DoomsdaysCW<p>A Prayer, Chant and Protest Song: Faith Communities Must Resist Their <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Extremists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Extremists</span></a></p><p>by Sunita Viswanath, 30/Oct/2023</p><p>"It has been 23 days since the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Hamas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hamas</span></a> attack that took at least 1300 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Jewish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Jewish</span></a> lives, and since then, more than 8,000 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Palestinian" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Palestinian</span></a> lives have been taken by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Israeli" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Israeli</span></a> bombs. Half of them are children. The United States, along with many world powers, have given <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Israel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Israel</span></a> their blessing to 'defend' themselves against Hamas by bombing Palestinian civilians indiscriminately. </p><p>"In fact, the blessing of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/US" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>US</span></a> has come in the form of over $ 3.3 billion a year ($ 370 billion dollars since 1948.</p><p>"The US is now proposing to send $ 14.3 billion more in military aid.</p><p>"I am a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Hindu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hindu</span></a> American living in New York City, and my husband Stephan Shaw is a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JewishAmerican" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>JewishAmerican</span></a>. We are active in Jewish Voice For Peace and Hindus For <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HumanRights</span></a>, both activating faith communities to take on their respective extremists. While we see an increasing alignment of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WhiteNationalism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WhiteNationalism</span></a> in the United States, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Zionism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Zionism</span></a> in Israel, and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Hindutva" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hindutva</span></a> in the Indian context, my husband and I are part of inclusive movements of people working together in diverse coalitions for justice for all. </p><p>"One of the chants that echoed through Grand Central Station was, 'Never again for anyone, never again is now.' This, for us, is the most basic lesson of the Holocaust that many Jews seem to have forgotten.</p><p>"My pain as a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Hindu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hindu</span></a> has been that Hinduism has been hijacked by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HinduSupremacists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HinduSupremacists</span></a>, led by the likes of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NarendraModi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NarendraModi</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Adityanath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Adityanath</span></a>. They are entrenching the Hindu community in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/India" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>India</span></a> and abroad with a false sense of victimhood and danger from our <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Muslim" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Muslim</span></a> siblings, and increasing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Islamophobic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Islamophobic</span></a> sentiment. Under the current regime, India is being transformed into a Hindu rashtra (nation) where Muslims and other religious minorities are neither welcome nor safe. Protesting with thousands of Jews calling for a ceasefire in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Gaza" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Gaza</span></a> made me dream of a day when thousands – or even hundreds – of Hindus will gather to say ‘not in my name’ to violence committed by Hindu <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/supremacists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>supremacists</span></a>."</p><p>Full article:<br><a href="https://thewire.in/world/palestine-israel-zionism-hindutva" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">thewire.in/world/palestine-isr</span><span class="invisible">ael-zionism-hindutva</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JVP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>JVP</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JewishVoiceForPeace" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>JewishVoiceForPeace</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HindusForHumanRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HindusForHumanRights</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ReligiousExtremism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ReligiousExtremism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ReligiousFascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ReligiousFascism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IsraelPalestineConflict" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IsraelPalestineConflict</span></a></p>