Soon after the US-based Rutgers University passed a resolution adopting the scholarly definition of Hinduphobia, the professor and the Historian of the University Audrey Truschke is walking on new lows to harass the students and suppressing their voices on the campus. To be noted the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) strengthens their voices to safeguard each Hindu student’s sentiment and voice on the campus of the University.
The new lows that the historian went to were to harass and stalk the LinkedIn accounts of the students and their parents who were a part of the “Understanding Hinduphobia” conference. The conference wasn’t attended by the Professor herself.
A few days later the same professor took to her Twitter profile to endorse the harassment done to again a Hindu student of Indiana University namely Rama Sardar who was coerced to take her article on “Why did the IU Islamic Students Program tweet in support of a Hinduphobic professor?” back just as it doesn’t suit the University’s directive.
In her tweet, she went on to say, “Indiana University’s student run newspaper retracts two columns for inconsistencies with journalistic ethics and standards.” She further added, “Their leadership notes: We regret any harm inflicted as a result of their publication. I appreciate the integrity shown here.” However, under circumstances, she managed to delete her tweet in a few hours of posting.
Today, @/AudreyTruschke bullied a freshman Hindu student at Indiana University but was quick to delete her tweets. Imagine being this insecure that you need to harass a FRESHMAN?!
See pinned tweet on @hinduoncampus for context. How disgusting. https://t.co/f2tein858U pic.twitter.com/X0CcBYRPUT
— Alliance of Progressive Hindus (@AllianceHindus) April 30, 2021
The Twitter handle ‘Alliance of progressive Hindus’ even made it public how the Historian of a renowned University is heeding the students and their parents for conducting the conference and successfully managing to pass the Hinduphobia resolution on the campus even targeting a freshman from Indiana University Rama Sardar.
What made Rama Sardar resign from the university?
A Hindu scholar student and a freshman from Indiana University majoring in media wrote an article for Indiana daily titled ‘Why did the IU Islamic Students Program tweet to support a Hinduphobic professor?’ She took on why the Islamic Studies Program’s director supported Audrey Truschke who is accused of Hinduphobia. The student somehow interviewed a Hindu student of IU along with the director Robert Crouch who didn’t respond to the interview. However, the article was published on March 24 and was the most-read article of the week although the Hindu students are in a minority at Indiana University.
Hinduphobia is related to many, almost all the Hindus on the campus who acclaimed the points raised and unfolding of the significance of Hinduphobia. It even took the RUSA to thank her for her extended support to the Hinduphobia on campus.
Almost a month later of the article was published, the Islamic Studies Program disagreed with the articulated points grumbling about the article claiming it held few unfair points that draws unfavourable light on the director Robert Crouch. Although having several weeks to file a formal complaint regarding the article the moot point comes out to be why the actions were taken almost a month after the publication?
On the actions, the IU made the writer edit the article with editors and management with an out-and-out compromise being done with the story.
Later in a meet betwixt the IDS management and the student resulted in an order (even after the edit) to completely unpublish the article saying the edits would be “too lengthy, anyway”. They blamed the editors and management to be at fault to publish the article and claimed to “act fairly” with Rama by taking down the article.
“My voice has been silenced because a powerful university program took issue with what I had to say, and my management took their side with no explanation,” Rama said. She further added, “I never expected being censored, discriminated against for being Hindu, and speaking my mind. I never expected to be treated the way and the newspaper that I work for to just casually throw my hard work away.”
Our posts are usually kept anonymous. However, a brave young Hindu, Rama Sardar, shares her perspective on resigning from her school newspaper. pic.twitter.com/ZIqm5ln4ZZ
— Hindu On Campus (@hinduoncampus) April 30, 2021
The official Twitter handle of Hindu students of Rutgers, ‘Hindu on Campus’ on March 25, tweeted about the international movement run by them to protect the Hindu sentiments worldwide and stand against Hinduphobia and bigotry.
Notably, the interim director of the IU Islamic Studies Program Robert Crouch allegedly called the concerns of the Hindu students “lazy” and “immoral” explicitly saying that the program stands firm with the Historian Audrey Truschke and Rutgers University.
The handle further in the thread read “Minority students who stand up for themselves when they see an injustice that is not being lazy. This is not a disagreement that they had with a professor. This is something that they see as an injustice to people from their religion, from their culture.”
— Hindu On Campus (@hinduoncampus) April 30, 2021
Amidst of the escalating Hinduphobia, it becomes crucial for the Hindus to stand together in concord to combat; the narratives run deliberately.
The gagging of Hindu sentiments and students worldwide can only be fought with esprit de corps.
[author title=”Shreya Gohel” image=”http://localhost/gc2/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/20210127_014031.jpg”]Intern, Goa Chronicle[/author]
DISCLAIMER: This article reflects author’s view point. Goa Chronicle may or may not subscribe to views of the author
