INSIGHT UK
INSIGHT UK is an organisation of British Hindu and British Indian (BHI) communities in the United Kingdom.[1] It has also been called an advocacy group on behalf of these communities.[2][3]
Organisation[edit]
On its website, the organisation describes itself as a "social movement" for raising awareness and campaigning for causes that concern the British Hindu and Indian (BHI) communities in Britain.[4] It first came to light in 2021 after conducting a survey on the state of Hinduism in the religious education syllabus in British schools. The study found 98 percent of respondents claimed that the study of Hinduism in religious education was low-quality and deficient.[5][6]
Selected activities[edit]
During the 2022 Leicester unrest, the organisation issued tweets and narratives on its website describing the events unfolding in Leicester.[7][8] Rutgers University's Network Contagion Research Institute, which studied the cyber-swarming during the unrest, treated INSIGHT UK's twitter handle as a "Hindu Twittersphere user",[9] while another report by Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights, cited some of its tweets in its evidence.[7] After the unrest, the organisation led 180 Hindu groups in writing to the British prime minister urging authorities to stop hate crimes against the Hindu community.[10]
In 2023, INSIGHT UK campaigned against the use of an Indian goddess on the label of a French beer, calling it highly insensitive and disrespectful.[11] In September, it published a minute-long video of a Ganesh Chaturthi event in Leicester, where it accused the police of using excessive force.[12][13] In October–November, it was listed among the Indian diaspora organisations that protested in support of Israel against the Hamas terror attack.[14][15]
In 2024, the organisation carried out a nationwide survey regarding the British media with over 2,000 respondents. It reported that 59 percent of the respondents claimed having experienced prejudice as a result of the British media reporting; 79 percent said that the media reports resulted in negative perception of British Indians.[16] In February, INSIGHT UK wrote an open letter to BBC, Ofcom and the House of Lords, criticising BBC's coverage of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration.[17]
Reception[edit]
An article in the International Socialism magazine characterised INSIGHT UK as a Sangh Parivar organisation.[a] It criticised the organisation's report on Hinduism in school education as giving a false appearance of scientific analysis, whereas it represented only the views of the organisation's sympathisers.[18] The Muslim news website 5 Pillars UK accused the organisation of using "far-right tropes", and targeting Muslims and other minorities in India.[19]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The Sangh Parivar is a network of organisations affiliated to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India. Its affiliates Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh have branches in the UK. INSIGHT UK has acknowledged their help in preparing a report, which is discussed in the article, but it is unclear what led the article to the conclusion that INSIGHT UK itself belongs to the Sangh Parivar.
References[edit]
- ^ 'Targeted through violence': 180 Hindu groups write open letter to UK PM; Make six demands, Hindustan Times, 16 October 2022.
- ^ ‘Disrespectful, hurtful’: Activists demand recall of foreign beer with image of Hindu goddess on label, The Indian Express, 13 January 2023. ProQuest 2765064574
- ^ Cop 'manhandles' elderly Hindu priest in Leicester, video goes viral, IANS, 20 September 2023. ProQuest 2866344610
- ^ "About us". INSIGHT UK. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024.
- ^ Chadwin, Joseph (2023), "The lived religious beliefs and experiences of English Hindu teenagers at home and at school", British Journal of Religious Education, 45 (3): 251–262, doi:10.1080/01416200.2023.2184326
- ^ Ian Coles, Using the voices of worldview community members in the classroom, RE Online, July–August 2023.
- ^ a b Samant, Rashmi; Blackburn, Chris (March 2023), Fact Finding Report on Leicester Violence 2022 (PDF), Delhi: Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights, pp. 38–39
- ^ Leicester Attack On Hindus, INSIGHT UK, 17 September 2022.
- ^ Cyber Social Swarming Precedes Real World Riots in Leicester: How Social Media Became a Weapon for Violence (PDF), NCRI: Network Contagion Research Institute, Rutgers University, October 2022, p. 12
- ^ 'Targeted through violence': 180 Hindu groups write open letter to UK PM; Make six demands, Hindustan Times, 16 October 2022.
- ^ ‘Disrespectful, hurtful’: Activists demand recall of foreign beer with image of Hindu goddess on label, The Indian Express, 13 January 2023. ProQuest 2765064574
- ^ Cop 'manhandles' elderly Hindu priest in Leicester, video goes viral, IANS, 20 September 2023. ProQuest 2866344610
- ^ Man Arrested Over Assault During Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration In UK, NDTV News, 21 September 2023.
- ^ Solidarity marches to peaceful protests; Hindus world over stand in Israel's support, IANS, 11 October 2023.
- ^ Indian diaspora in Americas, Europe vocal in backing Israel, muted in Gulf, IANS, 3 November 2023. ProQuest 2885979724
- ^ Naomi Canton, Indians see bias in UK due to Brit media focus on cows, caste: Survey, The Times of India, 2 January 2024. ProQuest 2908200707
- ^ Naomi Canton, British MP slams BBC over Ram Mandir coverage, calls for debate in House of Commons on BBC impartiality, The Times of India, 3 February 2024. ProQuest 2921212548
- ^ Barry Pavier, Hindutva and the Sangh Parivar in Britain, International Socialism, 14 January 2023.
- ^ Roshan Mohammed Salih, INSIGHT UK: The Hindutva organisation targeting British Muslims, 5Pillars UK, 15 November 2022.