WASHINGTON, D.C., September 17, 2007: United States lawmakers and influential Hindu Americans shared the dais at the annual Capitol Hill reception hosted in Washington, D.C. last week by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). For the fourth consecutive year, leaders of the foundation and nearly 150 supporters gathered under the rotunda of the United States Capitol building capping a day of face-to-face meetings on the Hill discussing issues of concern to Hindu Americans.
At the reception, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was honored with the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism and addressed the attendees on his commitment to religious diversity and his deep appreciation for India and Hinduism’s pluralistic traditions.
“It is an honor to be recognized alongside committed activists dedicated to promoting religious tolerance and human rights,” said Sen. Brown in his address. “While religious liberty is a fundamental right in the U.S., Hindus in many countries face discrimination, forced conversions and disenfranchisement. I will continue to work with the Hindu American Foundation on these vital issues.” Also recognized with the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism was Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who was presented with the award in his Senate office. Both Senators spent a considerable amount of time at their offices speaking to the Foundation regarding human rights, as well as local issues concerning Hindu Americans.
Preeta Bansal, commissioner and past chair of USCIRF, and former Solicitor General of New York, shared the pluralism award and expressed her appreciation for the foundation’s legal and political initiatives. Delegate Kumar Barve, Majority Leader of the Maryland’s state legislature and the first Hindu American elected to a state legislature, was among the night’s honorees as was Dino Teppara, Chief of Staff for Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC).
“Since our office opened here in the nation’s capital last year, our foundation has established itself as a consistent presence that brings issues of great importance to two million Hindu Americans directly to our leaders,” said Ishani Chowdhury, Executive Director of HAF. “With our annual legislative days and reception, where successful and articulate Hindu Americans descend on the Hill, these relationships are cemented and, indeed, celebrated.”
Prior to the reception, foundation leaders worked with several dozen lawmakers to support the principle that foreign aid to nations, listed in the foundation’s annual Hindu human rights report as major violators, must be conditioned on an improvement in that record. This issue was discussed in greater depth at meetings at the State Department and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and the foundation received strong support for its human rights report as the basis for more direct interactions.
HAF urged members of Congress to cosponsor the matching House and Senate resolutions (H.Res 245 & S.Res 299) recognizing the Hindu festival of Diwali. In the past HAF had celebrated the introduction of the Diwali resolution in the Senate and House. Also discussed was the emerging crisis at Hindu temples throughout the country as religious worker (R-1) visa categories are constructed in a way that exclude Hindu temple priests and sculptors. Foundation leaders sought congressional investigation and further dialogue about the issue.
“It is of great satisfaction to HAF that our mission to establish a presence here in Washington, DC., and serve as a nexus for Hindu Americans coming together with senior congressional and policy leaders is being accomplished in many ways,” said Nikhil Joshi, co-founder of HAF and member of the Board of Directors.