October 19, 2023 – Canada is renowned globally for its commitment to diversity, tolerance, and inclusion; however recent incidents of Hinduphobia in the country have raised concerns within the Hindu community. As a nation that prides itself on embracing people from various backgrounds, it is crucial to confront these issues head-on and work towards a society that truly values and respects all its citizens.

Hinduphobia, discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping, public threats, hate or bias motivated crimes, hate propaganda, violence, and acts of vandalism targeting the Hindu community have reached an alarming rate in Canada. These incidents are creating distress, trauma, fear and uncertainty within the Hindu community while undermining the fundamental values of tolerance and inclusivity in Canada. It is imperative that the Hindu community along with all levels of government, law enforcement authorities, and our institutions collectively address and action this issue to ensure an end to such incidents. 

KEY HINDUPHOBIA INCIDENTS & EXAMPLES:

• Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (Chief of Sikhs for Justice organization) in September 2023 made a public threat to Hindu-Canadians to leave Canada and go to India causing increased fear within the community. MP Chandra Arya has already raised concerns for the safety of the Hindu Canadian community
• Since January 2022, over 20 incidents of reported vandalism, desecration and/ or break ins at Hindu Temples or places in Canada with Hate or bias-motivated graffiti.  6 Temple break ins happened within the last few weeks itself.
• Those accused in the Air India bombing (largest terrorist attack in Canadian history killing 329 people including 268 Canadian citizens with majority of them Hindus) are still being publicly glorified by pro-Khalistani elements.
• In June 2023, a float at a parade in the City of Brampton had a life-size tableau of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a white saree splattered with blood with her two armed bodyguards turned assassins glorified as ‘martyrs’.
• Recently,  over 9400 illegal  pro-khalistan posters, road signs, and billboards with hate or bias – motivated messages against Hindus were removed in the City of Brampton.
• Statue of Mahatma Gandhi was defaced at a Richmond Hill Hindu temple in July 2022 with sprayed “graphic words”.  Mahatma Gandhi led India’s independence from British rule in the 1940s and is known for promoting non-violence.
• Shri Bhagavad Gita Park sign was defaced with anti-India graffiti in the City of Brampton.
• There have been instances where Hindu students have faced bullying and been exposed to Hinduphobic content in schools and educational institutions – under various pretenses influenced by anti-Hindu organized elements.
• Numerous attempts to malign,  stigmatize Hindu religion and open calls for its destruction and dismantling under the garb of freedom of speech & expression. Examples below:
  • In September 2021,  University of Toronto arranged a conference to “Dismantle Global Hindutva”
  • In December 2021, Toronto Public library organized an event on “How Hindu Nationalism has eroded world’s largest democracy” to vilify Hinduism and its followers
  • In July 2022, a Canadian movie “Kaali” was released in Toronto, depicting the Hindu goddess Kali as smoking
  • In March 2023, Toronto District School Board brought a motion and also voted to recognize caste based oppression in the school board with little consultation from the Canadian Hindu community at large
  • Many media articles have been published (e.g national media) demeaning Hindu religion while there is little coverage or awareness of Hinduphobic  acts, discrimination, stereotyping, Hate or Bias-Motivated crimes, public threats, violence, and acts of vandalism targeting  the Hindu community
• Lack of support and decisive actions from Governments is further encouraging anti-Hindu groups while increasing fear within the community. The shocking part for the Hindu community in Canada is (and as eminent journalist Andrew Coyne has even written in The Globe and Mail on Sep 22nd) that Canadian politicians have been “attending rallies where terrorists were glorified and terrorist attacks praised. Political leaders in this country, of all countries, should not be encouraging separatist movements in others, especially those that advocate or engage in violence.”
• Despite many reports of hate or bias-motivated incidents, there has been a lack of action by Law enforcement authorities to support members of the Hindu community. On occasions Police have canceled community events with the Hindu community due to pressure from some people. Recently, Halton district Police – removed pictures of a Hindu festival (Rakshabandhan) from their Twitter account which they had attended, citing that the post was removed to maintain public confidence after objections from some residents of Halton district.  This is extremely hurtful and unacceptable, especially from our law enforcement authorities.  It raises concerns about the law enforcement commitment to inclusivity and cultural diversity. Furthermore, it can be perceived as a disregard for the values and beliefs of the Hindu community.  This demands for an immediate investigation and demonstrates Hinduphobia – and the message that our Hindu heritage and culture don’t matter.
• Examples of Hinduphobia & Hate incidents against Hindu community in Canada (Link here)

Based on the above following are concerns of many Hindu Canadians – 

• Why is the Hindu Canadian community feeling unsafe in their own country?
• Why is there a feeling of lack of support from the Canadian Government?
• What actions will the Canadian government take so the Hindu community does not endure any more physical, mental, and emotional distress while starting to feel safe in Canada?

Hindu community worldwide  is a peace loving, progressive and inclusive community which believes in the value of “Vasudeva Kutumbakam” (meaning the world is one family). The community is known for its pluralistic and peaceful coexistence values but the community itself is feeling unsafe, insecure, and frightened of being a target of Hinduphobia, discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping, public threats, hate or bias motivated crimes, hate propaganda, violence, and acts of vandalism. It feels disappointed with the lack of action from their Canadian government.

A general survey conducted of the Hindu Canadian community supports the unprecedented level of fear Canadian Hindus are living within the community.  Survey results indicate 89% of the respondents are worried about their family, community’s safety, and security after Pannun’s public threats to the Hindu community.  The survey reflects the lack of support from the Canadian government with 98% of respondents stating the response or actions of the government towards Pannun’s public threat is “Poor or Very Poor”.  96% of Hindu Canadians are expecting the government to initiate criminal investigation and proceedings against Pannun for spreading acts of hate against the Hindu community.  90% expect the government to support the upcoming petition E-4507 in the House of Commons and enact stringent laws against Hinduphobia. 87% of the respondents are in favor of creating a special representative role to combat Hinduphobia within Canada (similar to what has been setup to combat Islamophobia).

The first step in stopping Hinduphobia is reporting it to the local law enforcement authorities. In addition, a Hinduphobia Incident Reporting helpline for Canadian Hindus has been launched to report any instances of hateful speech, intimidation, discrimination, harassment, threats, physical violence, and attack to personal property etc. The helpline will assist the community to work with law enforcement and government authorities to identify areas of concern and ensure the safety of HIndu  families, property and community in Canada.

To Address Hinduphobia In Canada and Uphold The Nation’s Commitment To Inclusivity, we along with the support of a large number of Hindu Canadian organizations call to action the Government of Canada on the following:

• Initiate Criminal investigation and proceedings against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for spreading hate and threatening the Hindu Canadian community
• Support Petition E-4507 in the House of Commons to make sure hateful Hinduphobic comments/crime resulting from glorification of terrorists and acts of terror are dealt with effectively.  Thus far, freedom of speech has been used to allow and even condone such threats and hate speech.
• Immediately enact stringent laws at the Federal level to address rapidly increasing Hinduphobia in Canada. This is needed urgently to prevent further attacks on Hindu Temples & institutions as well as hateful threats against the Hindu community
• Create a special representative role to combat Hinduphobia within Canada with a scope to investigate acts of hate, recommending remedial actions, creating action plans, driving education, tracking and updating of such events and incidents etc.

In conclusion, Hinduphobia needs to be recognized and addressed. There must be ZERO tolerance of hate targeting the Hindu community in Canada. Addressing Hinduphobia in Canada is a shared responsibility that demands collective efforts and action from various levels of government,  law enforcement authorities, and our institutions. By raising awareness, promoting understanding, and advocating for the rights and safety of Canadian Hindus, we can work together to create a harmonious society where everyone, regardless of their faith or background, can live without fear and insecurity within the community. .

For media inquiries or further information, please contact: [email protected]

Sincerely,
Vishwa Hindu Parishad of Canada
www.vhpcanad.ca

Enclosure:  

• Links to Hinduphobia and Hindu hate media news
• Survey  results of Hindu Canadian community In response to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s hateful threat

 Links to Hinduphobia and Hindu hate media news

• Gurpatwant Singh Pannun gives open threats to Hindus in Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOuzhdRTtyA 
• Canada News | Brampton News | Khalistan Radicals In Brampton Recreate Indira Gandhi’s Murder Scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ooczoLoo7k 
• Chandra Arya – member of Liberal party and MP from Ottawa raising concerns about the Hindu community’s safety in Canada https://twitter.com/AryaCanada/status/1705760411973246987?s=20
• Surrey Memorial Hospital sign defaced with racist graffiti https://bc.ctvnews.ca/surrey-memorial-hospital-sign-defaced-with-racist-graffiti-1.6594857
• Gandhi statue outside Hindu temple in Richmond Hill vandalized https://globalnews.ca/news/8988849/vishnu-temple-richmond-hill-vandalism-yo rk-regional-police/
• Toronto police investigating reports of vandalism at Hindu temple – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/hindu-temple-toronto-khalistan-graffiti-anti-india-1.6584478
• Brampton mayor, faith leaders, police condemn vandalism at Hindu temples in GTA https://shorturl.at/AGMW8
• Hindu diaspora heckles Canada’s Brampton mayor, seeks removal of pro-Khalistani hateful banners – https://www.indiaweekly.biz/hindu-diaspora-heckles-canadian-city-brampton-mayor-patrick-brown-demands-removal-of-pro-khalistani-banners/
• Hindu park vandalized, police investigate possible hate crime in Brampton https://www.insauga.com/hindu-park-vandalised-police-investigate-possible-hat e-crime-in-brampton/
• Indian officials demand action after another temple vandalized in Canada https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/canada-hindu-temple-ram-mandir-vandalisedmississauga-anti-india-graffiti-ontario-15940741.htm
• Canada: Hindu temple desecrated in British Columbia; 3rd incident this year https://shorturl.at/cpJOU
• Toronto Star reporter openly demeans Hindu Canadians calling them Hindu Nationalists https://shorturl.at/gtu48

SURVEY OF HINDU CANADIAN COMMUNITY IN RESPONSE TO GURPATWANT SINGH PANNUN’S HATEFUL THREAT

Question 1: Before accessing this form were you aware about the hateful and threatening comments from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun towards the Hindu Canadian community?

Inputs from respondents: 97.3% of the Hindu Canadian respondents were aware about the hateful and threatening comments from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun towards the Hindu Canadian community. This question focused on assessing the general awareness of such incidents in Canadian Socio-political space against a minority community. Such a Hate-or Bias Motivated act has a high potential to create a negative environment about Canada and especially for Hindus living in the country.

Question 2: How have the Hateful and threatening comments from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun impacted you (1 is “No Impact” while 5  is “Extremely worried about myself, my family and Hindu community’s safety & security in Canada”)? 

Inputs from respondents: 89% (option 4 and 5 added together in the below chart) of the Hindu Canadian respondents are either worried or extremely worried about themselves, their family and the Hindu community’s safety and security in Canada. Canadian Hindu community members are anxious and in distress with the latest threat against the community. These incidents not only harm individuals but also undermine the values of tolerance and inclusivity that Canada stands for. The sentiment is also bound to impact their social activities, work environment, mental health, children’s education and many other aspects of their daily lives .

Question 3: How would you rate the response/ action of the Government of Canada to the above mentioned Hateful threat by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (1 is very poor and 5 is very good)?

Inputs from respondents: 98% (Option 1 and 2 added together in the below chart) of the Hindu Canadian respondents mention that the response or action of the Government of Canada to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s hateful threat is poor or very poor. The community is surely feeling marginalized with no actions from the Government on such a serious matter and in a country that is celebrated globally for its commitment to diversity, tolerance, and inclusion.

Question 4: What actions would you like the Government of Canada to take to protect the Hindu Canadian community from such Hateful and Threatening comments as well as any Hate crimes in the future? Please select all that you seem fit

Inputs from respondents: 96% of the Hindu Canadian respondents are requesting the Government of Canada to initiate criminal investigation and proceedings against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for spreading public Hate-motivated or Bias motivated threats against the Hindu community. 90% want the government to support Petition E-4507 in the House of commons and enact stringent laws against Hinduphobia while 87% expect the government to set up a special representative role to combat Hinduphobia within Canada. Canadian Hindus are still hopeful that the government will still respond decisively to combat Hinduphobia, starting with initiating a criminal investigation against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Question 5: Do you think such type of Hateful and Threatening comments adversely impact Canada’s brand as a great country to live in the world (0 means no impact at all and 5 means impacts significantly)

Inputs from respondents: 98% (Option 4 and 5 added in the below chart) of the respondents believe that hateful and threatening comments (like Gurpatwant Pannun’s threat against the Hindu Canadian community) adversely impact Canada’s brand as a great country to live in the world. People from diverse backgrounds from across the world aspire to immigrate to Canada due to its well known diversity and inclusion values but such incidents of Hate and public threats has the potential to impact their decisions to move here. 

(The article was published on Vhpcanada.ca on October 19, 2023 and has been reproduced here)