Hindus Sue State of CA

[Guest guest]

taken a stand against not only the illegal machinations of the SBE and unfair

treatment Hindus received during the textbook adoption process, but also the

inaccurate and unequal portrayal of their religious tradition in school

textbooks," said Nikhil Joshi, Esq., member of the HAF Board of Directors.

"This is about treating Hindus in America and their religion with the same

level of sensitivity and balance afforded to other religious traditions and

their practitioners," continued Joshi. The HAF complaint alleges that the SBE

violated the law when it approved textbooks for sixth grade history-social

science that tend to demean, stereotype, and reflect adversely upon Hindus;

that portray Hinduism as undesirable; that hold Hindu beliefs and practices up

to ridicule or as inferior; that inaccurately describe and characterize

Hinduism; and discourage belief in that religious tradition. HAF identified

five areas where the foundation holds that the staff recommended edits were not

only inadequate, but also inconsistent. HAF asks in the lawsuit that 1) the

description of the role and status of women in Hinduism be neutral and

consistent with the treatment accorded this issue in the context of other

religions; 2) the description of the caste system and the social practice of

"untouchability" be historically accurate and consistent with descriptions of

social inequities in other societies that are falsely perpetrated by some in

the name of religion; 3) description of Hindu theology and its understanding of

divinity be consistent with the understanding of practicing Hindus; 4) Hinduism

not be unfavourably compared with other religions or made to appear as a more

regressive or archaic belief system; and 5) the text present the Aryan Invasion

or Aryan Migration Theory as one possibility, along with the prevailing view

among Hindus that Hinduism is indigenous to India. On December 2, 2005, SBE's

Curriculum Commission initially approved several Hindu

edits that addressed these issues. The SBE decided to ignore the Curriculum

Commission only in regards to the edits suggested by Hindu groups. HAF further

argues that the SBE violated the California Open Meeting Act among other

procedural violations when it made numerous private determinations that

effectively subverted the public process. The Bagley- Keene Open Meeting Act

requires that certain state agency meetings be conducted openly so that the

public may remain informed. HAF is seeking a temporary restraining order to

halt the publishing of the textbooks until the issue of whether the textbooks

meet the state standards have been resolved by a court of law. "We’re dealing

with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars here," stated Suhag Shukla, Esq.

HAF Legal Counsel. "We need to ensure that the suggested edits by the Hindu

American community are given due consideration and that ultimately the text is

fair and accurate before it goes to the print." An

emergency hearing for injunctive relief will be scheduled within the next week.

A copy of the complaint and exhibits are available on

www.hinduamericanfoundation.orgDate: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 19:06:54 -0000

"shekharmayank" California ParentsFor Immediate ReleaseLos Angeles,

March 17, 2006.PRESS RELEASE: CAPEEM FIGHTS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HINDU

CHILDREN WITH A LAWSUITCalifornia Parents for the Equalization of Educational

Materials (CAPEEM) has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in the

Eastern District of California against the California State Board of Education

and the California Department of Education.The complaint was filed with the

Federal Court on Tuesday, March 14th, 2006.The essence of the Complaint is that

the California State Board of Education (SBE) and California Department of

Education (CDE) violated the civil

rights of Hindu schoolchildren by advancing an inaccurate and derogatory picture

of Hinduism in sixth grade school textbooks. California State Board meetings on

the matter failed to give an adequate voice to Hindu concerns. There has been a

violation of Federal and State laws and statutes, as well as CDE and SBE

guidelines.Various Hindu groups and parents participated in this process since

the Sixth grade History-Social Sciences textbooks came up for adoption last

year. After being let down by the CDE and SBE, the parents decided to go to

court and restore their children's civil rights. Many students, both past and

present, have spoken to CDE and SBE about their experience in the classroom and

that the Hinduism that is taught in the school has nothing to do with what they

know and practice at home. Venkat Balasubramani filed the complaint on CAPEEM's

behalf. Balasubramani is an attorney

who has worked in the past with public interest groups, including the American

Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), on civil rights matters.For further information

please contact Murali Menon at:e-mail address: media (AT) capeem (DOT) orgPhone: (310)

804-5126Web Site:

www.capeem.orgDo You

?