinner reception held on Saturday at the California Community Center. A cross-section of several community and interfaith religious leaders attended the reception and were able to meet with HAF's council members, learn about the organizations achievements and meet other supporters of the community.

A lamp was lit at the start of the evening in front of a statue of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles according to Hindus. This gesture represented HAF's aim to shed light on the obstacles facing Hindu Americans and to dispel the darkness of ignorance by promoting understanding, tolerance and pluralism.

A presentation regarding the foundation's ongoing Hindu Awareness Campaign was conducted during the dinner by Suhag Shukla, legal counsel for HAF and Aseem Shukla, a member of the board of directors. They spoke about the misrepresentation and bias in the media towards Hinduism, stressing that Hinduphobia exists at the national level. HAF is proactively working with media and educate elected officials in order to create awareness about the plight of Hindus in certain areas of the United States.

Formed two years ago, HAF is a human rights group that seeks to represent the voices of the two million Hindus living in the United States. It is not affiliated with any religious or political groups and opposes hate, discrimination, defamation and terror.

To learn more about the Hindu American Foundation visit www.hinduamericanfoundation.org.