Caste Discrimination Law In CA

From Vanamali Thotapalli, Chicago, IL

Regarding the Caste Discrimination law that has been much in the news recently, as a Hindu, I speak for most when I say that we wish this discrimination would be gone for good. There is no room for such discrimination in this world!

The best way to get rid of it is to end arranged marriages, in my opinion. When parents arrange marriages for their kids, most often they look for suitable matches within their own caste. But as views change and more and more young people decide to find partners on their own, caste becomes less and less of a factor.

But as long as we are about discrimination, why not extend it to other areas? Areas like misogyny and sexism? Whenever I see a woman in a Burkha, even on hot, sweltering days, I wonder why she must cover herself like that. Why is showing her face a crime? No other religion requires their women to cover up like that. And the men get to walk around without any restrictions, they dress like any other ordinary American. What great evil would befall if a woman showed her face? Dressed sensibly like other women in other religions do? Is this not pure discrimination? Sexism? And that too so open?

Do we dismiss it because innately it says the rest of us are sexist ourselves? We betray our own prejudices when we ignore these women’s plights.

And there is the other problem of Sectarian discrimination and violence. Islam is divided into two major sects – Shias and Sunnis. And there is much hatred and much blood shed between the two. Whole countries are dominated by one of these sects with the minority being openly discriminated against. And then their discrimination extends to minority Muslim sects like Hazaras, Ahmadiyyas, who are openly discriminated!

Should we not pass laws outlawing such hate and discrimination?

(This submission is not edited.)