Anti-Hindu Hate Monitor platform launched in UK
A new platform to help document incidents of anti-Hindu hate incidents in the UK has been launched as part of efforts to address concerns of rising religiously motivated hate crimes in the country.
The Anti-Hindu Hate Monitor (AHHM) is described as a working project under the Future of Faith Desk at the International Centre for Sustainability (ICfS) in London.
The think tank said the data collected by the new online platform launched this week will be used to engage with the UK Home Office, law enforcement, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
“This platform aims to support a collective voice within the Hindu community, helping to ensure that these issues are not faced in isolation,” ICfS said.
It builds on the group’s report from last year entitled ‘Investigating the Perceptions of Anti-Hindu Hate and Discrimination in the UK’, which had identified a gap in systemic engagement with hate crimes and discrimination directed at Britain’s Hindu community.
“Currently, there is no way of reporting these hate crimes, and I first raised this issue a few years ago at City Hall and it’s great that the community has come together and this has been developed,” said Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow — a north-west London constituency that is home to the city’s largest Hindu community.
“My next task is to make sure that the data that’s being reported and monitored is recognised by the Metropolitan Police,” he said, calling on the community to make use of the new online tool.
Under official Home Office statistics released last October, religiously aggravated and racially motivated incidents registered a major spike, led by anti-Muslim hate crimes at a record high of 4,478 offences (45 per cent), followed by 2,873 (29 per cent) anti-Jewish crimes.
While 259 anti-Sikh crimes (3 per cent) and 182 anti-Hindu crimes (2 per cent) reflected a relatively small percentage, there have been concerns of a lack of data monitoring among these communities.
The ICfS fears that religious hate directed towards Hindus is an “increasing concern that has received limited attention,” and the new initiative is an effort to address that gap “grounded in reliable data”.
“We encourage temples, organisations, youth groups, and community leaders to support the AHHM by sharing the platform widely within their networks and encouraging those affected to make use of the reporting system where appropriate,” said Dipen Rajyaguru, Director of Equality & Inclusion at Hindu Council UK.
“By working together, we can strengthen understanding, improve safeguarding, and help ensure that all communities are treated with dignity and respect,” he said.
The AHHM portal has been developed by Ornicha Daoruen, head of the Future of Faith Desk at ICfS, which examines how to better understand and engage with diverse traditions.
The primary focus of the new platform will be on monitoring and documenting anti-Hindu hate crimes and incidents affecting individuals in the UK who identify with Hindu traditions, including Jain communities and other dharmic traditions, to “better understand the realities of anti-Hindu hate in the UK.”
AHHM has classified anti-Hindu incidents into nine categories to support consistent reporting and analysis: Extreme Violence, Assault, Damage and Desecration of Property, Threats, Abusive Behaviour, Anti-Hindu Literature, Hate Speech, Discrimination, and Online Content or Abuse.
