Hindu Americans urge FBI to track religious hate crimes

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Press Trust of India

Hindu Americans urge FBI to track religious hate crimes
PTI
Washington, December 31, 2012

Expressing shock and sorrow at the death of an Indian man Sunando Sen last week, Indian Americans have asked the Department of Justice and FBI to separately track hate crimes against various religious communities in the country. "Such a violent and hateful attack on any individual, especially because of religious hatred is completely unconscionable in any society" said Suhag Shukla, executive director and legal counsel for the Washington-headquartered Hindu American Foundation (HAF).

"We need the Department of Justice (DOJ) to have a separate Hindu category to track anti Hindu hate crimes and urge Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to implement to raise the profile," Hindu American Seva Communities (HASC) said in a statement.

Police have arrested 31-year-old Erika Menendez in connection with the case in New York, and charged her with second-degree murder as a hate crime.

The defendant reportedly targeted 46-year old Sen out of hatred for Hindus and Muslims.

Menendez pushed an unsuspecting Sen on to the subway tracks in front of an oncoming train at a Queens station as he was waiting on the platform on the night of December 27.



Read more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/NorthAmerica/Hindu-Americans-urge-FBI-to-track-religious-hate-crimes/Article1-983062.aspx

[daschess1987]

1. The absolute only reason to judge anyone is by how that person treats you and/or your loved ones

including your pets (of course).

[Tx4obama]

2. I think in this case it's more of a mental health issue than a hate crime. See DU link below

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022101725

[JI7]

3. most of the hate crimes against hindus are because people think they are muslim

if they want to make things better they would do better to speak out against all bigotry .

(don't they already keep track of various hate crimes?)

[dipsydoodle]

4. That became obvious shortly after 9/11 in the US

much to the disbelief of us here in the UK.

[JI7]

5. why were you in disbelief over it ?

i wasn't old enough to remember the times during the iran hostage crisis but heard from some that hindus/indians(in america) were attacked during that.

not just hindus but sikhs also. the problem is just bigotry either way. none of these attacks would have been ok if it was against someone muslim.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Maybe you're just not used to mixed Asian / European communities

the way in which we are here. I've used the expression Asian / European to allow for the fact that over there , for whatever reason , you use Asian to describe anyone from the continent of Asia whereas we don't us it in that way. If I referred to anyone here who was Chinese or from say Kazakhstan as "Asian" they'd be really pissed.

In some respects here we could if need be distinguish between Muslims and "Asians / Indian sub continent only" in general but we don't have any cause to do so. Its worth bearing in mind too that most of our "Asians" were born here and as such are as english as I am - the background to that being that the highest levels of immigration by their parents was the Sikhs 1948 and the Hindus & Muslims in the '70's when Idi Amin kicked them all out of Uganda.