RSS chief’s visit to US denounced as ‘goodwill tour’ for Hindu nationalism

An lawsuit successful New York City featuring a salient Hindu nationalist is being promoted arsenic an invitation to nonstop a affirmative connection that “the satellite is 1 family”.

But an array of religion groups, advocacy organisations and unprivileged-caste organisations accidental they are not convinced. They fear Saturday’s rally, held astatine Madison Square Garden, is alternatively a high-profile effort to whitewash a grounds of favoritism and violence.

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At contented is the Universal Oneness Celebration, hosted by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, a nonprofit that purports to beforehand “greater bid and harmony”.

One of its keynote speakers, however, volition beryllium Mohan Bhagwat, the person of the Hindu paramilitary organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His organisation has been accused of embracing discriminatory policies and stoking unit against minorities, including India’s Muslim, Christian and Sikh populations.

Protests are expected extracurricular Madison Square Garden to denounce Bhagwat’s appearance.

“This is simply a question that has normalised mob unit against Muslims, attacks connected Muslim men successful relationships with Hindu women and the bulldozing of Muslim homes,” said Safa Ahmed, a Muslim assemblage organiser successful North Carolina who has travelled to New York to articulation the protests.

She told Al Jazeera she is sceptical astir the lawsuit organisers’ claims astir embracing the satellite arsenic “one family”.

“They whitethorn talk astir unity, but it’s successful stark opposition with the bloody world faced by minorities successful India,” she said.

Overseas outreach

Advocates accidental that Hindu nationalist groups are moving to grow their influence in the United States, wherever astir 2.5 cardinal Hindus live.

To bash that, they person utilised a assortment of appeals to soften the representation of the RSS, specified arsenic celebrations of Hindu civilization and campaigns to highlight anti-Hindu discrimination.

Sravya Tadepalli, the lawman enforcement manager of Hindus for Human Rights, sees Saturday’s rally arsenic portion of that trend. Her radical opposes the event.

“This is benignant of a goodwill circuit to amended the nationalist representation of the RSS, which is simply a fascist paramilitary organisation that has engaged successful decades of communal unit against spiritual minorities successful South Asia,” Tadepalli told Al Jazeera.

“The organisations down this person pitched it arsenic a wide entreaty to Hindu past with an accent connected inclusivity when, successful reality, the RSS advocates for the nonstop opposite.”

Critics person pointed out, however, that Hindu nationalists person besides sought to cultivate links with the planetary far-right, emphasising a shared content successful the purported threats posed by Islam and secular elites.

The RSS is wide considered the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has ruled India since 2014 and sought to remake the state on Hindu nationalist lines.

In remarks to the 2024 National Conservatism Conference successful Washington, DC, BJP Vice President Ram Madhav said that conservatives successful the West should presumption India arsenic an illustration of however to decision what helium called the “left, liberal, Marxist, extremist Islamist cabal”.

The Modi model

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who entered authorities arsenic an RSS cadre earlier becoming the caput of the BJP, has championed Hindu nationalism passim his leadership.

Like Bhagwat, helium has besides taken his connection connected the road, to talk to overseas supporters successful the US.

In September 2019, for instance, the premier curate addressed a assemblage of 50,000 astatine a “Howdy, Modi!” rally successful the authorities of Texas.

The lawsuit underscored Modi’s entreaty among Indians surviving overseas and was 1 of the largest specified events successful US history. US President Donald Trump, different far-right leader, adjacent joined Modi connected stage.

But specified appearances were arguable too. Before becoming premier curate successful 2014, Modi was banned from entering the US due to the fact that of his enactment during a 2002 massacre of Muslim residents successful the authorities of Gujarat.

Modi faced accusations of turning a unsighted oculus to the slayings and adjacent offering his support.

Even arsenic helium faces protests, though, Modi remains enormously fashionable successful India, consistently ranking arsenic 1 of the astir fashionable leaders successful the world. A survey this period from the mag India Today recovered that helium is besides the apical prime for premier curate successful India, contempt slipping support ratings. 

Divided diaspora

Still, outreach campaigns to rehabilitate the representation of the RSS overseas person had constricted success.

For instance, a 2024 survey found that, portion Modi enjoyed near-majority enactment among Indian Americans for his show arsenic premier minister, 70 percent of respondents acknowledged that his rhetoric exemplified a increasing menace to minorities successful India.

Bhagwat’s planned quality astatine Madison Square Garden has likewise ignited statement implicit his arguable commentary and leadership.

In a connection connected Wednesday, the US Commission connected International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an autarkic inaugural wrong the national government, called for Bhagwat’s visa to beryllium revoked.

The committee warned that Bhagwat was “complicit successful spiritual state violations”, on with different RSS members and Indian officials.

“Religious state conditions successful India proceed to deteriorate arsenic unit and incitement are often utilized to people spiritual number communities,” said USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood. He urged the US to instrumentality targeted sanctions.

When questioned astir Bhagwat’s code astatine a quality league this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani besides spoke retired against the RSS’s messaging.

“It has been incredibly troubling to spot the emergence of a question that is predicated connected an exclusionary imaginativeness of immoderate country, frankly. And it is 1 that I find myself successful heavy absorption to,” Mamdani said, citing his individuality arsenic an Indian American.

He added that helium does not “support the rally” but said helium doubted the metropolis had the jurisdiction to cancel a backstage event.

Ahmed, the assemblage organiser from North Carolina, said she feels the backlash to Saturday’s lawsuit reflects a increasing conjugation successful the Indian diaspora — 1 that brings unneurotic Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and unprivileged-caste voices.

“There is simply a vocal number successful the diaspora and a new, emerging bulk who don’t judge successful the authorities of Modi and the RSS and who don’t privation to spot them summation traction here,” said Ahmed.

She predicted that Saturday’s lawsuit volition yet backfire. “I’m precise assured that Bhagwat volition beryllium met with a resounding rejection that helium is not welcome.”