Atlanta: The Georgia Assembly in the United States has become the first American State to adopt such a legislative move, denouncing Hinduphobia.
Hinduism is one of the oldest and largest religions in the world, with more than 1.2 billion followers in more than 100 nations. The resolution condemning Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry noted that Hinduism encompasses a variety of diverse traditions and belief systems with values of acceptance, mutual respect, and peace.
The resolution was introduced by Representatives Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones from Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta, home to one of the largest Hindu and Indian-American diaspora communities in Georgia.
The first-ever Hindu Advocacy Day, held on March 22 at the Georgia State Capitol, was arranged by the Atlanta branch of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), who took the initiative in this respect. A total of 25 lawmakers, including Republicans and Democrats, joined the Hindu community to learn about their concerns, make a commitment to develop measures to protect them from discrimination, and facilitate the participation of Hindu voices in significant state decision-making processes.
“It was a true honor to work with Rep McDonald and Rep Jones as well as other lawmakers who guided us through the whole process of getting this County Resolution passed,” said Rajeev Menon, CoHNA vice president.
“We also heard that all the lawmakers had been working really long hours given the amount of legislative items on the agenda, but still decided to join us at the Advocacy Day to show how much they value the Hindu community,” he said.