“Equality Labs”, an organisation behind the bill to “ban caste discrimination”, have previously called for Hinduism to be “dismantled”.
On Tuesday this week, anti-Hindu lobbyists succeeded in Seattle in added “caste” as a protected category covered under its policy for non-discrimination. This resolution was proposed by Councillor Khama Sawant, an Indian origin member of the Seattle Council. Many Hindu groups stating that this resolution will promote Hinduphobia in the USA.
Sawant and her team pushed for the change in law based upon claims that there is widespread caste discrimination within Indian communities in the USA. She cited a survey by Equality Labs.
However, the reliability of this survey’s data and methodology have been called into question. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace which had also conducted a survey on discrimination faced by Indian Americans and found little to no evidence for caste discrimination in the USA. Equality Labs also has a history of Hinduphobia and has even called for the “dismantling” of Hinduism at past events. Many American-born Hindus grow up with little awareness of what “caste” they belong to.
Despite this, the new legislation singles out Hindus and other communities originating from the Indian Subcontinent, suggesting that caste is intrinsic to Dharmic traditions and not practiced by others.