Palestine Solidarity Resources
Where does Hindus for Human Rights stand on Palestine?
India is a land of many peoples, born out of a decolonial movement and founded on principles of pluralism. The concept of a Hindu Rashtra stands in direct opposition not only to these political ideals, but to the values of our faith. An ideology that asserts Hindu supremacy does not make Hindus safer, and we need only look to Zionism and Israel to see this is true. Israel was created by the British to absolve Western powers of their antisemitism and without the input of the Palestinian people. From the 1948 Nakba to the current genocide in Gaza, Israel’s survival and identity requires a system of apartheid and dispossession of Palestinians. We see echoes of these policies in India’s persistent marginalization of Adivasis, Dalits, and other oppressed communities. We are firmly opposed to all forms of ethnic or religious nationalism, and we see the direct connections between Zionism and Hindutva as a call to action for all Hindus of conscience to organize for Palestinian liberation and the end of all forms of supremacy—including Hindu nationalism.
Just like we are committed to fighting for a secular, democratic, pluralistic India where all citizens, regardless of faith, are entitled to equal rights and equal justice, we support a liberated future for Palestine where all the land’s inhabitants—Muslims, Christians, Jews, and everyone else—are able to live together as free and equal citizens, from the river to the sea. As Hindus who stand against caste and Hindutva, we take inspiration from our anti-Zionist Jewish siblings who are fighting the forces of hate and far-right nationalism within their own community.
Resources
Read our Zine!
A Guide to Hindutva and Zionism
Print the Booklet
(NOTE: When printing this as a double-sided document, make sure to check the default settings so that the document is formatted to flip on the short edge rather than the long edge—otherwise some pages will appear upside down!)
Unpacking Zionism with Pranay Somayajula
Our Director of Organizing and Advocacy was on the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism’s podcast, Unpacking Zionism, where he discussed the relationship and similarities between Hindutva and Zionism.
Live From the Encampments
As campuses across the United States and around the world erupt in protests demanding that institutions divest from Israeli apartheid and the genocide in Gaza, Hindus for Human Rights is proud to stand in solidarity with these historic Gaza solidarity encampments. Our Hindu faith calls us to see the divinity in all people, and it is our dharma to stand with anyone who is fighting on the side of justice and liberation. We unequivocally condemn the violence and brutality with which these courageous students, who are embodying the Gandhian values of civil disobedience and satyagraha, have been repressed and targeted, simply because they are standing with the Palestinian people.
Our Executive Director Sunita Viswanath delivers a speech at Columbia University.
Our NYC team partakes in a protest at Columbia University.
Our Communications and Outreach Associate Faria Rehman at the University of Pennsylvania.
Our Organizing and Advocacy Director Pranay Somayajula expresses solidarity with the student protests.