Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists rebut Santorum: ‘Equality’ is their concept, too

Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus are accusing Republican presidential
candidate Rick Santorum of bigotry and ignorance after he said that
equality is solely a Judeo-Christian concept.

"Where do you think
the concept of equality comes from?" Santorum said on the campaign trail
January 20. "It doesn't come from Islam. It doesn't come from the East
and Eastern religions. It comes from the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob."

Not everyone agreed. "Santorum's presidential campaign is
now playing to the lowest common denominator of religious bigotry and
prejudice by attacking Eastern religions and Islam," said Aseem Shukla
of the Hindu American Foundation. San­torum's comments, Shukla added,
"show a profound ignorance of the teachings of Dharma spiritual
traditions, such as Hindu­ism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism."

Santorum's
campaign did not answer repeated requests for comment. Critics said
Santorum—a devout Catholic—not only has his politics wrong but also his
history.

For example, in the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture,
words attributed to the god Krishna include: "I look upon all creatures
equally; none are less dear to me and none more dear."

"Indian
religions predate Abraham, Jacob and all that Rick Santorum was talking
about," said Sulekh Jain of Sugar Land, Texas, chairman of the
International School for Jain Studies. "All souls are equal in every
way. All feel pain and all feel pleasure. This concept is deeply
embedded in the whole philosophy of Jainism."

Sikhs, who also
trace their religion to India, were equally upset. "In Sikhism, all
human beings have equal status in the eyes of God. No differentiation in
status or ceremonies or rights is made between men and women, rich and
poor, foreigner and countryman, high caste or low caste," said Manbeena
Kaur, education director for the New York–based Sikh Coalition.

"Sikhs
have had this belief in and practice of equality as a spiritual mandate
long before the political revolutions that brought freedom to America
and much of the Western world."

Buddhism expert Toshie Kurihara argues that equality was a foundational teaching of the Buddha.

"The
Buddha preached against the caste system and advocated equality of all
people. From the beginning, Bud­dhism espoused the concept of equality
of all people," she wrote last year in the Journal of Oriental Studies.

The
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said it would
send Santorum a copy of the Qur'an, Islam's holy text. "The Qu'ran is
the best refutation of Mr. Santorum's inaccurate and offensive remarks,"
said Ibrahim Hooper, a CAIR spokesman. The group cited Qur'an verses
and sayings of Islam's Prophet Muhammad that support equality. For
example, Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, "All people are
equal as the teeth of a comb."  —RNS