A2LET TERS India Abroad December 11, 2015 11 The International Weekly Newspaper founded in 1970. Member, Audit Bureau of Circulation INDIA ABROAD (ISSN 0046 8932) is published every Friday by India Abroad Publications, Inc.*

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We reserve the right to edit Letters to the Editor.

The Western media coined the term Islamic terrorism, dumping millions of Muslims into one bucket, and I am afraid they are doing the same thing to Hindus.

After last month’s Paris attacks, attacks against Muslims and mosques have been reported all over the United States, but in this case there is no reference to religion. The perpetrators of such crimes are always ‘vandals,’ ‘miscreants,’ ‘ right-wingers,’ but never terrorists.

Likewise when anything bad happens in India, the Western media often needs only some comments by some Hindu leader, talk about a climate of intimidation and violence, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence to create an article.

The recent incident where a
Planned Parenthood facility was
attacked by a gunman and three people
lost their lives is being called ‘domestic terrorism.’ How many want to bet that if the gunman had been Muslim it would be
Islamic Terrorism, and if it had happened in India it would be called Hindu Terrorism? When it happens here, it is put
down to a lone wolf, someone not connected to religion (even though in this case we all know who is directing the hate
against Planned Parenthood). But when it happens in our countries, a much broader brush is being used.

Vanamali Thotapalli Chicago, Illinois

The burden of
the ‘lone wolf ’
terrorism

Religion, politics & the great divide Religions and politics are organized around polity. Organized religions define themselves by emphasizing differences rather than similarities; organized religions are like political parties.

Cow worship and ban on cow slaughter became a political movement in the struggle for independence. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its protégé, the Bharatiya Janata Party, later adopted this policy as vote bank politics.

All legalized bans are doomed to failure like prohibition earlier. Such legal bans invariably make the beef industry a profitable business for criminals and politicians.

Politics and religions go hand in glove. As long as religions divide people, they are no holier than politics.

Udayshanker By email

II It is regrettable to see in the letters published in India Abroad that some people are still reproaching the Indian government for the riots against Sikhs in 1984. What happened 31 years ago has no relevance now, when there have been many changes of government, with Dr Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, as prime minister for many years.

Do we gain anything by causing more and more estrangements in communities?

I am 97, and remained married to a Sikh lady for almost 60 years until she passed away. We never found any discrimination between Hindus and Sikhs. If one boy was Hindu his brother could be a Sikh.

Guru Nanak Dev, who was loved by people of all religions, would never have imagined that one day some politicians would try to create distrust and difference between Hindus and Sikhs.

And during India’s Independence struggle I have witnessed Hindus and Sikhs fight together for freedom. When Lala Lajpat Rai, a Hindu leader, was killed by the British, a young Sikh named Bhagat Singh avenged his murder.

It is the time for all Hindus and Sikhs to forget rivalries and prejudices.

Om Julka Moreland Hills, Ohio
The gunman at the Planned Parenthood clinic is moved to a police vehicle in Colorado Springs, Colorado November 27. RICK WILKING/REU TERS

Criticize Jindal’s policies,
not his religion
have always admired Bobby Jindal.

His qualifications and achievements are numerous. At age 20, he graduated from Brown University with honors in two majors: Biology and Public Policy. He was admitted to both Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School. He was a Rhodes Scholar. In the realm of public service, he has had a distinguished career in public health (beginning at age 25) and in elected office, culminating in his becoming the Louisiana governor.

Jindal converted to Christianity when he was 13. It is difficult to imagine that a person would embrace any faith at the age of 13 with ulterior motives. Criticize his policies and his platform if you wish. But to those who criticize his religion, I say, let the man worship whomever and whatever and however he wishes.

Though his dream of the Presidency appears to be over, the man is only 44. Perhaps he can still contribute greatly in the realms of public policy, public health, and economics.