THE rise of ‘Hinduphobia’ in London emerged as one of the major concerns at a meeting between Rory Stewart and community representatives.
The former Penrith MP, who is an independent candidate for London's upcoming mayoral election, had an “insightful” and “thought-provoking” session with community leaders from organisations such as ISKCON, SHYAM, City Hindus Network, National Hindu Students Forum, Hindu Matters in Britain and Operation Dharmic Vote.
The meeting covered various topics such as education, festivals, culture and cow protection. The representatives highlighted the rise of Hinduphobia and inconsistent labelling by the police and media, and their implications for “community cohesion”.
Crime and safety, too, were discussed at length, with community leaders pointing to how burglars were increasingly targeting Hindu homes and temples.
Stewart pledged his support in fighting crime in London through Operation Local, which plans to treble the number of police officers at the ward level and enhance intelligence sharing for a more “integrated approach to community policing”, said a press statement from his campaign team.
He also promised to treble the number of special constables, and ensure that new officers come from the communities they police.
Stewart, who has an impressive knowledge about India, acknowledged the importance of preserving London's “beautiful tradition” of celebrating festivals such as Diwali and Janmashtami.
London, in fact, hosts some of biggest Hindu celebrations outside India. And Stewart said he would take measures to promote them and their “spirit of harmony, peace and goodwill”.
Interestingly, Stewart touched upon the subject of cow protection, which had recently created a stir in India. The former Conservative leader said he recognised the importance of protecting cows within the Hindu community, and mentioned about the way he cares for the cows on his farm.
Discussing the importance of preserving regional traditions and languages, Stewart pledged to help set up centres for teaching languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.
He also assured that he would address the issue of inadequate cremation grounds in the city if elected as mayor.
Steward said London was not just one city but 700 different villages, and expressed interest in spending time at Hindu homestays. He signed off with emphasis on culture, diversity and safety in London.
Prof Nishan Canagarajah
Professor Meena Upadhyaya
