New York, USA - An influential US-based Hindu group today expressed "deep concern and anguish" over proliferation of websites promoting religious hatred and intolerance towards Hinduism and asked internet service providers to voluntarily restrict access to such sites.
In a 52-page report, the Hindu American Foundation "traced the origin of online religious hate and bigotry" and published pictures from "actural websites" to buttress its concerns.
It stressed the need for exposing and countering the "ill conceived" propaganda to prevent Hindus from being seen in a negative light.
"Though it is less well-known in this country, anti-Hindu bigotry is every bit as ugly and dangerous as anti-Semitism or racism," wrote Jeffrey Long, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, in his foreword to the report.
"The proliferation of websites promoting religious hatred is an unfortunate consequence of the universality of access to the internet," said Vinay Vallabh, lead author of the report and member of the Foundation's Executive Council.
"We must vigorously identify, condemn and counter those who use the Internet to espouse chauvinism and bigotry over the principles of pluralism and tolerance."
Stating that "online hate is at the vanguard of societal misunderstanding and intolerance," he hoped that the report will "encourage ISPFs to voluntarily restrict sites that want to only promote hatred and intolerance towards Hindus and Hinduism or any other religion."