Jacksonville (Florida): A prominent Hindu- American group today said that it is “deeply disturbed” by a video commercial which attacks Huma Abedin, a close aide of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, as “pro- terrorist,” based on her ethnicity and Pakistani heritage.
The video commercial, produced by the Republican Hindu Coalition, will air on more than a dozen TV stations in the US, including several catering specifically to Indian viewers and attacks Abedin for her Pakistani heritage.
“Condemning anyone simply because of their religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation is against the pluralistic ethos of Hinduism and has no place in a democracy,” said Suhag Shukla, Hindu-American Foundation (HAF) executive director.
HAF leaders are “deeply disturbed” by political ads airing on television that attack Clinton aide Abedin’s ethnic background, the media statement said.
The ads’ sponsor alleges that because of her Pakistani heritage, Abedin is “pro-terrorist,” it said.
“While the potential foreign policy decisions of any of the presidential candidates are fair game for criticism – and are rightfully of deep concern to many Hindu-Americans – personal attacks such as those made in the recent ads are simply beyond the pale,” Shukla said.
Abedin’s mother is Pakistani and was born in undivided British India.
She is currently in middle of a political storm after FBI started reviewing some 650,000 emails found on a laptop belonging to Abedin’s estranged husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner, that may be related to the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she served as Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s first presidency.