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Source: Religion News Service
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, July 5, 2010: (RNS) What
does it mean when the two best-known Indian-American politicians in
American politics are converts to Christianity?
In South Carolina, Nikki Haley won the Republican nomination for governor
despite a whisper campaign that criticized her name and religion. Many
questioned the validity of Haley's Christian faith. Some, including
Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts, called her Christian conversion into
question.
But in a country that has demonstrated that religion matters when it comes
to politics, the issue remains: does it remain difficult for Hindus, Jains
and Sikhs to be voted into high office? Both Haley and Louisiana Gov.
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, who became the nation's first Indian-American
governor in 2007, are Republicans and converts to Christianity. Both also
have faced questions about their religion. Haley has a special section of
her campaign website devoted to dispelling rumors and to setting "the
record straight." On the site, Haley affirms her Christianity, saying
"being a Christian is not about words, but about living for Christ
every day."
The extra attention carries both positive and negative implications for
members of minority faiths, said Suhag Shukla, managing director and legal
counsel for the Hindu American Foundation. "I think it sends a mixed
sense of hope to young people in the Indian-American community that while
we may have, as a society, gotten somewhat over the race barrier, the
religion barrier is still there," she said. At least seven other
Indian-Americans are running for Congress or statewide office this year,
many of whom openly embrace Sikhism, Hinduism or other Indian religions.
Democrat Reshma Saujani, candidate for Congress from New York's
Manhattan-based 14th district, identifies herself "first and
foremost" as a "daughter of political refugees" of Indian
descent. She is a practicing Hindu who says her faith has not caused
friction in her campaign. "I think that there might be more pressure ...
where there might not be as much diversity in religious faith," she
said. "But in New York, there definitely is (religious
diversity)."
Where a candidate is running can determine how much scrutiny a candidate's
faith will attract, Shukla said. A Hindu running for office in New York is
one thing; a Sikh-turned-Methodist in the Bible Belt is another. "We
still see this type of discrimination in other places, and it plays out in
some elections," she said. "Again, I think it would have to
depend on geography," she added. Indeed, some candidates are reluctant
to reveal specifics about their faith. Ravi Sangisetty, running as a
Democrat for Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District south of New Orleans,
details his Catholic school education and membership in the Catholic Church
on his campaign website. But when asked whether Sangisetty had converted, a
campaign spokeswoman responded, "Like I said, he's Catholic."
While religion and ethnicity pique interest in the national media, with
some viewing Indian ethnicity as a potential handicap, Manan Trivedi,
Democratic congressional candidate from Pennsylvania, believes "the
American electorate is smarter than that." An Indian-American himself,
Trivedi hasn't faced questions about his Hindu faith. A spokesman for
Trivedi's campaign said "people care much more about jobs and what
their candidates are going to do." "Issues are much more
important," he said.
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