Washington: A new report has revealed that the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a prominent organization within the Indian American community, has played a significant role in fostering Islamophobia, casteism, and other forms of bigotry. This involvement aligns with wider far-right and supremacist movements in the United States, challenging the foundation’s position within multiracial civil rights advocacy.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the report titled “HAF Way to Supremacy: How the Hindu American Foundation Rebrands Bigotry as Minority Rights,” is a joint publication by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Savera: United Against Supremacy coalition. It meticulously documents HAF’s affiliations with far-right elements and illustrates how the foundation has actively worked against the solidarity among communities of color in America, pushing Hindu Americans towards a divisive far-right agenda.

The investigation underscores HAF’s historical connections to Hindu supremacist groups such as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHP-A), suggesting that HAF’s extremist affiliations are not incidental but stem from its foundational strategy. The foundation has consistently portrayed Hindu civil rights as being in conflict with the rights of other minority groups, notably opposing civil rights protections for caste-oppressed individuals and spreading negative stereotypes about Muslims.

Tarso Luís Ramos, Executive Director of Political Research Associates, emphasized the threat posed by HAF to the democratic fabric of the United States. He pointed out that HAF’s guise as a civil rights entity masks its true intentions to promote an exclusionary form of Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, that aligns with broader authoritarian movements within the country.

Sunita Viswanath, Cofounder and Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights, also commented on the report, highlighting it as a critical resource for understanding the influence of diasporic far-right networks in shaping authoritarian tendencies in the U.S.

Chaitanya Diwadkar from the Ambedkar King Study Circle and Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Indian American Muslim Council, both condemned HAF’s actions as detrimental to the social cohesion and democratic values of the U.S. They stressed the urgency of addressing these divisive tactics that not only undermine minority rights but also threaten the broader societal fabric.

The revelations in this report call for a reevaluation of HAF’s role and influence within not only the Indian American community but also among the wider civil rights movements in the United States, urging stakeholders to recognize and counteract the foundation’s far-right affiliations.