The Hindu Board of New Zealand this morning condemned Tamaki\u2019s \u201cinflammatory, defamatory and hate-fuelled video\u201d, saying the comments incited violence, arson and hatred against the diverse Indian diaspora.<\/p>\n
The Hindu Board of New Zealand says recent social media comments made by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki can be seen as inciting violence and hatred. Photo \/ Alex Burton<\/p>\n
The board called for the Government and police to \u201ctake suo moto cognizance and initiate legal action against Tamaki\u201d, saying Police Minister Mark Mitchell \u201cshould demonstrate that calls to violence against any group will not be tolerated\u201d in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese statements can only be attributed either to ignorance or malicious intent.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally Hindus would ignore such kerfuffle, but such calls to violence can trigger lone wolf attacks and endangers the life of law-abiding citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call on the Government and the authorities to immediately take appropriate legal measures to prevent a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tamaki responded by saying it is \u201cabsurd and dishonest\u201d for the board to claim there was no evidence to support his views.<\/p>\n
\u201cThousands of reports from credible international organisations document exactly what I spoke about,\u201d he told the Herald.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo try and dismiss this reality is an insult to the truth and to the victims.\u201d <\/p>\n
The board said Tamaki\u2019s claims that Christians in India faced \u201cpersecution\u201d from Modi, his administration and wider society were unsubstantiated.<\/p>\n
Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell last week called Tamaki\u2019s comments \u201cthe actions of a scared bully\u201d. Photo \/ Mark Mitchell<\/p>\n
The board also denounced Tamaki\u2019s remarks around child marriage, saying the \u201cfading\u201d tribal custom was now illegal and declining in prevalence while comparing it to the biblical act of betrothal.<\/p>\n
The church leader had taken aim at the Indian subcontinent\u2019s dominant faiths, and alleged that child marriage was a custom still deeply ingrained in the country\u2019s Hindu and Muslim communities.<\/p>\n
His opposition to the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was also mentioned and subsequently criticised by the board, who said there was no doubt the deal was strategically and economically beneficial for Kiwis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not reciprocity or \u2018tit for tat\u2019,\u201d the board said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unprovoked, one-sided incitement to arson and violence against a law-abiding minority that has never threatened or harmed Christian places of worship in Aotearoa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tamaki told the Herald his remarks came from a place of \u201cpatriotic and parental concern\u201d, arguing serious human rights abuses were unfolding in India under Modi\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
He spoke of a recent US Commission on International Religious Freedom hearing, which concluded religious freedom in India was on \u201ca downward trajectory, with the government tolerating particularly severe violations against Christians and other religions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Christian persecution in India was well-documented by international organisations and religious freedom groups, Tamaki said, while child marriage reports had been produced by the likes of Unicef, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and various UN groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hindu Board statement calls my content \u2018false claims\u2019 while offering no valid evidence of their own.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a free trade deal with his Indian counterpart in New Delhi earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also have the cheek to demand our New Zealand Government and police take \u2018suo moto cognizance\u2019 \u2013 that is an Indian legal practice, not a New Zealand one. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince when did we start imposing Indian law on New Zealanders?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tamaki said there needed to be a \u201cnational conversation\u201d around the FTA\u2019s contents, arguing it granted uneven benefits to India and that \u201cunvetted, unchecked mass immigration\u201d was contributing to the West\u2019s decline.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand cannot afford to turn a blind eye to religious persecution, child marriage, or any other human rights abuses just because trade deals are at stake. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur values and our children\u2019s future must come first. I have every right as a Christian leader and a New Zealand patriot to be asking questions about all of this. <\/p>\n
\u201cI trust the word of these respected international bodies far more than the word of this Hindu Board.\u201d <\/p>\n
Last week, the Federation of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand called Tamaki\u2019s social media comments \u201cverbal bullets of incitement and provocation\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHateful rhetoric and the normalisation of verbal bullets towards religious and ethnic minorities can create … conditions for violent extremism,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe March 15 terrorist used the same language, and we are seeing history repeating itself.\u201d<\/p>\n