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Montgomery County聽Public Libraries聽(MCPL) called off a聽Hindi-language聽book聽event聽planned for Sunday聽at聽its聽Germantown Library after a coalition of religious and civil rights organizations objected to the participation of a local Hindi聽school聽associated with what the coalition described as a 鈥渉ate group.鈥�
鈥淭his concern is not about Hinduism, Hindu culture, or the Hindi language,鈥澛爐he coalition wrote in a Wednesday letter to county聽and library聽officials.聽鈥淥ur concern is about political ideology entering public institutions under the guise of cultural programming, particularly when that ideology has been documented as exclusionary, hateful, and violent.鈥�
MCPL had planned to host 鈥淢any Languages, One Library: Celebrating Hindi,鈥澛爋n Sunday. The聽free event聽would celebrate the聽unveiling of聽a new collection of 160 Hindi-language books at the聽Germantown Library聽at 19840 Century Blvd.
Among the聽funders聽of the new book collection was聽Germantown鈥檚聽Balvihar聽Hindi School, part of the聽聽(VHPA).聽The VHPA describes itself on its website as聽鈥渢he oldest and one of the largest Hindu organizations in the U.S.鈥澛燫epresentatives of the Hindi school were expected to speak at Sunday鈥檚 event.
