VOIWORLD/NEW DELHI: Amidst the rising incidents of attacks on Hindus globally mainly in Europe and UK, this development can go a long way. The Scottish Government Cross Parliamentary Group has fully accepted and a report on Hinduphobia presented by the Gandhian Peace Society.
It was an in-depth study on the subject which has been submitted and presented at the parliamentary level in Scotland and the United Kingdom.
There has been a rise in attacks against Hindus in the UK and Scotland and some analysts believe this is high time Hindu community should come out as different from other Asian communities like Pakistanis or Bangladeshis
ABOUT THE REPORT:
The report examines the issue of Hinduphobia in Scotland and its impact on the Hindu community. The report, titled “Hinduphobia in Scotland: Understanding, Addressing, and Overcoming Prejudice”, explores specific incidents of Hinduphobia while also capturing perspectives and experiences directly from Scottish Hindus. The report was presented by Anuranjan Jha, Former MP Candidate Alba Party and General Secretary Dhruva Kumar, Sukhi Singh Bains and contributed by Ajit Trivedi, special contribution by Mr Neil Lal, President of Indian Council of Scotland.
The report highlights that Scotland’s small yet influential community has faced numerous challenges due to their religious identity. There have been incidents of hate crimes including the 2021 vandalism of a Dundee temple and a 2021 attack on a Hindu family’s home in Glasgow.
According to the statistics cited in the report, the number of charges related to Hinduism increased from 9 in 2019-20 to 14 in 2020-21. Compared to 1.6% of the general Scottish population, 2.4% of Hindus reported experiencing harassment or discrimination in 2019-20.
The solution to the problem of Hinduphobia include strengthening hate crime laws, promoting accurate representations of Hinduism in schools, providing support networks for victims, enforcing zero-tolerance discrimination policies, and facilitating interfaith dialogues.
HINDUS IN SCOTLAND:
Hindus make up around 0.3% of Scotland’s population. Statistics from the NHS show Hindus had the lowest recruitment success rate among religious groups at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (1.99%), Glasgow City Council (2.7%), and Renfrewshire Council (1.39%).
WHAT IS GANDHIAN PEACE SOCIETY
The Gandhian Peace Society in the UK and global is a way forward to provide an alternative to a society based on Non- Violence, Truthfulness, Tolerance, Religious acceptance and cooperation. The intention is to diversify Gandhian values to raise the profile of what he was intended to achieve and complement.
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