An open letter to Trump-curious Hindu Americans
By Dr. Murali Balaji
My fellow Hindu Americans who are still undecided or possibly Trump curious:
This is arguably the most consequential election of our lifetime, one that will determine whether we will live in an America for the people by the people or an America that slides quickly towards sustained chaos and authoritarianism. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and yet I know some of you are still pondering voting for Donald Trump for reasons that have very little to do with his record. He is, after all, a fake billionaire who has lied, cheated, and conned Americans for most of his life.
There’s been a whisper campaign that has been amplified through social media and WhatsApp about how the Democrats are purportedly anti-Hindu and anti-India. Those rumors are partly based on some left-leaning cities passing resolutions of disapproval against India over Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), critical comments made by Democratic politicians, Hinduphobic attacks against Hindu Democrats, and a feeling by older Indian-American Hindus that the Democratic Party takes Indians and Hindus for granted.
Before I address those things, let me put a few things in context. I’m a proud Hindu American and have worked on the frontlines with Hindus on both sides of the political spectrum (and politicians for that matter) to make sure our community has a voice. The trauma of being bullied and ostracized for my faith was what drove me to help spearhead efforts to make classrooms and teaching materials more culturally competent.
I know what it’s like to be smeared. I’ve experienced the vitriol and the polemicals from members of the Desi community who have equated our religion with fascism, and other, let’s say, interesting ideas. I have friends who lost their jobs in academia for simply identifying as Hindu and engaging with the Hindu community. Those aren’t exaggerations, but they’re also not relevant to this election.
My dad left India shortly after Shyamala Gopalan did in the 1960s, driven in part by a very strong anti-Brahmin sentiment in Tamil Nadu. Also, for many folks in my dad’s position, the only way to pay for advanced college studies beyond a basic degree was to either bribe an admissions officer or convert to Christianity. He did neither. When he came to the United States, he experienced the kind of racism that cemented his feeling of being an irreconcilable other.
My dad’s pain drove me from a young age, and I’ve seen many in our Hindu community feel a deep sense of alienation, isolation, and shame over not being able to impart their sense of identity to their children and grandchildren. Our community has long been in the shadows of political participation, but in recent years, that shame many of my dad’s generation felt has morphed into a grievance for not being afforded the dignity of being recognized for trying to live their lives dharmically.
As that grievance metastasized, a man whose traits are an almost unbelievable combination of the most evil of the Kauravas and Hiranyakashipu (who was also a narcissist) beguiled some Hindu Americans — specifically Indian-born immigrants — into thinking he was a “big fan of Hindu.” Now, to hear some say it, Trump is supposedly a warrior of dharma who will save the country like Kalki avatar is prophesied to save the world. Their steadfast belief in Trump is in what he says, despite his actions having destructive consequences to Hindus of Indian and non-Indian origin, from attacks on refugees, immigration restrictions, and failing our Hindu healthcare workers.
To those of you who feel that Trump is a better option than Biden, or are leaning that way, my question is what in the last four years has given you any evidence of that? If you’re basing it purely on the perception of a U.S.-India bond accentuated by Trump’s shrill cameo at the Howdy Modi event last year, maybe this handy chart below could be useful:
Even if that’s not the sole reason, let me ask another question: for those of you committed to fighting Hinduphobia in our education system and our classrooms, do you really think President Trump cares? His education secretary has made it no secret of her desire to bring Christianity into our public schools, and many of his top backers are Evangelicals with strong ties to predatory proselytizing efforts in India and other countries with large Hindu populations.
I’ve had conversations with many of you about how to counsel your children who are bullied for their beliefs, or attacked because of a racist depiction in a textbook. Trump is the personification of the type of bully who attacks and shames your children in the classroom. Do you really want that kind of person leading this country for another four years? Or more importantly, do you think your children and grandchildren will feel safe as Hindus in Trump’s America?
On a larger scale, this president does not care about anyone or anything but himself. He throws his most loyal supporters under the bus, defames institutions, and even hates the religious segments that powered his surprising 2016 victory. What evidence do we have that he actually empathizes with Hindus?
On the other hand, let me just say a few words about Vice President Joe Biden, who I’ve covered as a journalist and had the pleasure of getting to know. Biden empathizes with anyone and everyone he meets, which is why his outreach to communities of color and religious minorities has been natural. It’s why he has so many prominent Hindu Americans (Dr. Vivek Murthy, Nisha Biswal, Sonal Shah, Amb. Rich Verma, Ravi Chaudhury, Nish Acharya, Arun Kumar, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Nishith Acharya, etc.) stumping for him, and why his AAPI outreach director is a Hindu. For people who keep asking me why there isn’t a page about Hindu Americans on Biden’s website, my response has been to point out that instead of just publishing a mere policy statement, the campaign has launched the first ever group dedicated specifically to reaching out to the Hindu American community, Hindu Americans for Biden. You can even attend events like the ones we have Friday and Sunday, and follow us on social media. And when you get a chance, send me Trump’s statement on Hindu America or any campaign-recognized groups that are working to reach out to Hindu Americans.
The point is, if this really is a decision between two candidates, then there really should be no competition. We have one candidate who has stayed true to his roots, is a man of faith, and will be an ally to a wide coalition. We may disagree with him from time to time, but we know he will listen to our concerns. We have another candidate who has no regard for democratic norms or any compassion for his fellow Americans, regardless of their background.
If you ultimately decide to support Trump, you can rationalize it however you wish and make your peace with Bhagavan. For me, voting for and supporting Joe Biden in any way I can isn’t just a matter of dharma. It’s about reminding myself that every time I hold my son, the scion of poor village Tamil Brahmins and indentured sugar plantation workers (slaves) taken to Guyana, that this country’s future has to be made better for him.
As for my dad, you can best believe that he is working the phones on behalf of the Biden campaign, making sure that Hindu Americans are mobilized to preserve the future of the country they call home and that they never have to deal with what he had to five decades ago.
Murali Balaji is the co-chair of Hindu Americans for Biden.
