‘WAH ji WAH’ Wahab – A champion of Caste-Jihad

Wah re Wah Wahab!! Dividing California Hindus by advancing caste-jihad

Did California State Senator Aisha Wahab, of Afghan origin, have nothing better to use her wisdom, influence, and energy? Is she ignorant or knowingly ignoring the plight of women in her country of origin? In Afghanistan, the women are being discredited, dishonored, and demoralized and the young girls are deprived of their right to education. Perhaps, Senator Wahab does not care about Afghan women/ girls because she is now in the United States. Is it not being selfish and self-focused rather than thinking of turmoil in her country of birth at the hands of the Taliban?

Wah-Wah (wow) Wahab!! Sadly, you used your position of influence in disparaging and showing ignorance about the oldest and longstanding Dharmic people of the Hindu faith. You drafted a bill, SB 403, to cast “caste” as a protected category in the state’s anti-discrimination laws. You should know better but chose to close your eyes and ears for any reasonable arguments that the so-called “caste system” was a conspiracy by the Colonialists to divide and rule India.

The evil British empire imposed the rigid caste and sub-caste categories, brainwashed people in British India, and erased the history of the Varna system which was devised and practiced based on the set of skills in meeting the needs of society. In the varna system, people could migrate from one category to another with changing skills. There are plenty of examples of Shudras (one of four varnas) regarded and revered as saints, poets, and writers of repute among Hindus.

Wah re Wah Wahab!! Who knows what motivated you? You are casting yourself as a champion of caste-jihad and dividing the California Hindus based on a Colonial concept of “caste system.” It was relatively unknown and unheard of in the United States until a few years ago (Part 1-15 about the Caste Jihad can be accessed here[1]).

It started with a wrongful lawsuit filed by a disgruntled employee casting caste discrimination as its basis. This lawsuit was finally dropped. Nevertheless, discrimination in any form and on any basis like gender, race, religion, nationality, etc., must be condemned which indeed is protected under U.S. law.

In principle, the California legislation, with the evil intent of discrediting people of the Hindu faith, affects only California Hindu residents. In reality, it has the potential to impact every practicing Hindu’s life. Why and how? The anti-Hindu narrative is increasing day by day because the tolerant Hindus are dormant in their comfort zone. Many Hindu Americans, particularly, those belonging to Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya varna assume that they are immune to such devastating legislations. They are pleading ignorance despite that American Hindus are well educated and highly placed in all professions and contribute to all sectors of the U.S. economy.

Hindus not residing in California may be offered a better-paying and promising opportunity in California. For example, they may be offered a managerial/ supervisory role at Google, Apple, or Facebook. Only one disgruntled individual of the “Dalit” descendant may file a complaint of caste-based discrimination under caste-jihad legislation championed by Wahab. Once accused, the lawsuit will bring turmoil in personal and professional life, loss of peace of mind, put on the defensive, and result in an expensive legal defense until proven innocent. Who would want caste-jihad and thus the need for Hindus to wake up and be counted against it with full might?

The first-generation Hindu Americans may weather the onslaught of caste-based accusations better because they know a bit about it from growing up in India. Imagine the plight of second and third-generation Hindu Americans. Neither they know about the evils of “caste-system,” nor it has been a topic of discussion in most households, schools, and workplaces. I can speak from experience that our children hardly heard of caste with a negative connotation. We mingle with all in community functions and visit temples without the caste barrier. The families may have closer social bonding with select families due to common language, culture, customs, food, personal traits, and political ideologies.

Wah-Wah Wahab!! As a California Democrat, are you dreaming of a greater political role in Washington, D.C. similar to Minnesota’s Congresswoman Ilhan Omar? You will be good company for each other and a few other “empowered” women who have greater instincts of promoting hate instead of love, dividing communities rather than uniting, and discrediting the longest surviving Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism ethos. If so, you all have the potential to lose the vote and financial support of democratic-leaning Hindu Americans like me.

I strongly despise and condemn Wahab for joining the caste-jihadist organizations such as the Equality Labs and Ambedkar International Center[2], and the anti-Hindu advocacy group calling themselves Hindus for Human Rights. Many Hindus like me are traditionally Democrats but people like Wahab of California and Omar of Minnesota are creating a strong Hindu-hating environment and thus a significant potential to lose Hindu voters and financial backing.

Wahab, do you realize that you could be a role model for Hindu Americans’ wah re wah moment and champion for the empowerment of Afghan women/ girls using your wisdom and political power in a positive way? Your chosen path of joining the likes of Equality Labs and promoting caste-jihad is a sad state of affairs for you, the State of California, and the democracy in the United States.

Finally, to Wah-Wah Wahab!! Come to senses and be an agent of positive change in improving the lives of women/ girls in Afghanistan rather than a champion of caste-jihad. And to fellow American Hindus: wake up and stand up against the rising anti-Hindu and Hinduphobic narratives by individuals (like Wahab) and organizations.

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

Reference:

[1] The Caste-Jihad: From the ancient to the present – 1-15 – PGurus.com

[2] Inequalities in the mission of Equality Labs – Jun 09, 2021, PGurus.com

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Vijendra Agarwal

Vijendra Agarwal, born in village Kota (Saharanpur, U.P), left India in 1973 after Ph.D. (Physics) from IIT Roorkee. He is currently a member of project GNARUS, a syndicated service and writers collective. He and his wife co-founded a US-based NGO, Vidya Gyan, to serve rural India toward better education and health of children, especially empowerment of girls. Vidya Gyan is a calling to give back to rural communities and keeping connected to his roots which gave him so much more. His passion for writing includes the interface of policy, politics, and people, and social/cultural activities promoting community engagement.

Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.

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