Moving from Fear and Hatred to Acceptance and Mutual Respect: Identifying and Combating Hinduphobia

Jeffery D. Long

doi:10.26443/jcreor.v6i1.235

Authors

Jeffery D. Long Elizabethtown College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26443/jcreor.v6i1.235

Keywords:

acceptance, Hinduphobia, Vivekananda, Swami, racism, religious bigotry

Abstract

This paper offers an overview of Hinduphobia, exploring its historical roots and contemporary forms in North America. Despite debates on its validity, this paper argues that Hinduphobia is a real and distinct form of prejudice combining racism and religious bigotry, fueled by fear and ignorance. Using historical analysis and a scholar-practitioner perspective, it traces anti-Hindu sentiment from colonial times to recent incidents like temple vandalism and digital extremism. To counter this intolerance, it bases its framework on Swami Vivekananda's pluralistic philosophy, especially his critique of sectarianism, bigotry, and fanaticism. The study proposes six strategies, including education, interfaith work, and reconciliation efforts, to promote acceptance, respect, and peaceful coexistence.

Author Biography

Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College

Jeffery D. Long is the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College, where has taught since receiving his doctoral degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School in the year 2000. He has written numerous books and articles and has also spoken three times at the United Nations, as well as appearing in documentaries for the History Channel and the Public Broadcasting Service. In 2022 he received an award from the International Ahimsa Foundation in New York for his efforts to promote nonviolence through his scholarship. That same year, his book, Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds, received the Rajinder and Jyoti Gandhi award for excellence in philosophy, theology, and critical thought from the Dharma Academy of North America. He is an adherent of the Vedanta tradition of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, in which he took diksha (initiation) in the year 2005.

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Moving from Fear and Hatred to Acceptance and Mutual Respect

Identifying and Combating Hinduphobia

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Abstract

Author Biography

Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College

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