Christianity Today has an article about Ramaswamy's connections to those who are persecuting Christians in India, and his praise for them. I think this is accurate, and worth taking note of.
For Indian American Christians, Ramaswamy’s faith practices don’t present a problem. But they’ve worried about his open admiration for Modi, who has been accused of compromising democracy, Hinduizing the country, and ignoring religious violence against minorities.
In the wake of the recent attacks on Christians in Manipur, which have killed more than 100 people, Ramaswamy praised Modi as “an outstanding leader of India.”
“Modi has been building on that experience [of free-market capitalism] in India, lifting people up from poverty,” Ramaswamy said in a July interview. “Regardless of their background, regardless of identity politics, India has prospered economically. GDP growth is up. I think that’s the ultimate metric of a truly successful unifying leader.”
Ramaswamy’s presidential candidacy “seems to be a part of a deeper Hindutva agenda,” says Jai Prakash Masih, a leader at Asian Mennonite Community Church, Lombard, Illinois. (Hindutva is an ideology advocating hegemony of Hindus and Hinduism within India.)
And the average American voter’s ignorance about the nuances of Hinduism and Hindutva work to Ramaswamy’s advantage, says Sam Beera, an IT professional from Boston.
“I don’t think the average white conservative Christian knows much about Hinduism or Hindutva, other than yoga, elephants, or Modi. That is a big asset for Ramaswamy,” said Beera. “There is an alarming lack of knowledge on the clear and present danger of Hindutva, which is an ideology modeled on Nazism.”
The political objectives of Hindu nationalists, says Beera, include advocating for Akhand Bharat, a movement that calls for an “unbroken India”—a political unification of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives—and endorsing Hindu political candidates globally while simultaneously marginalizing minority groups within India.
“What percentage of US conservative Christians are aware of the above? Hardly a pittance if at all,” said Beera.
“Vivek Ramaswamy has surprised many people in the past week by slowly moving up in the opinion polls,” said John Prabhudoss, at the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America. “But what we are concerned about is his association with radical Hindu groups that are aligned with Hindu extremism.”
Ramaswamy has in the past delivered the keynote for fundraisers for political advocacy groups linked to the US chapter of Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA or World Hindu Council of America), notes Pieter Friedrich, an American who advocates for persecuted Christians in India. VHPA is the US wing of the VHP (World Council of Hindus), which the CIA classified as a “militant religious organization” in 2018.
“Rather than trying to court Christian voters by appealing to similarities between their faith and Hinduism, perhaps Ramaswamy should instead take up the cause of Indian Christians who are being persecuted by the Modi regime he praises,” said Friedrich.
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
