Sikh leader Sukhi Chahal congratulates Tulsi Gabbard on US Senate confirmation as director of national intelligence

Sukhjit (Sukhi) Singh Chahal, the founder and CEO of The Khalsa Today, a Sikh advocacy organisation and think tank in the US, congratulated former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, on her US Senate confirmation as director of national intelligence (DNI); on social media platform X.
Last month, Chahal had joined a coalition of interfaith leaders in the US to issue a letter calling out anti-Hindu prejudice and had urged the media to embrace balanced and respectful reporting ahead of Gabbard’s Senate intelligence committee hearing for her confirmation. The statement came on the heels of an open letter signed by more than 70 Hindu organisations that also denounced Hinduphobia in the US media.

Gabbard, who is Hindu-American and was the first US Congresswoman to take her oath on the Bhagavad Gita; had faced scrutiny in media on her religious identity. In what was seen as a demonstration of unity, religious leaders representing diverse faiths and communities from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Sikh traditions had issued the interfaith coalition letter urging the media to reject anti-Hindu prejudice and embrace balanced and respectful reporting.
Besides Chahal, signatories of the letter included Hakim Ouansafi of the Muslim Association; Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, representing Eastern Orthodox Christians; Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, a leading voice in the Catholic community; Dr Jeffery D. Long of Elizabethtown College, a Hindu scholar; and Dr Richard Benkin of Interfaith Strength, representing the Jewish faith. These leaders emphasised that “the vitality of our democracy depends on embracing our diversity, not exploiting it for discord”.
The statement addressed how the Science of Identity Foundation, an organisation founded in 1977 and dedicated to sharing the teachings of Vaishnava Hinduism, has been unfairly portrayed in narratives that promote “fear and animosity towards Hindu practices”. Several articles in US media had linked Gabbard to the Science of Identity Foundation and its leader Chris Butler.
The coalition’s letter condemned the “recent biased portrayal of Hindus in the media”, citing concerns about the promotion of anti-Hindu bigotry, which misrepresents spiritual organisations and individuals. “Media has recently published content that not only promotes Hinduphobia but also biases against individuals and organisations from multiple faith backgrounds,” the letter said.