'Justice Department committed to engaging with Hindus', says US lawmaker

Washington, July 4 (IANS) The US Justice Department has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding its outreach to Hindu Americans in view of the rising threats posed by Hinduphobia and hate crimes against the community.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Indian American member of the House of Representatives, said the Justice Department conveyed its commitment at a briefing last week along with four other Indian American lawmakers, who are together called the 'Samosa Caucus' -- Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar.

They had called for the meeting in view of the rising incidents of vandalism at temples across the country.

“Last week’s meeting was an important starting point for addressing the threats posed by Hinduphobia as the rate of hate crimes across the nation grows and as American Hindus and their places of worship face harassment, vandalism, and even grave dangers,” Krishnamoorthi said.

“While the Department of Justice has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding its outreach to the Hindu American community, significant challenges remain as we continue to work to protect Hindus, and every other American community, from hate crimes.”

The Sherawali Temple in Hayward, California, was vandalised in January, barely a month after a similar incident at the Swaminarayan Temple in Newark, New Jersey.

Anti-India graffiti and a pro-Khalistan slogan were spray-painted on the California temple while a similar graffiti was left behind by the miscreants in the second instance.

The lawmakers had also expressed concern over the spread of misinformation about Hindus on social media platforms.

“We have observed an alarming increase in incidents of vandalism at houses of worship across the country, including at Hindu mandirs (temples),” the five lawmakers had written in a letter to the Justice Department in March.

"We, the undersigned Members of Congress of South Asian descent, write to request a briefing from the Department of Justice on the status of the investigations concerning these crimes to better understand the existing law enforcement coordination between local agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Civil Rights Division,” it added.

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