Georgia passes resolution condemning Hinduphobia, becomes first US state to do so

Washington: In a historic move, US Georgia Assembly has passed the first-ever resolution condemning Hinduphobia making it the first-ever US State to do so.

The legislation, notably, recognizes the contributions of Indian Americans and Hindu Americans in Georgia and calls out the rise of Hinduphobia around the country, the official Twitter handle of CoHNA (Coalition of Hindus of North America) said.

The Coalition of Hindus of North America is a grassroots advocacy and civil rights organization representing the Hindu community of North America.

The resolution passed by the Georgia legislature citing 'Understanding Hinduphobia Initiative' described Hinduphobia as "a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred."

"In a historic move, Georgia legislature passes the first-ever County Resolution condemning #Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry! The resolution recognized the contributions of Indian Americans and Hindu Americans in Georgia andcalled out the rising #Hinduphobia around the country. This trend has been documented by the @HinduphobiaConf and the research by @RutgersU and @ncri_io," the official Twitter handle of CoHNA tweeted.

The resolution further underlined that the American Hindu community has been a major contributor to diverse sectors such as medicine, science and engineering, information technology, hospitality, finance, academia, manufacturing, energy, retail trade, and so much more in the US.

"Hindu contributions of Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, arts, and more have enriched the cultural fabric and have been widely adopted in American society and enriched the lives of millions," it said.

The legislative delegation of Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta, home to one of the largest Hindu American and Indian American diaspora communities, made an effort to recognize #Hinduphobia and call for an end to anti-Hindu hate, the CoHNA wrote on Twitter.

Reps Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones from Forsyth County, a suburb of Atlanta that is home to one of Georgia's largest Hindu and Indian-American diaspora groups, presented the resolution.

Todd Jones is a State House Representative from District 25 (South Forsyth and North Fulton Counties), whereas Lauren McDonald is a Georgia representative from District 26.

Thanking the two US Reps, the CoHNA tweeted, "We thank@McDonaldGA26 and @turntotodd for their leadership in directing this Resolution. This was the joint effort of many lawmakers who have worked closely with the Hindu community in the great State of Georgia and we thank them all for this recognition."