Hitting out at backlash over her support to the farmers' protests in India, US Vice President Kamala Harris's niece Meena Harris said she was Hindu and that religion should not be used as a cover for fascism. She was reacting to a tweet that called her out for "Hinduphobia", after she tweeted that it was "time to talk about violent Hindu extremism".
Dude, I’m Hindu. Stop using religion as a cover for fascism. https://t.co/u4gCcqtKst
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) February 6, 2021
Meena, a lawyer and author who has been involved in the political campaigns of Kamala Harris, was one of the celebrities, including pop-star Rihanna, who made clear their strong opinions on the farmer agitations.
She had referred to similarities between the riot at the US Capitol in early January and the suppression of the farmers' protests in India. Meena had tweeted, "It is no coincidence that the world’s oldest democracy was attacked not even a month ago, and as we speak, the most populous democracy is under assault. This is related. We ALL should be outraged by India’s internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters."
Meena declared her stance on the ongoing farmers' protest was not just related to agricultural policy, but was "also about the persecution of a vocal religious minority", apparently alluding to Sikhs. She had tweeted: "This isn't just about agricultural policy. It is also about the persecution of a vocal religious minority. It is police violence, militant nationalism, and attacks on labor rights. It is global authoritarianism. Don't tell me to stay out of your affairs. These are all of our issues."
Earlier on Friday, she had also also referred to "Hindu extremism". Tweeting a screenshot of a recent article in Politico titled It is Time to Talk About Violent Christian Extremism, Meena Harris wrote, "As you’ve surely seen from India over the last week alone, this headline could easily read, ‘It is Time to Talk About Violent Hindu Extremism'. It is all connected."
-Inputs from agencies
