Washington, D.C. (January 23, 2012) -- Hindu Americans are
appalled by the recent comments made by Republican presidential candidate and
former Senator of Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum, on the eve of last Saturday’s
South Carolina primary, according to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).
While speaking to a town hall audience, Santorum said that the concept of
equality did not come from Islam or “Eastern religions,” but rather from the
“God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Leaders of HAF that had previously worked with Santorum when he served as
Senator and even recognized his past work on human rights, were outraged by
Santorum’s remarks.
“Sen. Santorum’s presidential campaign is now playing to the lowest common
denominator of religious bigotry and prejudice by attacking Eastern religions
and Islam,” said Aseem Shukla, M.D., Co-Founder and Board Member of HAF. “His
comments not only demonstrate a disregard for America’s great history of
pluralism and religious diversity, but also show a profound ignorance of the
teachings of Dharma spiritual traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism,
and Sikhism.”
Santorum, who addressed a crowd of over 200 people at the Clock Restaurant in
the small town of Boiling Springs, further declared that Americans should live
“responsibly in conforming with God’s laws,” since their rights and equality
come from God.
“For Mr. Santorum to present himself as a ‘true conservative’ is to defame the
conservative movement that should never allow itself to be conflated with his
intolerant message," added Shukla.
Despite his last-minute appeals to South
Carolina voters, the former Pennsylvania Senator
finished in third place with 17% of the vote, behind both Mitt Romney and Newt
Gingrich, who received 27.8% and 40.4% respectively.
“Hinduism, the world’s oldest spiritual tradition, has long advanced the
concept of equality that transcends humanity and is inclusive of the entire
creation that is a manifestation of an immanent and omnipotent God,” said Jay
Kansara, HAF’s DC-based Associate Director. “Mr. Santorum would do well in
joining the millions of Americans who have actually read and drawn inspiration
from the Bhagavad Gita and other Dharmic, or Eastern, scripture before making
such divisive and ill-informed statements.”