By Pavan Korada
Hyderabad: Over three years ago, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), which purports to represent all Hindus in North America, filed a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit against activists, academics and journalists.
This report provides a brief overview of HAF’s lawsuit, an examination of their claims, and how they inadvertently and unwisely disclosed significant details about their funding and functioning. While claims they made about reduced financial support due to public criticism were not supported by their financial records, other claims – like them not always supporting the current Indian government – do not match what HAF leaders have stated in public earlier.
Background and context
The HAF has recently commenced a defamation lawsuit against several activists and academics. These include Sunita Viswanath and Raju Rajagopal of Hindus for Human Rights, and Rutgers University professor Audrey Truschke, among others. The lawsuit pertains to allegations made in two Al Jazeera articles. These articles suggested that federal COVID-19 relief funding received by HAF and other organisations could potentially be used to further a hate campaign against minorities in India.
In early 2021, Audrey Truschke initiated research on US-based Hindu nationalist groups, including the HAF. Al Jazeera published two articles by Kashmiri journalist and Hindutva Watch founder Raqib Naik on April 2 and April 8, 2021. These articles detailed how HAF and other groups received $833,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds, implying these funds might be used to endorse Hindu nationalism. After the articles’ publication, HAF sent cease-and-desist letters to several individuals quoted in the articles on April 19, 2021. The recipients included Truschke, Rasheed Ahmed, Viswanath, Rajagopal and John Prabhudoss.
On May 7, 2021, HAF filed a defamation lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Initially, they sought $75 million in damages, which was later corrected to the jurisdictionally minimum amount of $75,000. The lawsuit targeted Viswanath, Ahmed, Prabhudoss, Rajagopal and Truschke. Naik was added as a co-conspirator. Over 300 prominent writers, academics, and scholars have criticised the lawsuit, arguing that it attempts to suppress free speech and silence dissent.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
