Anti-Semitism ‘spills over’ into empowering hate attacks on Hindus

A failure to combat anti-Semitism has empowered racists to attack Australia’s Indian population, according to the national vice-president of the Hindu Council of Australia, Surinder Jain.

Hindu Council of Australia national vice-president Surinder Jain. Picture: Jane Dempster

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A failure to combat anti-Semitism has empowered racists to attack Australia’s Indian population, according to the national vice-president of the Hindu Council of Australia, Surinder Jain.

He said the recent graffiti painted on a Hindu temple and two nearby Asian shops in the outer Melbourne suburb of ­Boronia underlined the need for the federal government to establish an envoy for Hindus.

“The problem with Hindu hate is that there’s no mechanism for the government to take it up,” Mr Jain told The Australian.

“There is hate against Muslims and there’s hate against Jews, but the government has appointed envoys, so when there’s any problem, they can talk to the envoy, and envoys can suggest (strategies) to government, as the Jewish envoy has done. But there’s nothing for Hindus – and we face a large amount of hate.”

In the July 13 attacks in Boronia, anti-Indian graffiti and an image of Hitler were painted on the walls of the Swaminarayan temple, with similar graffiiti on the shops.

Mr Jain said there had been an increase in racism against minorities in Australia: “I think part of that is because there was an increase in racism against Jews, and the steps taken were ineffective. Those who are spreading the hate probably feel ‘we can get away with it … we can target these other people also, who belong to the same kind of group, whom we don’t want’.”

The HCA has been lobbying the federal government since before the federal election for an envoy to combat “Hinduphobia” along the lines of the envoys on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, but on Monday Mr Jain said there had been no formal response.

“In informal discussions they are basically saying ‘Where will it stop? We’ll have a Hindu envoy, then the Sikhs will want an envoy’,” Mr Jain said.

“(I think) it’s good to have envoys for Jews and Muslims but Hindus are also facing hate. There’s no reason to deny the same access to them that’s been given to the other two faiths. The government has shown that having envoys for specific faiths is the way they want to go, so that’s the way it should be done.”

He said the growing racism was directed at Indians but 80 per cent of Indians in Australia were Hindus, who were increasingly visible.

Forty years ago when he arrived in Australia, Mr Jain said, there were very few temples. “Hindus were not visible, except perhaps at workplaces in the IT department,” he said. “Now, with so many Hindus, so many temples, so many festivals being celebrated, we are more visible and the kind of hate we are seeing now is probably at its highest level in 40 years.”

The council’s national president, Sai Paravastu, said it had told the government it needed a point of contact to “get these things raised, discussed and resolved”.

An increase in vandalism and theft at temples was “instilling fear in youngsters” and people were becoming scared to go to temple: “It’s just not stopping.There have been rogue incidents of people bullying or abusing and commenting absurdly – that’s a common thing which is happening, and there’s no proper register, there’s no proper interface. Sometimes people are not bothered to report it because they think ‘Oh, nothing’s happening (to combat it)’ .”

Mr Paravastu said while Australians were happy to enjoy Indian temples and food and festivals, “when the same community reaches out to them, saying Oh, we’re in trouble – no response.”

Mr Paravastu wrote last Friday to Anthony Albanese urging the appointment of an envy, noting “escalating incidents of vandalism, targeted attacks and community intimidation directed at Hindu temples, families and the broader diaspora across Australia. The growing frequency and organised nature of these incidents have caused significant fear, emotional trauma, and a loss of confidence within the Hindu community.

“We are also concerned that mainstream Australian media has remained largely silent on these repeated hate incidents. Selective coverage not only denies the Hindu community fair representation but also emboldens those spreading hate.”

The letter argued that a Hindu envoy would provide formal liaison between the Hindu community and government agencies; a culturally informed advisory channel for law enforcement and policymakers; and active reinforcement of the principles of multicultural harmony and religious freedom.”