Alright folks, a little primer on Hindutva or the Hindu Right Wing, to which presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has ties. This is meant for Americans without much, if any, prior knowledge of India. #Hindutva #TulsiGabbard THREAD

Hindutva & Hinduism are two separate things, in two separate categories. Hinduism is a religion. Hindutva is a political ideology. They are as far apart as Christianity vs. white supremacy. I've no beef with Hinduism. But basic justice & equality are incompatible with Hindutva.

What is Hindutva? In brief, it is the notion that India ought to be land for Hindus, by Hindus. It condemns other Indians to being second-class citizens and accepting increasing Hindutva-fueled violence against minorities in the form of lynchings, morality enforcing mobs, etc.

Did you think India was a Hindu country? Well, just under 80% of Indians are Hindu, and more than 20% of Indians belong to other religions, chiefly Islam but also Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, tribal religions, etc. India gave birth to like half of the world's major religions

One more thing on Hindus - A whole lot of Hindus despise Hindutva. Just like a whole lot of white people despite white supremacy. Hindutva folks try to conflate the two to deflect criticism, but do not be fooled on that front.

Hinduism, in some form or another (it gets complicated here - I'm glossing over this) is old, but Hindutva is pretty new. Hindutva got its start about 100 years ago, maybe a little more. It was inspired by European fascist movements - like Nazism - of the early 20th century.

Did I say Nazis? Yeah, that is not an exaggeration. Early Hindutva leaders praised Hitler, and some Indian school textbooks are doing so again ( https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/12/06/indias-dangerous-new-curriculum/).

Early Hindutva ideologues especially liked Hitler's treatment of Jews. They saw it as a useful model for how to treat Indian Muslims.

Think about that, and let that seep in for a bit.

India has seen massacres of Muslims in living memory. Perhaps the most visible and appalling recent event in this vein were the 2002 riots in Gujarat that left thousands of Muslims dead, more displaced. If you want your blood chilled, look up what Gabbard has said on the topic.

If Hindutva is so bad, how is it so popular that it is influencing a US Democrat? Well, historically, Hindutva was shunned by reasonable people. Remember Mahatma Gandhi, leader of India's independence movemen and an inspiration to MLK at hoem? A Hindutva fanatic killed Gandhi.

But things change over time, and now Hindutva is popular. Scholars give a bunch of reasons why. Perhaps, here, it is suffice to say that we at home in the US surely understand something about crude nationalism and bigotry swaying the vote as of late.

What does Hindutva mean for India now in 2019? Well, it is ugly if you look at rhetoric. Muslims are told to leave India, receive death threats, and far more. Ever watch Bollywood films? Some of the big actors are Muslims, and even they are subjected to hateful verbal attacks.

Another way that Hindutva ideas come out is in laws that privilege Hindus or punish Muslims. A recent bill in India, for instance, proposes to strip Muslim immigrants of the ability to seek Indian citizenship. It's kinda like if the US barred Latinos from seeking citizenship.

Outside of the law, Hindutva ideology has deadly consequences. Lynch mobs are common in India, and they target Muslims and Christians. The death toll has risen in recent years. Perpetrators are rarely prosecuted. India's Supreme Court has warned about the takeover of "mobocracy"

Why is Gabbard into this stuff? Well, Hindutva ideas are popular among many Indian Americans, and they have money to give to Gabbard. If she were accepting money from white supremacists, she'd have been toast long ago in the Democratic Party. This brings me to a blunt reality...

Tulsi Gabbard has gotten away with her Hindu Right Wing ties for this long because of the general ignorance of Americans regarding India. Let's end that now. Fellow Democrats and moderates - Educate yourself about #Hindutva and ask hard questions about Gabbard's appalling views.

alam ativistarena. Forgive typos please.