Name: Why white supremacists and Hindu nationalists are so alike
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Why white supremacists and Hindu nationalists are so alike

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Over the last few years, especially after ‘s victory in the 2016 US presidential election, we have been witnessing&nbsp;across and the . While the shift towards extreme right alarmed many across the world, far-right ideologues of the Trumpian era swiftly found support in a seemingly unlikely place: .&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the 1930s, German nationalists embraced the 19th-century theory that Europeans and the original Sanskrit speakers of India who had built the highly developed Sanskrit civilisation – which white supremacists wanted to claim as their own – come from a common Indo-European, or Aryan, ancestor. They subsequently built their racist ideology on the assumed superiority of this “pure” race.&nbsp;&nbsp;180923150942147&nbsp;In November, the government of the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is led by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),&nbsp;, where the historic Babri Masjid was illegally demolished by Hindu nationalists in 1992. Only a month earlier, the same government pulled off a ,&nbsp;having a helicopter drop off indiv.The far right in the US, Europe and – emboldened by the electoral success of ultra-nationalist parties and individuals across the globe – aspire for a future in which secular protections are abandoned in favour of a system that favours the majority and protects the “white Christian identity” that they believe their nations were founded upon.The same happened in India after Hindutva officially became the governing ideology in the country. Over the past few years,&nbsp;countless Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus&nbsp;, assaulted and even killed&nbsp;for allegedly killing cows&nbsp;and many Muslims were targeted for allegedly participating in so-called ““.170417091306518Instead, the idea that India is a “Hindu nation” is being accepted as a given by the majority of liberals. The fact that India’s constitution defines the state as “secular” is being ignored, and Hindu nationalism is being presented as a benevolent movement despite ample evidence to the contrary.White vegans in the West, for example, over the decision by several Indian states to ban the consumption of beef, without bothering to understand what these laws would mean for Muslims and Dalits who had already been suffering at the hands of so-called “cow vigilantes”. Animal rights and veganism advocate PETA has in fact gone further and vegetarians who consume milk in India for “supporting the beef industry”, thus playing into the communal politics of food in India.Hindus themselves, both in India and abroad, also need to take action and raise their voices against the abuses that are being committed in their names. One such organisation already exists for diaspora Hindus in North America: Sadhana. It is a coalition of progressive Hindus based in New York City, seeks to stop the use of Hindu thought for the purposes of misogyny, queerphobia, Islamophobia and white supremacy.However, Hindu nationalism cannot be defeated by Hindus alone. People around the world who engage with and comment on the Indian culture on a regular basis, including sub-urban Yoga mums in the US and vegan activists in Europe, should educate themselves on the secular nature and diverse identities of India. They need to join the resistance against the oppression and abuse of the country’s minorities and stop perpetuating the Hindu-nationalist myth that India is a “Hindu nation”.&nbsp;The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Over the last few years, especially after ‘s victory in the 2016 US presidential election, we have been witnessing&nbsp;across and the . While the shift towards extreme right alarmed many across the world, far-right ideologues of the Trumpian era swiftly found support in a seemingly unlikely place: .&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the 1930s, German nationalists embraced the 19th-century theory that Europeans and the original Sanskrit speakers of India who had built the highly developed Sanskrit civilisation – which white supremacists wanted to claim as their own – come from a common Indo-European, or...

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Aadita Chaudhury

Hear the human story and join the discussion. We go beyond cold facts and bring to light what matters. For breaking news alerts, follow @AJENews.

Why white supremacists and Hindu nationalists are so alike

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