Gujarati diaspora in USA needs to learn from Jews: AIANA

Press Trust of India Ahmedabad

Last Updated : Apr 03 2015 | 7:02 PM IST

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The Association of Indian Americans of North America (AIANA) has opined that the Gujarati diaspora needs to learn from the Jewish community in responding to situations like the recent attacks against people of Indian origin residing in the USA.
AIANA president Sunil Nayak said here today that Indians in the USA should learn from the Jewish community which has greater "control on the system" despite their numerically smaller size.
He was here to make an announcement about the fourth edition of 'Chalo Gujarat - World Gujarati Conclave', a grand cultural event scheduled to be organised at Raritan Center in Edison, New Jersey, between July 31 and August 2.
Speaking to reporters about recent attacks against Gujaratis residing in the US, particularly on 57-year-old Suresh Patel, by a police officer in Alabama, Nayak called for stronger ties among all Gujaratis to respond quickly and effectively.
"I want to make it clear that our people were attacked not because they were Gujaratis. We have full faith in the US legal system, since the police officer who attacked Patel was also indicted by the court a few days ago," Nayak said.
"However, despite a large number of Gujaratis residing in the USA, we couldn't react quickly to whatever happened. So we need to come together and organise better so that nobody dares to attack us. This will also be one of the key issues of deliberations at the conclave," Nayak said.
To stress his point about the influence of the Jewish community in the USA, Nayak cited the case of one Akash Dalal, who according to Nayak, has been jailed by US authorities on the charge of throwing a bomb at a Jewish synagogue.

First Published: Apr 03 2015 | 7:02 PM IST

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