We, the undersigned, are outraged that Amit Jani, the highest-ranking Indian and Hindu American in the Biden for President Campaign, is under attack. Amit currently serves as the National Asian American Pacific Islander Director, and is being targeted and personally harassed after Muslim Matters posted a Hinduphobic hit piece attacking him and his family.

The attacks against Amit are egregious because Amit is a former high-ranking aide to numerous government officials, including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Senator Bob Menendez, and has tirelessly served as a community organizer for the largest Indian and Hindu American community in the U.S., based in his home state. Amit has served the Asian American community with utmost dedication, and his record of service culminated in his appointment to the Biden campaign.

Within the Indian and Hindu American communities, Prime Minister Modi’s unprecedented popularity is manifest in the historic receptions held to welcome him in New York City, San Francisco, and most recently, Houston, where 75,000 Indian Americans filled NRG stadium. Hundreds of thousands of Indian Americans participated in these events, but Amit is being uniquely assailed simply for his role in the Biden campaign. This targeting reflects McCarthyesque tactics that import polarizing politics from overseas into the American election campaign.

We call upon the Biden for President campaign to stand strong with Amit Jani, and repudiate attempts to defame and marginalize him. We ask that Amit be empowered to continue to proudly represent all Asian American and Pacific Islander communities throughout the crucial phase of this campaign. And we ask the Biden campaign to reject hate and any attempts to divide our Asian American communities.