WASHINGTON, U.S., July 12, 2016 (Silicon India): California State Board of Education is in the final stages of revising and updating the K-12 History-Social Science Framework for public schools. Tulsi Gabbard, the first ever Hindu elected to the US House of Representatives, has asked a Californian educational board to give Hinduism its due place in school textbooks and not to describe it inaccurately as religions of ancient India.
In a letter ahead of their final hearing on Thursday, Gabbard – a Democrate who represents the Hawaii’s second congressional district – urged the board to preserve Hindu history and identity by restoring all references to “Hinduism” that were removed or replaced with the ahistorical and inaccurate phrase, like “religions of Ancient India, including but not limited to early Hinduism”. Just as other religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism are given their own separate and distinct space for discussion in the Framework, so should Hinduism.
In the letter, Gabbard also urged the board to acknowledge the positive roles played by women in Ancient Indian and Hindu society. “While it is important to discuss the existence of patriarchies in ancient civilisations, it is also critical to discuss the positive contributions and unique roles played by women in those societies,” she noted.
Gabbard asked the California Board to accurately represent the caste-system in the framework by not depicting it as a defining feature or a foundational religious belief of Hinduism. “While caste-based discrimination is a reality that must be dealt with, it goes against the essence of Hindu teachings and scriptures, which posit that divinity is inherent in all beings,” she said.