Chicago: A campaign launched by Chicago radio and TV talk-show host Tony Brown purports to "inform" the American public about Hinduism. One of Brown’s shows aired on WLS 890 AM between 10 a.m. and 12 noon, on Saturday, June 30, and a similar television show aired 6 a.m. on Sunday, dedicating its time allotment to a bash of Hinduism. It was timed, perhaps coincidentally, when three major congregations of Indians - the JAINA, the TANA, and the "Vedanta in the Third Millennium" conventions were held in the Windy city. Brown promises more shows on the topic.
Among other things, Brown said:
**Nazism emanated from Hinduism; Hilter borrowed the "Swastika" symbol from the Hindu religion.
**Untouchability, "widely practiced" in India, permits "5 per cent of the three high castes to rule the rest of the one billion population."
**After the death of Mother Teresa, all Christian nuns in India were systematically persecuted.
** Female children and women of lower castes are forced into prostitution.
Brown chastised the US government for allowing (Indians) to immigrate into the US.
And blamed the US government for not being able to provide proper educational facilities for the Americans in the country, forcing the country to import thousands of computer experts from India.
"Americans do not understand Hinduism," said Brown, "...In India there are one billion of people, of whom 500 million live in poverty. There is no such thing in the country as welfare system. That means, it is their belief that (lower caste people) should be persecuted and no one should help them. ...(the) caste system is ... based on color discrimination...."
Further dilating, Brown added, "A woman in India is never free. First of all she is under the control of her parents; when she gets married, she is under the control of her husband; and when her husband dies, she is under the control of her children. She doesn't get free. And the concept of Hinduism is purity. Are you pure? If you are around (a person of an) impure caste, you have to go home and cleanse yourself. I am impure because you are around me. Women are impure. That is the theory. Black untouchables are impure. Foreigners are impure. The idea is to create system of segregation, apartheid, so that the pure people can be kept away from impure people." Brown added, "There are 300 million gods in Hinduism. You do not have to believe in God to be a Hindu. Christians have a Bible, Jews have a Bible, Muslims have a Koran, and there is no Hindu bible. There is no central creed what a Hindu believes. There is no hierarchy like the Pope, the cardinals and so forth."
As Brown’s TV program aired, the editorial board members of India Tribune convened, and disturbed by what was being said, decided to change its lead story for that week.
"India Tribune likes to share its disgust and anguish with its readers." managing editor J.V. Lakshmana Rao wrote in a front page story in their July 3, 2001 edition. The Tribune, a weekly, is one of the largest circulation Indian newspapers published in America. The Tribune did not directly rebut Brown’s assertions but published them in extenso- showing its readers the patent absurdity of his claims.
The Tribune wrote, "The tone of the broadcast continues in this outrageous and insulting fashion and India Tribune, which lays emphasis on the Hindu belief of equality of all religions, appeals to its readers, community members and leaders to consider the issue seriously and launch a peaceful mass protest to stop this unhealthy practice of Hindu-bashing, as Tony Brown promises a few more shows on the subject on a weekly basis.
The Tribune, called on Hindus to show the same aggressive spirit that Muslims, Christian or Jews would demonstrate if their religion was attacked. "Tony Brown can do it with Indians and Hinduism only. One can imagine what outrageous reaction Tony Brown would generate if he does it to any other religion."
