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n 1994, Shekhar Tiwari, congressional relations point-man for FISI (Friends of India Society International), gushed: "The Jewish lobby has a great understanding of the political process in the U.S. " [1]Sure enough, in 2001, the AIPAC (America-Israel Political Action Committee) and the AJC (American Jewish Committee), two titans of the 'Jewish lobby' that had Tiwari in thrall almost a decade ago, played midwife to the infant USINPAC (United States India Political Action Committee) in the immediate aftermath of the September 2001 events [2]. While USINPAC differs from FISI in terms of specific institutional ties with Hindutva, both share a common passion for Israel's perceived military, and political power, and a desire to utilize the Israeli lobby's experience and power, real and perceived, to further the ends of India's ruling classes in alliance with the neoliberal Indian American big bourgeoisie. These ends include gaining the favors of U.S. imperial power, while welcoming predatory capitalism, and its institutional tentacles in India.

 

While FISI may be more Hindutva than neoliberal, USINPAC is more neoliberal than Hindutva. Both FISI and USINPAC share a vision of a militaristic India, antagonistic to Pakistan, and to different degrees, i.e. between outright hatred and blatant indifference, share contempt towards the rights of Indian Muslims. USINPAC made no statement about the Gujarat genocide in 2002. Both are tied to a vision of India as a partner in the neoliberal imperialist project, alongside Israel and the U.S.

 

As far as commitment to neoliberalism goes, Arun Shourie has enacted with a passion bordering on the obscene, what Sanjay Puri [Executive Director of USINPAC] articulates as his fervent desire - the destruction of the public sector in favor of privatization for the benefit of multinational capital [3]. Hindutva and Indian nationalisms of the sort imagined to exist among folks in USINPAC, are tied therefore to capitalism's neoliberal avatar, and reflect the interests and dreams of the propertied, trans-national, wealthy economic and social elites of India and among elite Indian Americans. In sum the distinctions between Hindutvadi pro-Zionism and the pro-Zionism of its so-called "Indian nationalist" counterparts are trivial, and misleading. While they both perceive the "Jewish lobby" as the gateway to the U.S. political establishment, it is also equally likely that they may both be tied to imperialism's agenda through a Zionist leash given the real imbalance in power.

United In Terror?

Three years ago, it was noted that several Hindutva groups in the U.S. had begun to cooperate closely with extremist pro-Israel Zionist organizations. At that time, the most significant instance of this cooperation was the warm ties developing between New York based Rohit Vyasmaan's HinduUnity.org, a front for Bajrang Dal in the U.S., and Kahane.org. [4]Apparently, when Vyasmaan's HinduUnity.org website was taken down after complaints to the service provider, he contacted the Kahane group's director Michael Guzofsky who was then in Israel. Guzofsky introduced Vyasmaan to his friend Gary Wardell [5], a businessman in Annandale Virginia, who now hosts both websites [6]. Wardell works closely with a Christian Zionist organization affiliated to David Wilkerson's Times Square Church. Wilkerson in a recent interview on a Christian Zionist website wordofmessiah.org:

 

"The Bible tells us very clearly in Zechariah 12 that God will destroy those who come against Jerusalem," Wilkerson said. "If George W. Bush pressures Israel to give even one inch of Jerusalem to the Arabs, God will punish him for it." [7]

 

Further research on these ties reveal some interesting details. The server with I.P. address 67.153.104.163, [8] which hosts HinduUnity.org, HinduUnity.com, and HinduUnity.net, also hosts BajrangDal.org, BajrangDal.com, and BajrangDal.net!

 

Among the extremist Zionist websites hosted on this IP address are Kahane.org, www.jdl-ny.org, New York chapter of the Kahane'ist 'Jewish Defense League.' Meir Kahane, who was killed in 1990, is described even by the Zionist Anti Defamation League as an extremist who "consistently preached a radical form of Jewish nationalism which reflected racism, violence and political extremism" [9]In December 2001, the chairman and a top official of the JDL were charged with " plotting to blow up a Los Angeles area mosque and an office of United States Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)." [10]The domain name that the above IP address refers to ends with .il which is the domain suffix for Israel; however this does not mean the physical machine is in Israel; it is thought to be in the U.S [11].

 

Other websites hosted on the same IP address include www.Joinidf.org (recruiting for the Israeli Defense forces), www.Jewishlegion.net, which redirects to defendisrael.net, a site that shows an image of a subdued Arab man being bitten by a police dog, and prides itself in utilizing trained police dogs to "join in the struggle to defend Jews in Israel against Terror attacks." [12] The website 'nahalharedi.org' boasts on its frontpage: "Orthodox Jews around the world can now join the IDF for different spans of time and help defend Israel. Various programs are availbale.(sic)" There are several other websites on this IP address that reflect the extremist Zionism of Kahane's group, and a majority of the websites hosted have to do with Israel, Zionism, Kabbalah and the IDF. However, the glaring exception is the presence of HinduUnity and BajrangDal's websites. Zionist Hindutva collaboration is brought to fruition with the blessings of a Christian Zionist web service provider!

 

Why does the Bajrang Dal's website exist on this server? With all the expertise available to the Hindu right, especially within the Desi community in the U.S., what draws them to the arms of their Kahane friends in such a tight embrace? Bajrang Dal activists in India were reported to have made known their admiration for Israel and the Mossad in 2000. 13 Yet, it does come as a surprise that there is such closeness between two organizations considered even by their 'moderate' cousins in the Hindutva and Zionist movements, to be way off the edge. 14 The ties with the Christian Right add another ominous dimension to this relationship.

A stone and a mountain.

In August 2000, the Maccabean, mouthpiece of the extremist Freeman Center, a collection of Likud-oriented Zionists, whose 'frequent contributors' include Ariel Sharon, Daniel Pipes, and other notable Zionist hacks with ties to think tanks and U.S. and Israeli government agencies, claimed:

 

"The Freeman Center was instrumental in the initiation of military relations between India and Israel. This was done pre-Oslo via Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of the alcoholic Jew murderer (The Altalena) Prime Misiter Yitzhak Rabin 1992. Sales of Israeli military projects to India as risen rapidly to over #2 billion per annum." [15]

Freeman Center's maintains two links to India-related websites: one a website of the Kashmiri Pandit group 'Kashmir Overseas Association' (http://www.kashmir-information.com) and the second, the 'Sword of Truth' website (http://www.swordoftruth.com/), described as "the pro-Hindu site of Freeman Center Research Associate Arvind Ghosh." [16] The latter website has a reputation for being one of the most rabid Hindutva outlets on the web. [17] Mr. Ghosh has been in the forefront of promoting Hindutva for quite some time; his diatribe called "Islam and the Infidel" was reviewed by Sita Ram Goel, and his writings have appeared on Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece. [18] In 1999, a message claiming that 50,000 Muslims wanted to "convert" to Hinduism appeared on the newsgroup soc.culture.Indian, posted by a prominent poster, one Jai Maharaj. [19] Monetary contributions supposedly for the purposes of enabling this "conversion," were to be directed to Arvind Ghosh, "(address: P.O. Box 631048, Houston TX 77263 USA) who is the Honorary Forwarding agent for the amount.""

 

Mr. Ghosh's views on "Jew-Hindu relations" are summed up in an article with the same title:

"However, it must be said that intellectually, education-wise and in many other ways, the Jews today stand at a very high level of competence and effectiveness. But their numbers are small. The Hindus, on the other hand, still have the superiority of numbers but nothing more. Under such circumstances, the only way the Jews and the Hindus can come to a meaningful cooperation is to lend Jewish technical know-how to the Hindus while the Hindus should provide the right kind of man power to the Jews along with raw materials." [20]

The bulk of the above-mentioned article is an outright denunciation and denigration of all Muslims who have existed since the 7 th century, so its basic thrust is not only to establish a 'positive' basis for "Jew-Hindu relations" but also reinforce the negative basis, which is founded on an intense hatred of Muslims, and the subcontinent's Islamic heritage. Interestingly, Ghosh's delirious rants are echoed in a statement found on the discussion board israelforum.com's Israeli-World relations section titled ' India and Israel increase trade:'

India must be more aggressive in her rightful and just war against the Islamists and Arabs. India has the power and the resources to squash the Islamists in one gersture of your fingers.

In whole Israel there are less people then in one city of India. If israel is a rock, then India is a mountain. Time the mountain start falling on our mutual enemies heads. I am sure, Israel will bring what ever special powers it has, includeing highly trained "volentears". [21]

The same forum includes an announcement:

Israeli Ambassador will be hosting members of USINPAC and the Indian Ambassador, and their Trade and Commerce Colleagues to discuss trade, commerce and other strategic opportunities between US, Israel and India at a luncheon on March 25, 2004 at 12:00 P.M. [22]

Democrazies against Terror?

Two recently organized efforts that use a slightly different approach to establishing Zionist-Hindutva collaboration focus on the supposed opposition between 'democracy' and 'terror,' with the bland suggestion that Israel and India alongside the U.S. represent 'democracy,' while Palestinians, Pakistanis, Arabs, Muslims, the world over, represent 'terror.' Let us not waste time trashing this product of self-induced delirium, since we know it emerges from the trash-heap of deception, lies, and outright racism. Those envisioning such an alliance on behalf of democracy, would have to render themselves blind, deaf and dumb in the face of the mega-terrorism waged by Israel against the Palestinians, the U.S. the world over; and with the Hindutva hijacked state, India's credentials as a state sponsoring terrorism against its own population reached dizzying heights in Gujarat March 2002, not to speak of the Indian state's legacy of brutality in Kashmir, Assam and Punjab. Yet, the website democraciesagainstterror.org proclaims:

" In particular, we emphasize the common problems facing Israel, India, and the United States. We promote all forms of cooperation between these countries that represent inclusion, equality, and the highest ideals of humanity. " [23]

Who are these self-proclaimed knights of democracy? Based in Fremont, California, this group includes such 'democratic' minded individuals as Gaurang Desai, president of the Bay Area chapter of FISI, Mihir Meghani, a member of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, the RSS's overseas avatar, President of the recently formed Hindu American Foundation, and a founding member of the Hindu Students Coucil, an organization created by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Yatindra Bhatnagar, a well known defender of Hindutva who recently lashed out at a recent Indian Muslim Council event in which the growing intolerance and violence of organized Hindutva was being addressed [24], Scott Abramson, a hard-core Zionist physician from San Mateo, CA, who sets out boxes of cookies to attract passers to a table promoting AIPAC and Israel [25], and who also was a signatory to the pathetic letindiadevelop rag cobbled together in the wake of the Campaign to Stop Funding Hate 's devastating exposure of the IDRF's nefarious diversion of funds towards Hindutva activities in India [26], and other similarly endowed exemplary practitioners of 'democracy.'

 

4Democracy.org is another venture linking California based Hindutvadis and their Zionist counterparts, under the leadership of Bob Zeidman, an 'entrepreuner' who has made it a point to develop relations between Zionist activists and their Hindutvadi counterparts. Yatindra Bhatnagar, mentioned above, is an advisor to this group, and his articles are featured on their website; Zeidman's own piece titled ' India and Israel ' claims:

Both gained independence from England around the same time. Both are surrounded by enemies that wish to destroy it. Both must deal with terrorist attacks on a regular basis. Both are democracies that recognize individual human rights. Both have successfully turned to high technology as a means of reinvigorating their economies. Both cultures value education and hard work. [27]

Compare this to the statements made at a gathering held on October 20, 2002 in New Jersey, called "Hindu Jewish Friendship Celebration." Ved Nanda, a prominent figure at Hindutva events including the so-called "Dharma Conference" held annually, represented the "Hindu community" at this event. His summary of 'Hindu-Jewish friendship' asserted that " both have suffered extraordinarily long periods of persecution but have still kept our strong identities intact," "both are tolerant religions with no proselytization and no aggressive designs," "both have roots in vibrant democracies -- India and Israel -- with an irreverent press and passionate participation by civil society," "both are combating heinous acts of terrorism," and so on.

 

4democracy.org's Bob Zeidman is actively involved in promoting Israel-India relations with speaking engagements and media interventions in California. He spoke at a Jewish Business Persons Lunch Group in Walnut Creek, California on 23 rd February, 2004. His talk titled " Israel and India : From Ancient Culture to Modern Democracy," focused on " the fact that both countries are surrounded by dictatorships and subjected to frequent attacks by Islamist terrorists." Zeidman also "emphasized the need to support both countries as free democratic nations and strong allies of the United States. " In March, Zeidman's Speaking for Democracy(4democracy.org) was also " asked to talk to Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu group in Orange County." In his note to supporters, Zeidman asks: "Is there a member of our group that lives in the area or is willing to go there to give a talk on a Sunday morning? Please let me know. You don't need to be an expert on Israeli history, Indian history, or U.S. history. We can send you information and work with you before the talk. Please let me know." [28]

 

Incidentally the democraciesagainstterrorism.org rag has a resources section in which under the 'Information on Israel ' header, there are not less than 30 websites listed. The 'Information on India ' section has a measly two: a link to the Indian Embassy, and one to USINPAC. Mihir Meghani, of Hindu Students Council and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh fame, meanwhile has set up a new venture, called the Hindu American Foundation (hinduamericanfoundation.org). This outfit claims to have " created a report of Internet websites dedicated to propagating hatred and violence against Hindus and Hinduism." This list was supposedly shared with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which included a selection "of these anti-Hindu websites in a compilation entitled, "Digital Terrorism and Hate 2004." [29] Obviously, the intent is, to use the skill and experience of Zionist organizations like the SWC, whose website now sports an image and a headline that perhaps exemplifies the Orwellian nightmare that the early 21 st century has been relegated to:

 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Helps Launch New $200 Million Complex To Rise In Heart Of Jerusalem

 

Accompanied by an image of the racist 'Terminator' waving to a crowd in front of a giant banner that reads: "Center for Human Dignity, Museum of Tolerance, Jerusalem. [30]" The irony of this hideous negation of reality cannot be overemphasized: The Palestinian people are being targeted by Sharon, Bush and the Zionist neo-cons of Israel and the U.S., for 'unilateral separation,' a plan of ethnic cleansing, and genocide in slow-motion, which the self-ordained saints of tolerance at the SWC neither recognize, nor care about, as they raise slogans about human dignity in the midst of a settler colonial war of occupation and plunder. There is little doubt that Hindutva activist fronts like the "Hindu American Foundation" will use these ties to try and silence critics of Hindutva's excesses in the name of defending Hinduism. Criticism of Hindu practices such as caste are already being attacked by the Hindu American Foundation as " prejudice against Indians, Hindus and Hinduism." [31]


 

References

  1. Hindu Extremists Seek Ties With Israel and Its U.S. Lobby, Faisal Kutty, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January 1994
  2. Namaste Sharon, Vijay Prashad, LeftWord, 2003
  3. 'Indo-US economic cooperation very positive; military cooperation very high' January 13, 2004 (http://www.indiaonestop.com/face2face/sanjaypuri.htm).
  4. "Two Unlikely Allies Come Together in Hatred of Muslims" New York Times, June 2, 2001
  5. Wardell is a member of a Christian Zionist movement The Times Square Church, of David Wilkerson, a : http://www.gesher.co.il/eng/index.php?pg=gd-5.inc Also: "Please notify Gary Wardell <gwardell @ Yeshua.cc> immediately, if you feel a guestbook entry does not glorify God and needs to be deleted. He's online almost all day and can usually quickly jump in to do editing." http://www.tscpulpitseries.org/teamlead.html Guidelines for Foreign Teams - Times Square Church Pulpit Series.
  6. United in Hatred, Aseem Chhabra, Rediff US Special, July 24, 2001 http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/jul/24usspec.htm
  7. American Pastor David Wilkerson speaks out in interview with Israel Today magazine, Word of Messiah Ministries http://wordofmessiah.org/david_wilkerson.htm
  8. An IP Address refers to a unique number of the form x.x.x.x which identifies a computer on the internet. Two machines cannot have the same IP address, and web servers have IP addresses that do not change dynamically, as computers that dial-up to access the web do.
  9. http://www.adl.org/extremism/jdl_chron.asp
  10. http://www.aaiusa.org/jdl.htm quoting Los Angeles Times, 12/13/01
  11. Whois query on networksolutions.com
  12. http://www.defendisrael.net/about.shtml
  13. Desi Mossad is getting ready at Bajrang Dal's Ayodhya camp, The Indian Express, June 30, 2000
  14. A very interesting piece of writing titled 'Bajarangis - Do not become Hindu Jihadis' appears on the Hindutva website http://hindutva.org/bajrang.html. The Hindutvadi authors of this message ask their Bajrang Dal friends: "Bajarangis - Decide now if you want to become like the beasts that you want to fight or to become hunters against those beasts." Similarly, denunciations of the JDL and Kahane movement can be found on the website of the Zionist ADL (noted above). The hindutva.org website promotes a 'Savarkar' brand of Hindutva which asserts atheistic, militaristic Hindu chauvinism, as opposed to the VHP-Bajrang Dal version which pursues the same with Brahmanic symbolism and ritualism.
  15. http://freeman.io.com/m_online/aug00/arens.htm
  16. In its brief bio of Arvind Ghosh (http://www.freeman.org/ghosh.htm), the Freeman Center notes: "It is his expertize (sic) on Moslem behavior and attrocities (sic) in the Indian sub-continent that makes him a valuable contributor to the Freeman Center."
  17. swordoftruth.org is registered to Arvind Ghosh, Sword Of Truth, HOUSTON, TX 77263-1048, US, (713)778-0960 source: Whois query from networksolutions.com
  18. Hindu Vivek Kendra, Book Review - http://groups.google.com/groups?q=arvind+ghosh&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=5hnfj5%24kt8%40usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu&rnum=3
  19. http://groups.google.com/groups?q=arvind+ghosh&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=Hindu-0146.990322%40news.mantra.com&rnum=6
  20. Jew-Hindu Relations, Arvind Ghosh, The Maccabean, http://www.freeman.org/m_online/sep97/ghosh.htm
  21. http://www.israelforum.com/board/showthread.php3?pagenumber=8&threadid=3400 message posted by Gilgamesh 'senior member.' 4-21-2004
  22. http://www.israelforum.com/board/showthread.php3?pagenumber=8&threadid=3400
  23. http://democraciesagainstterror.org/
  24. Hours of Anti-India, Anti-Hindutva Rhetoric at "Indian" Muslim Meet, Yatindra Bhatnagar, July 8, 2003, http://democraciesagainstterror.org/articles/Bhatnagar2003-07-08.htm
  25. http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/18502/edition_id/371/format/html/displaystory.html
    See also: http://www.pakistan-facts.com/article.php/20040210121949427 where Abramson claims that Musharraf is 'not to be trusted' because "his army supports terrorists there against Hindus. No wonder India remains skeptical of his overtures. America, like its fellow democracy, India, is now learning the unfortunate lessons of the Pakistani double-cross."
  26. http://www.letindiadevelop.org/ViewSignatures.asp?idstart=3779
  27. India and Israel, Bob Zeidman, Auguist 2003, http://4democracy.org/articles/Zeidman2003-08.htm
  28. 4democracy.org, March 1, 2004
  29. http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.com/achievements.htm
  30. http://www.wiesenthal.com/
  31. http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/campaigns_denverpost_letter.htm