Hindu Council urges Royal Commission submissions

The Hindu Council of Australia is encouraging Hindu organisations and individuals to make submissions to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, citing parallel experiences of discrimination and a longstanding bond with the Jewish community.

National President Sai Paravastu told The AJN that Hindus in Australia faced challenges similar to those documented by Jewish witnesses appearing before the Commission.

“We have similar lived experiences,” he said. “What has happened with the community, with the Jewish community, especially Jewish brothers and sisters, is something which has been happening with us as well. So we live in this fear and hostility all the time.”

Paravastu said Hindus were often unfairly cast as aggressors and pointed to accusations of Islamophobia as a particular source of frustration.

“They misinterpret and try to use us as a target, saying these are the people who are hating us rather than correcting themselves,” he said. “Rather than fixing that, they try to find fault somewhere else and pinpoint others saying that, oh, you’ve been Islamophobic.”

He cited the burning of the Australian flag in Melbourne on the same day as a protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge as troubling.

“You come into this country, live here, and then you burn the Australian flag.”

Paravastu said Hindus in Australia were targeted across multiple identities, on the basis of race, faith and skin colour, and added that the community also faced vandalism of places of worship.

“Our identity is something which can’t be hidden. It’s very easy to spot us and target us on what we believe and how we live and how we go about our lives.”

The Council’s contribution to the Royal Commission would be a “mixed bag,” he said, with a comprehensive submission prepared by lawyers alongside individual community submissions.

Paravastu emphasised that Hindu support for the Jewish community is longstanding, dating back around 15 years to joint Haifa Day commemorations in New South Wales and Victoria, alongside shared Deepavali and Chanukah celebrations.

“It’s not a new friendship,” he said. “We see synergies, and we have a longer bonding. Jews have lived in India for a long time, and we have all lived in spaces peacefully, like brothers and sisters.”