A new report released on October 16 has exposed the deep-rooted far-right associations and agenda of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a prominent advocacy group for Hindu Americans in the United States. The report, titled “HAF Way to Supremacy: How the Hindu American Foundation Rebrands Bigotry as Minority Rights”, was jointly published by Political Research Associates (PRA) and the Savera: United Against Supremacy coalition.
The comprehensive study claims that HAF, despite presenting itself as a civil rights organisation committed to “dignity, freedom, equality and justice” for Hindu Americans, is in fact a key player in the global Hindu supremacist (Hindutva) movement. The report argues that HAF's messaging and advocacy reflect a zero-sum approach to civil rights, framing the freedoms of Hindus in opposition to those of other communities.
According to the findings, HAF has vigorously opposed legal protections against caste discrimination, employing tactics reminiscent of white supremacist opposition to anti-racist organising. The organisation is also accused of demonising Indian American Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, while attempting to justify and whitewash alleged human rights violations by India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Chaitanya Diwadkar of Ambedkar King Study Circle added, “The report clearly illustrates how HAF has facilitated hatemongering and supremacist politics. Even as Hindu supremacists in India demonize minorities, in the USA, they advance their supremacist agenda in the very language of minority rights.”
The report traces HAF's origins to a second generation of Hindutva activists who, having gained experience in older and more openly bigoted Hindu supremacist organisations, sought to present a more “palatable version” of Hindutva capable of garnering mainstream legitimacy. Despite this rebranding effort, the study alleges that HAF has maintained strong, albeit covert, ties with Hindu supremacist organisations such as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHP-A).
The study also alleges that HAF has consistently advocated for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The authors cite instances where HAF allegedly defended controversial actions of the Indian government, including the revocation of Kashmiri autonomy and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Tarso Luís Ramos, Executive Director of Political Research Associates, commented on the findings: “The Hindu supremacist movement is a dangerous and increasingly influential force within an emergent multiracial Far Right in the United States. The Hindu American Foundation has cleverly exploited the general lack of awareness in this country about Hindu supremacism to present itself as a civil rights organization.”
The report suggests that HAF has successfully exploited a broader lack of awareness about far-right strands in the Indian diaspora to find space in mainstream American civil society. Many organisations, assuming HAF to be a legitimate representative of the Hindu American community, invited it into their interfaith and multicultural coalitions. However, as HAF's far-right record has become more apparent, the organisation has increasingly distanced itself from these very spaces, responding to their inclusion with exclusionary lobbying.
Sunita Viswanath, Cofounder and Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights, described the report as “essential reading for anyone seeking to understand what the far-right is shaping up to be”. She emphasised that this study presents the most comprehensive treatment of how diasporic far-right networks are a key part of the authoritarian movement in the U.S.
The report draws parallels between HAF's ideology and the emerging phenomenon of a “Multiracial Far Right” in the United States. This movement is characterised by its instrumentalization of multiculturalism, minority rights, and representational politics to advance an anti-democratic agenda that overlooks basic rights and works towards religious or ethnic supremacy.
In recent years, the report claims, HAF has increasingly aligned itself with the American far-right. As evidence, the study points to HAF's opposition to anti-caste discrimination legislation in California. According to the report, HAF reportedly spent $300,000 campaigning against a bill that sought to include caste as a protected category in the state's civil rights law.
The authors draw parallels between HAF's rhetoric and that of the American far-right, noting the organisation's use of terms like “Critical Caste Theory” - an apparent reference to conservative attacks on Critical Race Theory. This, they argue, is part of a broader trend of HAF adopting far-right tactics and narratives.
The authors argue that HAF's claims of neutrality and independence are crucial to its operations, allowing it to maintain plausible deniability regarding the “harms of Hindutva supremacy” while simultaneously claiming space within liberal civil rights coalitions. This strategy, the report suggests, has enabled HAF to enter mainstream American civil society spaces that were previously inaccessible to more overtly Hindu nationalist groups.
One of the report's key contentions is the alleged financial support HAF has received from donors associated with Hindu nationalist causes. The study claims to have uncovered evidence of significant donations, including nearly $450,000 from the Bhutada Family Foundation between 2005 and 2020, with a reported promise of an additional $1 million from Ramesh Bhutada.
Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Indian American Muslim Council, stated, “Savera’s new report compiles evidence of what many South Asian and Muslim civil rights groups have known for a long time: that HAF rejects protections for caste-oppressed groups, aligns with a foreign regime's efforts to target our Sikh siblings, and joins in the xenophobic demonization of Muslims.”
The report's allegations extend to HAF's approach to civil rights, suggesting that the organisation has perverted the concept and abused it to attack other minority groups in the name of protecting Hindus. This includes HAF's stance on caste discrimination, its portrayal of Indian American Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, and its efforts to justify alleged human rights violations by India's ruling party.
In response to previous similar allegations, HAF has consistently denied any links to Hindu nationalist groups. The organisation describes itself as an advocacy group for Hindu Americans committed to “dignity, freedom, equality and justice”. HAF's public stance maintains that it is an independent entity working for the rights of Hindu Americans.
The report concludes by calling on civil society groups to reassess their relationships with HAF. It suggests that maintaining ties with such organisations could hinder efforts to build a multiracial democracy. The authors recommend that civil society organisations educate themselves about the full extent of the Hindu supremacist network in the U.S., including its covert ties.
