LONDON: British Hindus have strongly objected to a leaked home office report which claims they are “extremist”, saying it is part of a fake narrative being pushed worldwide to demonise Hindus.
Trupti Patel, president of Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB), said the review to determine future UK govt counter-extremism policy, written by home office officials, which was leaked to think tank Policy Exchange last week, was part of a worldwide narrative of “anti-Hindu propaganda” similar to what Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard are facing in the US.
She said that in no way are Hindus in Britain “extremist”. She said HFB had conveyed its strong objection to the home office and demanded to see a copy of the report.
“We are a minority among minorities in Britain. We excel at what we do, we integrate and contribute. So as HFB, we have to make sure Hindus are not branded as extremists,” Patel said. “The Policy Exchange report is pushing a fake narrative that Hindutva caused the 2022 Leicester riots but there is no evidence that Hindus provoked the violence in Leicester. In fact, it was our temple, the Shivalaya, that was attacked,” she said.
The controversial “sprint”, commissioned by UK home secretary Yvette Cooper, sparked condemnation last week as it de-prioritised Islamism, and listed Hindu extremism as one of nine new types of extremism. The report made other controversial claims, such as that campaigning against grooming gangs or referring to two-tier policing is “far right”.
Security minister Dan Jarvis was summoned to the House of Commons to explain it and he confirmed ministers had rejected the report saying it was one of “many documents produced across govt that are not implemented”.
The Policy Exchange authors, in their analysis of the leak, wrote that “Hindu nationalist extremism was a factor in the 2022 Leicester riots and in other acts of intimidation” and said the UK govt is correct to place “Hindutva” under the spotlight.
Dipen Rajyaguru, director of diversity and equality at the Hindu Council UK, said “this report is at its best misinformed and biased and at its worst demonstrates a racist colonial mindset. Any attempt to equate Hinduism with extremism is not only misleading but also harmful. Hindus in the UK have faced increasing hate crimes, temple vandalism, and targeted attacks, especially after the Leicester riots.” Rather than acknowledging these concerns, the UK govt report risks demonising Hindus which could lead to discrimination and social alienation, he said.
He said the term Hindutva is often misrepresented. For many, it “signifies cultural pride” and not extremism.
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