As Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii enters the race for president, there’s been a lot of chatter about the depth of her relationship with Hindu nationalists.
Besides the issue of how much money she got from Hindu nationalists and what she did for them, there is an aspect of the conversation that probably confuses a lot of Americans — what is Hindu nationalism and why does it matter if Tulsi Gabbard is linked to it?
It makes sense that a lot of rational Americans aren’t concerned considering very few know—
1) What Hindu nationalism and “Hindutva” are; or
2) What the RSS, VHP, BJP, and affiliated organizations are; or
3) What those organizations are accused of doing and what their stated goals are; or
4) How these organizations are internationally organized.
So some people without this knowledge tend to say things like:
1) You’re just attacking Tulsi Gabbard for being a Hindu;
2) You’re just claiming that anyone who gave her money is a Hindu nationalist because they have a Hindu name
3) You’re just smearing Tulsi Gabbard for meeting India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, even though lots of other politicians in America and around the world have met him.
To understand the seriousness of the allegations against Gabbard — and debunk the red herring that those allegations are about nothing but religious bigotry — it’s really helpful if we have at least a working knowledge of Hindu nationalism.
What is it?
