New Delhi: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has sued the California Department of Civil Rights in the US for alleged misrepresentation of Hindu beliefs and practices by saying that the caste system and caste-based discrimination are integral parts of Hindu teachings.
The advocacy group says by doing so, the California Department of Civil Rights violated the First Amendment rights of Hindus living in California.
As per a press note, the Foundation stated that it had taken the Department (and therefore the state of California) to court this past September 22 for acting “unconstitutionally” in its case alleging caste discrimination occurring at Cisco Systems by “seeking to define what Hindus believe and decide how they practice their religion”.
“HAF’s lawsuit states that the Department of Civil Rights (formerly known as Department of Fair Employment and Housing) wrongly asserts ‘that a caste system and caste-based discrimination are integral parts of Hindu teaching and practices by declaring the caste system to be a ‘strict Hindu social and religious hierarchy’, which requires discrimination by ‘social custom and legal mandate,” said the press note.
“Throughout its two decades of existence, HAF has consistently maintained caste discrimination is wrong, and that any discrimination is neither ‘core’ nor legitimate parts of Hindu and religious beliefs, teachings, or practices, nor condoned,” Samir Kalra, HAF’s managing director said.
He said while California may be known today for its progressive politics and emphasis on equity, “the state has a dark history of passing shamefully xenophobic and racist laws such as Foreign Miner’s Tax or the Alien Land Laws.”