On 2 July 2011 Castewatch held another of its typical hatefests in Coventry . Ostensibly designed as always to discuss caste discrimination in Britain , it once again degenerated into the usual fulminations against the evils of Hinduism and Hindus. This is why Hindus are only welcome at such events if they “know their place” and avoid indulging in the twin evils of talking and speaking too much. It is therefore fortunate that Castewatch have had the stupidity to brazenly advertise the anti-Hindu views of this very Neo nazi skinhead rally style conference on their own website at: http://www.castewatchuk.org/CasteWatchUK-Conference-Report-2nd-July-2011.pdf

Sinna Mani (President of BOPIO and ex-Mayor of Lewisham) stated the following in his speech at the CasteWatchUK Conference July 2nd, 2011.

“We do not have to follow the bogus gurus. Most of the Hindu Gurus are bogus charlatans and they have no spirituality. Hinduism cannot provide the kind of spirituality required by equality of opportunities. Hinduism is a religion of inequality. Everything you do is Dharma or Karma, it is all bullshit. This is no disrespect to my Hindu friends sitting here.

I am a Hindu myself & I read Bhagwad Gita. Hindu literature is full of wisdom and it is the oldest religion in the world. But our brothers and sisters who departed from Hinduism, be they Sikhs, Muslims, Christians or Buddhists, they did for a good reason.

Perhaps by the time you read this they would have taken it down or removed the offending portions, as is the case when hate groups get exposed. Now one first gets an indication of how things are going when Baroness Flather blames Hindu Forum and Hindu Council as being organisations formed by upper caste Hindus. This is normal in a discourse which seeks to rubbish the Hindu voice in order to suffocate it at source, and is commonly done by Indians who are only Hindu name but use the Hindu label when it suits them. We find this even more with the speech by Sinna Mani, president of the BOPIO (British Organisation of People of Indian Origin). In an utterly racist diatribe Mani said caste was embedded in the DNA of every single Indian. His eugenics was complimented by a crass racial mythology in which he claimed Brahmins had pleaded with Alexander the Great no to dismantle the caste system when he conquered India . But the Macedonian conqueror had never actually done any of this and historical records are clear that he was actually defeated in his attempts to subdue the entire subcontinent.

Yet this is of little concern to Mr. Mani who fulminates against “Hindu Right Wing organisations” and the “stupidity of the Brahmin caste”. If Castewatch and its minions in the anti-Hindu Axis of Hate are so adamant that caste is equivalent or parallel to race, then surely Mr. Mani is himself guilty of the most disgusting racist comments? Would his anti-Brahmin rhetoric not itself fall foul of the very casteist legislation which Castewatch is trying to get enacted in Britain ? After all white people have every right to take action under laws prohibiting racial discrimination and many do. Race hatred is race hatred. Caste hatred is caste hatred, something which Castewatch appears to have conveniently forgotten. But then as Orwell reminded us in Animal Farm some animals are more equal than others in a totalitarian system which stifles free discussion, liberty of conscience and respect for the rights of the individual.

Mani claims no disrespect for his Hindu so-called friends .Now Mr. Mani brazenly argues that “Hinduism is a religion of inequality” and indeed “it is all bullshit”. The language of the gutter has now reached seemingly respectful organisations. But here we have it. The problem is not caste discrimination. The problem is Hinduism. Mani’s confession that he himself is a Hindu parallels the anti-Semitism harboured by nineteenth century Germans of Jewish origin such as Marx and Lasalle, a self-hatred of the most destructive type. For Mani, Hinduism is full of fake gurus who mislead the people. On the other hand Sikhism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism offer equality and for that reason whole sections of Hindus have gone over to those faiths.

Of course we are confronted here with the rather inconvenient fact that actual equality does not exist in those faiths in practice. It also does not exist in theory of one looks at the respective sacred texts and the cultural milieu from which they emerged, rather than just taking selective verses at random to harmonise with political correctness. Mani deal with this by denouncing the genocide by the Sri Lankan government against Tamils as being perpetrated by Sinhalese who were not real Buddhists. This again is part of the anti-Hindu discourse. When atrocities are done by Hindus, notably caste discrimination, the blame if firmly laid at the feet of Hinduism. But when Buddhists or others act in like manner, the blame is laid at human frailties and failings, not the supposedly perfect religion.

Later on Sinna Mani elaborates further on his anti-Hindu thesis. He claims that Hindus in Britain are trying to scare the whites and also makes sinister ideas of how it is perfectly legitimate to discriminate against Hindus if they belong to the ‘wrong’ caste. Only those deemed Dalits should be protected by anti-caste legislation. This is not equality at all. In fact is not discrimination itself? When the Race Discrimination Act was passed in 1968 it was to outlaw discrimination. In America civil rights was exactly that, civil rights for all. These were not measures taken against or to punish white people but to offer the same equality to everyone, irrespective of racial background as it should be in a civilised and democratic society. But Mani is so infected with anti-Hindu hatred that he openly boasts how he does not want equality but instead the very same special privileges he purports to be denied at present. And he wants the British government to help him do this! In fighting caste discrimination surely the last thing needed is inverted racism, casteism and the noxious fumes of those determined to introduce Third World politics and nepotism into a developed country.

Mani’s anti-Hindu hatred and racism is of course enhanced by others present. Nelam Khamba a “Hindu delegate” who appeared to play a role similar to A South African black homeland leader under apartheid, said that caste events were racist, equivalent to whites only events. Would she therefore also agree that Mr. Mani’s anti-Brahmin poison coated rhetoric was racist? Reena Jessiah disgustingly links the whole Hindu ethos to anti-Semitism in her poem which is an almost exact replica of that by Pastor Martin Niemoller who was incarcerated by the Nazis for speaking out against them – even though he initially hailed Hitler as a German messiah and felt Jews had too much power. Rena Annobil then recites a poem in which she claims the existence of the barbaric “Aryan” race.

It is not as if Castewatch’s own petty fascist leader is unaware of all this. It happened under his very nose. Indeed Davinder (David) Prasad himself then goes on record to fulminate against the “Hindu Lobby” and “right wing Hindu groups” that are meddling with the government. With all the ignorance and bigotry demonstrated it is amazing how much an organisation such as Castewatch, which we must remember claims to be actually fighting discrimination and prejudice, has in common with backward thinking communities in America who to this day cannot accept a black president and take refuge in the defeated civil war flag of the Confederacy.

Indeed how long is before Castewatch decide to hold their rallies in a cow pasture in front of a gigantic burning wooden cross? After all by excluding Hindus from even having a voice at their meetings, to which everyone else is welcomed with open arms and sinister grins, they have certainly covered up the reality of caste discrimination in Britain with white sheets, reserving for themselves two poked eye holes through which they can spy on the reality and keep the truth to themselves while denying it to others. That is the nature of the Castewatch Klan.

For Britain the ramifications for listening to such hate groups is more disturbing. While hatred by any other community is at least acknowledged , with regard to Hindus it is ignored or even encouraged. It is strange that while HHR has always offered to openly discuss the issues of caste, Davinder (David) Prasad has constantly fumbled and made excuses to escape from this while inviting every other faith community to put their ideas forward and fanning the flames of anti-Hindu hatred, just as he fans the flames of the cross which he burns in his front garden. Indeed he even called HHR “the opposition” at his Klan meeting in 2009, just because we are Hindus. And that is the crux of the matter. There is no Hindu Lobby in the UK enforcing caste. Indeed it is groups like Castewatch which are foisting and entrenching a caste identity onto others. That explains their constant reluctance to discuss the matter openly and constantly shift positions, with the only constant in this being a virulent hatred of anything Hindu.

By contrast Hindu organisations feel it best to keep their heads down and emphasise exhaustively how law abiding they are, how much contribution they have made to the economy, and their preponderance in the professions. They do not realise the danger posed by extremist groups such as Castewatch inciting hatred against Hindus and Hinduism by stereotyping them.

The international ramifications of extremist groups such as Castewatch is even more ominous. Backed by powerful and incredibly intolerant Christian fundamentalist groups the UK Caste Lobby has proven to be a useful tool in missionary machinations keen to spread their failed beliefs in India , while simultaneously squeezing Hindus out of the public space in Britain especially on discussions involving caste. If Mr. Mani claims people leave Hinduism for other faiths because of inherent inequality in that religion how would he explain the massive decline in church attendance and membership until what was once a Christian continent? This is not even at its worst in Britain where Christianity is increasingly the faith of a dying off elderly population.

The demographic implosion is even more pronounced on the continent. For example in Finland the established Lutheran church holds sway over a mere two percent of the population. In Estonia people have left Christianity in droves to seek spiritual solace in ancient pagan beliefs.

Yet India is a prime target with a conversion policy that uses all its financial muscle power to equate that country with having servitude equivalent to the very trans-Atlantic slavery which Bible believing Christians so eagerly participated in. Caste is said to be modern slavery and only the mass conversion of India to Christianity and annihilation of Hindu beliefs (and sometimes people, a blind eye being turned to Hindus exterminated and ethnically cleaned by Baptist terrorists in Nagaland and Mizoram) will solve India ’s backwardness. India is said to have apartheid and hence the missionary lobby and its useful idiots like Castewatch have in their ranks people who openly say that the rising

Asian power should be boycotted, as was South Africa under minority rule.

This does not bode well for either India or Britain . For India it will mean lack of investment and hence development which will lift that country’s millions out of dire poverty through job creation, literacy and expansion of the economy. For Britain the consequences are perhaps more severe. Castewatch and its missionary backers can only temporarily delay the rise of the new India . Britain can either listen to such hate groups and stay on the sidelines or play a proactive role in not just being part of India ’s rise but helping with the mutual exchange of knowledge, ideas, and trade. As the recent economic crises in western economies have shown Britain cannot rely on the near bankruptcy of its important trading partners in the form of Europe and America : and it is only a matter of time before China ’s debt levels mean it can no longer be the world’s supreme creditor. Therefore if Britain ’s government listens to the Axis of Anti-Hindu Hate, it remain blissfully ignorant as other nations help themselves handsomely to the opportunities awarded to them in India . In the long-term it is British jobs, living standards and influence in the world that will suffer.

We therefore ignore hate groups such as Castewatch to our peril. While Hindus may be their primary target the hatred they unleash cannot be contained and will ultimately destroy the very democratic and pluralist values from which all communities in Britain benefit. It would be naïve then to simply assume that individual rights, liberty, conscience and mutual respect are treasures valued by all. As long as even a vocal minority yearn for Caesars and Napoleons, these demagogues of hate will always arise to lead them.

He further laments that when he calls the press office of the EHRC nobody returns his calls which is a bit rich considering that Cohen has constantly refused to debate any of his clear anti-Hindu prejudices with HHR, preferring to take refuge in the narrow-minded comfort zone which evidently gives him so much zest and drive these days. He takes issue with the conjecture, and let us remember that it is only a conjecture based on rather questionable assumptions, that Trevor Phillips is concerned about alienating Hindu Council UK .

He then takes issue with the fact that the aforementioned Hindu organisation said that the problem of caste discrimination was “being manipulated by Christians eager to convert Hindus from their faith.” Well as a matter of fact it is. How about Mr. Cohen takes a good look at these concrete examples:

• CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) is a British based (in)human rights organisation which has had a long history of anti-Hindu hatred. Part of this has been to campaign for the greater rights of Dalits which has in fact been a cover for something more sinister. CSW is partnered with the All India Christian Council and indeed invited the latter’s fuehrer Dr. Joseph D’Souza to address their hatefest in November 2006. For the platform of a church just minutes walk from London Victoria rail station D’Souza said that Hinduism was a disgusting, evil and diabolical faith, “the worst religion in the world”, and that Christians must convert low-caste Hindus before the Muslims got them first. I even took part in a prayer with two rather quaint, yet misguided and pathetic, old ladies to reiterate the fact.
• At the Castewatch hatefest in Coventry in 2009 Moses Parmar from the All India Christian Council said that Britain was in danger of falling under “Hindu supremacy” and that Christians must unite with socialists and communists against the Brahmans. Perhaps Mr. Parmar would like to familiarise himself with Poland’s Solidarity movement, try and see how far his fraternisation with communist dictators gets him in North Korea, or look at the ethics of forging an axis with an ideology which in a comparatively short space of time was responsible for the death of 100 million people as well as the deportation, enslavement and general oppression of millions more.
• In 2009 as the Hindu representative to speak on caste discrimination at CARJ (Catholic Association for Racial Justice) it was interesting to see Hindus described by one speaker as devious, slimy and untrustworthy. Taking issue with this nearly invited a lynching. Yet no such fate befell Bishop John Broadhurst who described Hinduism as worse than Nazism, or a rather smug and unpleasant man who blamed all of India ’s poverty problems on Hinduism. CARJ have never answered any enquiries about this inflaming hatred against the Hindu minority.
• At the Pentecost festival this year in Methodist Central Hall in Westminster there was the screening of India’s Forgotten Women by Rev. Michael Lawson, an Anglican minister who has annihilation of Hinduism as his primary objective in making films such as these. The film was originally screened in Leicester Square at an exorbitant price and with Dharshini David from Sky News pointedly ignoring any awkward questions which did not accord with the prevailing anti-Hindu atmosphere. This time however the screening was free, not that helped attendance very much. It was interesting to hear Lawson candidly admit that every day he prayed for India to turn to Christ and, like Cohen, blame Hindu creation myths for caste. When I pointed out that the New Testament had its own rather embarrassing issue of blaming the Jews as Christ-killers, the mood turned decidedly ugly.

What does Nick Cohen have to say about such examples of anti-Hindu hatred which he not only rides but inflames. If we want to look at caste in creation myths how about he take a good look at the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament where an Israelite is killed by god for touching the Ark of the Covenant. We learn that “the Lord did smite him” because only the priestly castes of Levites and Cohenites had that privilege.

What does Mr. Cohen have to say about the political affiliations of his own paternal grandfather, a Russian Jew who became a communist and thereby conveniently ignored the anti-Semitic Marxist myths such as the Marx’s very own and notorious invective called The Jewish Question? Was Mr. Cohen not aware of this before his apparent volte-face from classic Leftist “useful idiot” anti-American position which he held as late as 2004?

In the Standpoint article of February 2011 Cohen once again uses the late MF Hussain as a martyr to freedom of speech against Hindu extremists who apparently targeted him because he was Muslim.

He then goes on to show gross ignorance of Hindu civilisation in a manner that would make him less enlightened that Rudyard Kipling, Enoch Powell and Viceroy Lord Curzon. Without any evidence he insists that Hindu princes were guilty of sacking Hindu temples and that Hindu gods and goddesses are portrayed as naked in the sculpture of Khajuraho.

In his latest sensationalised outburst Nick Cohen would do well to remember that beyond just aggressive, intolerant and even violent Christian proselytisation as a sugar coating for raising the issue of caste discrimination, the hatecore Christian extremist groups exhibit an older and more sinister mindset. Lawson interviews and praises Dr. Kancha Iliaih, author Why I am not a Hindu. Anyone familiar with Der Sturmer and other crude anti-Semitic propaganda from the Third Reich cannot miss the similarity in imagery with the cover of the aforementioned book. And to cap it all the online magazine Dalit Voice, run by VT Rajshekar, who has been praised by D’Souza in Dalit Freedom, completes the conspiracy circle by denying the Holocaust, praising Hitler, and equating Brahmans with Jews. D’Souza is only just short of regurgitating Mein Kampf himself when he equates Brahmans with the Pharisees who persecuted and killed Jesus.

The scandal here is not of the EHRC and Trevor Phillips refusal to tackle caste, but Nick Cohen’s refusal to tackle his own anti-Hindu prejudices which hark back to the rather less enlightened age of Gunga Din and Jungle Book when the civilising white man came to liberate the idol worshipping inferior “darkie” Hindu masses. But then again what can be expected from someone who claims to have rediscovered his Jewish roots yet pours nothing but scorn on the only civilisation and culture where Jews flourished free from anti-Semitism, and ignores the blatant anti-Jewish hatred of the very organisations and individuals which claim to be fighting caste discrimination.

Once again HHR asks Mr. Cohen to demonstrate his willingness to debate matters openly as he would with any other community. Until then as fellow human beings and citizens we can only pity the ignorance and myopia with which he has deliberately inflicted himself.

Ranbir Singh is a member of HHR