Vetoed SB 403<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n \ The California Senate Bill 403 was intended to prohibit discrimination based on caste explicitly, but after revisions merely made affecting discrimination based on ancestry.<\\/p>\\n Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed<\\/a> it, stating, \\u201cEveryone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect<\\/em>\\u201d and \\u201ccaste is already prohibited under these existing categories; this bill is unnecessary,<\\/em>\\u201d and returned it to the Senate on October 7, 2023.<\\/p>\\n Existing law, the\\u00a0Unruh Civil Rights Act<\\/a>, provides that all persons within the jurisdiction of the state of California are free and equal, no matter their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry<\\/strong>, and more. SB 403 tried to define further \\u201cancestry\\u201d for purposes of the act to include, among other things,\\u00a0caste<\\/strong>. If ever implemented, such a law will affect public school policies, enforce civil rights laws concerning housing and employment, and could impact interfaith marriages<\\/strong>.<\\/p>\\n The SB 403 states:<\\/strong><\\/p>\\n \\nAncestry<\\/em><\\/strong> includes but is not limited to, lineal descent, heritage, parentage, caste<\\/strong>, or any inherited social status. Nothing precludes a person from alleging discrimination based on ancestry in combination with discrimination based on other protected characteristics<\\/em><\\/li>\\nCaste<\\/strong> means an individual\\u2019s perceived position<\\/strong> in a system of social stratification<\\/strong> based on inherited status<\\/strong>. \\u2018A system of social stratification based on inherited status\\u2019 may be characterized by factors that may include, but are not limited to, inability or restricted ability to alter inherited status<\\/strong>; socially enforced restrictions on marriage<\\/strong>, private and public segregation, and discrimination; and social exclusion of based on perceived status<\\/strong>.<\\/em><\\/li>\\n<\\/ul>\\n \"\" The author of SB 403 could not define \\u201ccaste\\u201d clearly and it kept on changing (Photo credit: Dilip Amin)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n*** *\* ***Further, this bill clarified:<\\/p>\\n \\n\\u201cReligious creed,\\u201d \\u201creligion,\\u201d \\u201creligious observance,\\u201d \\u201creligious belief,\\u201d and \\u201ccreed\\u201d include all aspects of religious belief, observance, and practice<\\/strong>, including religious dress and grooming practices. \\u201cReligious dress practice\\u201d shall be construed broadly to include the wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or<\\/strong> face coverings<\\/strong>, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of an individual observing a religious creed. \\u201cReligious grooming practice\\u201d shall be construed broadly to include all forms of head, facial, and body hair that are part of an individual observing a religious creed<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/li>\\n<\\/ul>\\n Clarifications on the Definition of Caste and Ancestry<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n***** *\* *****This failed bill, though intended to clarify, introduced new unclear terms:<\\/p>\\n \\nThe phrase \\u201cperceived position\\u201d<\\/strong> raised the immediate question\\u2013perceived by whom? For example, by the victim (self-identified) or the perpetrator of alleged discrimination? This is a fundamental flaw in the bill<\\/li>\\nThe phrase \\u201csocial stratification\\u201d<\\/strong> left unclear whether it is stratification established and enforced by an authority or informal stratification observed naturally in a community<\\/li>\\nThe phrase \\u201cinherited status<\\/strong>\\u201d leaves open whether an individual perceives the inheritance as formal, such as through a Will or Trust. It also does not clarify how many generations an individual may carry the liability of \\u201cinherited status.\\u201d<\\/li>\\n<\\/ul>\\n***** *\* *****Further, the SB 403 failed to recognize critical relevant factors, such as:<\\/p>\\n \\nThe phrase\\u00a0\\u201cinability or restricted ability to alter inherited status\\u201d<\\/strong> is meaningless since, by definition, one cannot alter the \\u201cinherited status\\u201d ever<\\/li>\\nThe stated\\u00a0\\u201csocially enforced restrictions on marriage\\u201d is the central theme of this article<\\/u>.\\u00a0<\\/strong>In this \\u201ccaste\\u201d SB 403 proposal, any conflict due to religious or social practice based on social stratification and inherited status in any marriage can become a potential legal \\u201ccaste\\u201d related liability<\\/li>\\n<\\/ul>\\n Conflicts in the Wordings of the Bill<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n******* *\* An individual should have the liberty of having a \\u201cperceived position\\u201d based on what he or she has learned from his or her life. However, that person is still potentially stuck with the law, if approved, because of his or her \\u201cinherited status\\u201d (which cannot be changed for generations to come).<\\/p>\\n *\* *******In all practicality, it takes work to prove the perceived position<\\/strong> in a court of law (see Sundar Iyer below). Thus, all Californians could carry liabilities of their inherited status for generations, irrespective of their beliefs or actions. Secondly, the perceived position can constantly be challenged based on who the perceiver is.<\\/p>\\n \"\"<\\/a> Sundar Iyer\\u2019s perceived position was non-religious atheist but California Civil Rights Department (CRD) assigned his caste as an upper caste Hindu Brahmin (view<\\/a>) (Photo credit: Citti)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n Sundar Iyer<\\/strong><\\/a>\\u2019s perceived position while working at Cisco was\\u00a0non-religious<\\/strong>. He publicly declared himself as an atheist. However, based on the Indian\\/Hindu perceived system of social stratification and his inherited status (last name being Iyer), the California Civil Rights Department\\u00a0(CRD) assigned his caste<\\/strong>\\u00a0as an upper caste Hindu Brahmin<\\/strong>. After several years of litigation, CRD finally\\u00a0dropped the case<\\/a>\\u00a0of caste discrimination at Cisco on two defendants after they filed a\\u00a0motion for sanctions<\\/a>\\u00a0alleging prosecutorial abuse and fabrication of facts.<\\/p>\\n The Discriminatory Bill<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n In the initial versions of the bill, the word \\u201ccaste\\u201d was linked to South Asians and all people of color, and thus the draft bill\\u00a0racially profiled South Asians<\\/strong>. Many legal experts (Vikram Amar<\\/a>,\\u00a0Barbara McGraw<\\/a>,\\u00a0Suhag Shukla<\\/a>, and others) raised legal concerns about the bill. Later, the mention of \\u201cSouth Asian\\u201d was removed, but the intentions of the bill\\u2019s author would remain open for legal challenges if this bill ever became a law.<\\/p>\\n \"\" The target audience of SB 403 was not clear in the author\\u2019s mind (Photo credit: Dilip Amin)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\nThe term Caste in SB 403 Points to Hinduism<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n**** Since dictionaries and all middle school textbooks erroneously define \\u201ccaste\\u201d as a Hindu practice, that remains the default public perception. Therefore, as\\u00a0most opponents of the bill claimed\\u00a0(1<\\/a>, 2<\\/a>, 3<\\/a>), SB 403 is an anti-Hindu bill\\u00a0<\\/strong>in effect, even if not in intent.<\\/p>\\n Benefit of Doubt<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n************* *\* *************Nevertheless, since \\u201cHinduism\\u201d is never mentioned in SB 403, and even the term South Asians has been later removed,\\u00a0this article will\\u00a0assume that<\\/strong>\\u00a0this bill is merely providing a novel definition of \\u201ccaste.\\u201d<\\/strong><\\/u>\\u00a0<\\/strong>Below, we will assume that \\u201ccaste\\u201d is irrelevant to Jati and Varna in Hinduism.<\\/p>\\n Examples of Socially Enforced Restrictions on Marriages<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n************* *\* The new proposed definition of caste in SB 403 covered inherited status that may include socially enforced restrictions on marriage. As said earlier, the author assumes for this article that this law applies to people of all faiths equally.<\\/p>\\n *\* *************Some examples of \\u201csocially enforced restrictions on marriages<\\/strong>\\u201d include:<\\/p>\\n \\nMuslim girls\\u2019 inability<\\/a>\\u00a0to marry a non-Muslim (including a Christian or Jew)<\\/li>\\nA\\u00a0Muslim\\u2019s marriage to a Hindu<\\/a>\\u00a0without religious conversion of the Hindu (or any non-Abrahamic)<\\/li>\\nA Muslim\\u2019s marriage to a Christian or Jew without children following Islam<\\/li>\\nAny Muslim marriage without Shahadah (conversion to Islam) and nikah (Muslim marriage contract)<\\/li>\\nMarriage of a Muslim to a\\u00a0kafir<\\/strong><\\/a>\\u00a0(polytheist or an\\u00a0idol-worshiper<\\/a>)<\\/li>\\nAsking a Shia Muslim or Ahmadi Muslim not to follow certain practices by a Sunni Muslim is caste-based discrimination (socially enforced restrictions)<\\/li>\\nHazaras Shia vs Pashtun Sunnis<\\/a>\\u00a0(Afghanistan caste system)<\\/li>\\nMarriage of a Christian to a\\u00a0heathen<\\/strong>\\u00a0(not a follower of Jesus)<\\/li>\\nMarriage of a Catholic to a Hindu without a one-sided\\u00a0prenuptial agreement<\\/a>\\u00a0(restriction imposed by the Catholic church)<\\/li>\\nRestriction on Catholic-Protestant (or any inter-denomination) marriage<\\/li>\\nSome Jewish leaders consider interfaith marriage as a\\u00a0silent holocaust<\\/a>, and a rabbi may restrict such marriage (read\\u00a0Jewish-Hindu marriages<\\/a>)<\\/li>\\nRestrictions on Sikh inter-jati (Jaat to Chamar) marriages<\\/li>\\nRestrictions on Hindu inter-jati marriages<\\/li>\\nAny restriction presented by any faith leader for an inter-religious marriage (could be considered as socially enforced restrictions on marriage)<\\/li>\\n<\\/ul>\\n If anyone faced past or present restrictions on interfaith marriage by a faith leader or was coerced to\\u00a0change religion for marriage<\\/a>, that incident could be a ground for a lawsuit for caste-based discrimination (considering it is based on an individual\\u2019s perceived position in a system of social stratification based on inherited status).<\\/p>\\n Other Socially Enforced Restrictions<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/h3>\\n*************** *\* The draft SB 403 considered some other acts as offences, including \\u201cthe wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or\\u00a0face coverings<\\/strong>, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of an individual observing a religious creed.<\\/em>\\u201d<\\/p>\\n *\* ***************Some examples of caste-based discrimination offences or a potential case for a new lawsuit may include:<\\/p>\\n \\nAsking or suggesting a Muslim lady spouse not to wear a hijab in an interfaith marriage setup<\\/li>\\nAsking or suggesting a non-Muslim spouse to consider wearing a hijab, even on a special occasion<\\/li>\\nAsking or suggesting a Hindu lady to wear or not to wear a bindi (head dot), sari, or mangal sutra (sacred necklace)<\\/li>\\nAsking or suggesting a Hindu spouse not to have Hindu icons (for example, the Lord Ganesh statue can be considered as an \\u201cartifact\\u201d as per SB 403) in an interfaith home with an Abrahamic (some consider it as sin or\\u00a0idol-worshiping<\\/a>)<\\/li>\\nAsking a Sikh not to wear a turban or make any offensive statement about it<\\/li>\\n<\\/ul>\\n*************** *\* The above list is endless since\\u00a0two incompatible systems of social stratifications and ancestries<\\/strong>\\u00a0(from two entirely different faiths)\\u00a0are merging in one<\\/strong>\\u00a0household (after an interfaith marriage), and an individual\\u2019s personal beliefs (self-perceived position) are given lesser importance.<\\/p>\\n *\* The introduction of SB 403 or any future proposal of a new bill similar to SB 403 with\\u00a0a<\\/strong>\\u00a0similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\\u2019s box<\\/strong>\\u00a0for potential lawsuits<\\/strong>\\u00a0for interfaith dating and married couples.<\\/p>\\n *\* ***************For any similar bill to be practical, personal relationships must be specifically exempted from the law and left up to the two individuals involved.<\\/p>\\n Disclaimer:<\\/strong><\\/span>\\u00a0The author is not a legal expert, and the views presented here are his interpretations of the vetoed SB 403 based on his personal experience of 18 years of dealing with more than 1200 youths in interfaith love relationships<\\/a>.<\\/p>\\n<\\/body><\\/html>\\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About\\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\\u00a0California\\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal challenges to current, future (dating), and past (divorced) interfaith married couples. Senator Aisha Wahab or any other author of a similar future caste bill should consider these points for the benefit of interfaith \[…\]<\\/p>\\n","protected":false},"author":4670,"featured\_media":1769,"comment\_status":"open","ping\_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":\[127,1\],"tags":\[179,176,58,32,46,173\],"class\_list":\["post-1766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hindu-christian-marriage","category-uncategorized","tag-aisha-wahab","tag-caste","tag-hindu","tag-laws","tag-relationship","tag-sb-403"\],"yoast\_head":"\\nCaste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples<\\/title>\\n<meta name=\\"description\\" content=\\"About\\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\\u00a0California\\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal The vetoed California Caste bill SB 403 was discriminatory and flawed. Any future proposal of a new caste bill similar to SB 403 with a similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\\u2019s box for potential lawsuits for interfaith dating and married couples.\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"robots\\" content=\\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\\" \\/>\\n<link rel=\\"canonical\\" href=\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:locale\\" content=\\"en\_US\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:type\\" content=\\"article\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:title\\" content=\\"Caste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:description\\" content=\\"About\\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\\u00a0California\\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal The vetoed California Caste bill SB 403 was discriminatory and flawed. Any future proposal of a new caste bill similar to SB 403 with a similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\\u2019s box for potential lawsuits for interfaith dating and married couples.\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:url\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:site\_name\\" content=\\"Equality For Happiness\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:author\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/InterfaithShaadi\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:published\_time\\" content=\\"2024-04-08T23:10:01+00:00\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:modified\_time\\" content=\\"2024-04-09T13:38:36+00:00\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:image\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/wp-media.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/sites\\/1493\\/2024\\/04\\/Photo.jpg\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta property=\\"og:image:width\\" content=\\"1430\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta property=\\"og:image:height\\" content=\\"1054\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta property=\\"og:image:type\\" content=\\"image\\/jpeg\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"author\\" content=\\"Dr. Dilip Amin\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:card\\" content=\\"summary\_large\_image\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:creator\\" content=\\"@https:\\/\\/x.com\\/IFShaadi\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:label1\\" content=\\"Written by\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:data1\\" content=\\"Dr. Dilip Amin\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:label2\\" content=\\"Est. reading time\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:data2\\" content=\\"9 minutes\\" \\/>\\n<script type=\\"application\\/ld+json\\" class=\\"yoast-schema-graph\\">{\\"@context\\":\\"https:\\/\\/schema.org\\",\\"@graph\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"WebPage\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/\\",\\"name\\":\\"Caste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples\\",\\"isPartOf\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/#website\\"},\\"datePublished\\":\\"2024-04-08T23:10:01+00:00\\",\\"dateModified\\":\\"2024-04-09T13:38:36+00:00\\",\\"author\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/9c6e715f8fe1f5447b45060afd69d656\\"},\\"description\\":\\"About\\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. 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Any future proposal of a new caste bill similar to SB 403 with a similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\\u2019s box for potential lawsuits for interfaith dating and married couples.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/","og\_locale":"en\_US","og\_type":"article","og\_title":"Caste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples","og\_description":"About\\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\\u00a0California\\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal The vetoed California Caste bill SB 403 was discriminatory and flawed. 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Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\\u00a0California\\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal The vetoed California Caste bill SB 403 was discriminatory and flawed. Any future proposal of a new caste bill similar to SB 403 with a similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\\u2019s box for potential lawsuits for interfaith dating and married couples.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":\["https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/"\]}\]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/2024\\/04\\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":\[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Caste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples"}\]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/#website","url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/","name":"Equality For Happiness","description":"Promoting pluralism and making informed decision for interfaith relationships and marriages.","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/?s={search\_term\_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search\_term\_string"}\],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/9c6e715f8fe1f5447b45060afd69d656","name":"Dr. Dilip Amin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/equalityforhappiness\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/image\\/","url":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/5566b4c0447f48fbafc79c7f1bfa26f8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/5566b4c0447f48fbafc79c7f1bfa26f8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Dr. Dilip Amin"},"description":"Dr. Dilip Amin is the founder of Interfaithshaadi.org and HinduSpeakers.org. 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{"id":1766,"date":"2024-04-08T16:10:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T23:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/equalityforhappiness\/?p=1766"},"modified":"2024-04-09T06:38:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T13:38:36","slug":"caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/equalityforhappiness\/2024\/04\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\/","title":{"rendered":"Caste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

About\u00a040% of Americans<\/a> marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed<\/a>\u00a0California\u00a0Senate Bill 403<\/a> (SB 403) could increase legal challenges to current, future (dating), and past (divorced) interfaith married couples. Senator Aisha Wahab or any other author of a similar future caste bill should consider these points for the benefit of interfaith couples.<\/p>\n

Opponents of SB 403 including Dalit-Bahujan leader Late Milind Makwana protesting against the bill in California Senate (Photo credit: Dilip Amin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vetoed SB 403<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n \ The California Senate Bill 403 was intended to prohibit discrimination based on caste explicitly, but after revisions merely made affecting discrimination based on ancestry.<\/p>\n Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed<\/a> it, stating, \u201cEveryone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect<\/em>\u201d and \u201ccaste is already prohibited under these existing categories; this bill is unnecessary,<\/em>\u201d and returned it to the Senate on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n Existing law, the\u00a0Unruh Civil Rights Act<\/a>, provides that all persons within the jurisdiction of the state of California are free and equal, no matter their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry<\/strong>, and more. SB 403 tried to define further \u201cancestry\u201d for purposes of the act to include, among other things,\u00a0caste<\/strong>. If ever implemented, such a law will affect public school policies, enforce civil rights laws concerning housing and employment, and could impact interfaith marriages<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The SB 403 states:<\/strong><\/p>\n \nAncestry<\/em><\/strong> includes but is not limited to, lineal descent, heritage, parentage, caste<\/strong>, or any inherited social status. Nothing precludes a person from alleging discrimination based on ancestry in combination with discrimination based on other protected characteristics<\/em><\/li>\nCaste<\/strong> means an individual\u2019s perceived position<\/strong> in a system of social stratification<\/strong> based on inherited status<\/strong>. \u2018A system of social stratification based on inherited status\u2019 may be characterized by factors that may include, but are not limited to, inability or restricted ability to alter inherited status<\/strong>; socially enforced restrictions on marriage<\/strong>, private and public segregation, and discrimination; and social exclusion of based on perceived status<\/strong>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The author of SB 403 could not define \u201ccaste\u201d clearly and it kept on changing (Photo credit: Dilip Amin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n* Further, this bill clarified:<\/p>\n \n\u201cReligious creed,\u201d \u201creligion,\u201d \u201creligious observance,\u201d \u201creligious belief,\u201d and \u201ccreed\u201d include all aspects of religious belief, observance, and practice<\/strong>, including religious dress and grooming practices. \u201cReligious dress practice\u201d shall be construed broadly to include the wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or<\/strong> face coverings<\/strong>, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of an individual observing a religious creed. \u201cReligious grooming practice\u201d shall be construed broadly to include all forms of head, facial, and body hair that are part of an individual observing a religious creed<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Clarifications on the Definition of Caste and Ancestry<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n This failed bill, though intended to clarify, introduced new unclear terms:<\/p>\n \nThe phrase \u201cperceived position\u201d<\/strong> raised the immediate question\u2013perceived by whom? For example, by the victim (self-identified) or the perpetrator of alleged discrimination? This is a fundamental flaw in the bill<\/li>\nThe phrase \u201csocial stratification\u201d<\/strong> left unclear whether it is stratification established and enforced by an authority or informal stratification observed naturally in a community<\/li>\nThe phrase \u201cinherited status<\/strong>\u201d leaves open whether an individual perceives the inheritance as formal, such as through a Will or Trust. It also does not clarify how many generations an individual may carry the liability of \u201cinherited status.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Further, the SB 403 failed to recognize critical relevant factors, such as:<\/p>\n \nThe phrase\u00a0\u201cinability or restricted ability to alter inherited status\u201d<\/strong> is meaningless since, by definition, one cannot alter the \u201cinherited status\u201d ever<\/li>\nThe stated\u00a0\u201csocially enforced restrictions on marriage\u201d is the central theme of this article<\/u>.\u00a0<\/strong>In this \u201ccaste\u201d SB 403 proposal, any conflict due to religious or social practice based on social stratification and inherited status in any marriage can become a potential legal \u201ccaste\u201d related liability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Conflicts in the Wordings of the Bill<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n An individual should have the liberty of having a \u201cperceived position\u201d based on what he or she has learned from his or her life. However, that person is still potentially stuck with the law, if approved, because of his or her \u201cinherited status\u201d (which cannot be changed for generations to come).<\/p>\n *In all practicality, it takes work to prove the perceived position<\/strong> in a court of law (see Sundar Iyer below). Thus, all Californians could carry liabilities of their inherited status for generations, irrespective of their beliefs or actions. Secondly, the perceived position can constantly be challenged based on who the perceiver is.<\/p>\n <\/a> Sundar Iyer\u2019s perceived position was non-religious atheist but California Civil Rights Department (CRD) assigned his caste as an upper caste Hindu Brahmin (view<\/a>) (Photo credit: Citti)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Sundar Iyer<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s perceived position while working at Cisco was\u00a0non-religious<\/strong>. He publicly declared himself as an atheist. However, based on the Indian\/Hindu perceived system of social stratification and his inherited status (last name being Iyer), the California Civil Rights Department\u00a0(CRD) assigned his caste<\/strong>\u00a0as an upper caste Hindu Brahmin<\/strong>. After several years of litigation, CRD finally\u00a0dropped the case<\/a>\u00a0of caste discrimination at Cisco on two defendants after they filed a\u00a0motion for sanctions<\/a>\u00a0alleging prosecutorial abuse and fabrication of facts.<\/p>\n The Discriminatory Bill<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n In the initial versions of the bill, the word \u201ccaste\u201d was linked to South Asians and all people of color, and thus the draft bill\u00a0racially profiled South Asians<\/strong>. Many legal experts (Vikram Amar<\/a>,\u00a0Barbara McGraw<\/a>,\u00a0Suhag Shukla<\/a>, and others) raised legal concerns about the bill. Later, the mention of \u201cSouth Asian\u201d was removed, but the intentions of the bill\u2019s author would remain open for legal challenges if this bill ever became a law.<\/p>\n The target audience of SB 403 was not clear in the author\u2019s mind (Photo credit: Dilip Amin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe term Caste in SB 403 Points to Hinduism<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n Since dictionaries and all middle school textbooks erroneously define \u201ccaste\u201d as a Hindu practice, that remains the default public perception. Therefore, as\u00a0most opponents of the bill claimed\u00a0(1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>), SB 403 is an anti-Hindu bill\u00a0<\/strong>in effect, even if not in intent.<\/p>\n Benefit of Doubt<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n*** Nevertheless, since \u201cHinduism\u201d is never mentioned in SB 403, and even the term South Asians has been later removed,\u00a0this article will\u00a0assume that<\/strong>\u00a0this bill is merely providing a novel definition of \u201ccaste.\u201d<\/strong><\/u>\u00a0<\/strong>Below, we will assume that \u201ccaste\u201d is irrelevant to Jati and Varna in Hinduism.<\/p>\n Examples of Socially Enforced Restrictions on Marriages<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n The new proposed definition of caste in SB 403 covered inherited status that may include socially enforced restrictions on marriage. As said earlier, the author assumes for this article that this law applies to people of all faiths equally.<\/p>\n Some examples of \u201csocially enforced restrictions on marriages<\/strong>\u201d include:<\/p>\n \nMuslim girls\u2019 inability<\/a>\u00a0to marry a non-Muslim (including a Christian or Jew)<\/li>\nA\u00a0Muslim\u2019s marriage to a Hindu<\/a>\u00a0without religious conversion of the Hindu (or any non-Abrahamic)<\/li>\nA Muslim\u2019s marriage to a Christian or Jew without children following Islam<\/li>\nAny Muslim marriage without Shahadah (conversion to Islam) and nikah (Muslim marriage contract)<\/li>\nMarriage of a Muslim to a\u00a0kafir<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(polytheist or an\u00a0idol-worshiper<\/a>)<\/li>\nAsking a Shia Muslim or Ahmadi Muslim not to follow certain practices by a Sunni Muslim is caste-based discrimination (socially enforced restrictions)<\/li>\nHazaras Shia vs Pashtun Sunnis<\/a>\u00a0(Afghanistan caste system)<\/li>\nMarriage of a Christian to a\u00a0heathen<\/strong>\u00a0(not a follower of Jesus)<\/li>\nMarriage of a Catholic to a Hindu without a one-sided\u00a0prenuptial agreement<\/a>\u00a0(restriction imposed by the Catholic church)<\/li>\nRestriction on Catholic-Protestant (or any inter-denomination) marriage<\/li>\nSome Jewish leaders consider interfaith marriage as a\u00a0silent holocaust<\/a>, and a rabbi may restrict such marriage (read\u00a0Jewish-Hindu marriages<\/a>)<\/li>\nRestrictions on Sikh inter-jati (Jaat to Chamar) marriages<\/li>\nRestrictions on Hindu inter-jati marriages<\/li>\nAny restriction presented by any faith leader for an inter-religious marriage (could be considered as socially enforced restrictions on marriage)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n If anyone faced past or present restrictions on interfaith marriage by a faith leader or was coerced to\u00a0change religion for marriage<\/a>, that incident could be a ground for a lawsuit for caste-based discrimination (considering it is based on an individual\u2019s perceived position in a system of social stratification based on inherited status).<\/p>\n Other Socially Enforced Restrictions<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n The draft SB 403 considered some other acts as offences, including \u201cthe wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or\u00a0face coverings<\/strong>, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of an individual observing a religious creed.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Some examples of caste-based discrimination offences or a potential case for a new lawsuit may include:<\/p>\n \nAsking or suggesting a Muslim lady spouse not to wear a hijab in an interfaith marriage setup<\/li>\nAsking or suggesting a non-Muslim spouse to consider wearing a hijab, even on a special occasion<\/li>\nAsking or suggesting a Hindu lady to wear or not to wear a bindi (head dot), sari, or mangal sutra (sacred necklace)<\/li>\nAsking or suggesting a Hindu spouse not to have Hindu icons (for example, the Lord Ganesh statue can be considered as an \u201cartifact\u201d as per SB 403) in an interfaith home with an Abrahamic (some consider it as sin or\u00a0idol-worshiping<\/a>)<\/li>\nAsking a Sikh not to wear a turban or make any offensive statement about it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The above list is endless since\u00a0two incompatible systems of social stratifications and ancestries<\/strong>\u00a0(from two entirely different faiths)\u00a0are merging in one<\/strong>\u00a0household (after an interfaith marriage), and an individual\u2019s personal beliefs (self-perceived position) are given lesser importance.<\/p>\n The introduction of SB 403 or any future proposal of a new bill similar to SB 403 with\u00a0a<\/strong>\u00a0similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\u2019s box<\/strong>\u00a0for potential lawsuits<\/strong>\u00a0for interfaith dating and married couples.<\/p>\n *********For any similar bill to be practical, personal relationships must be specifically exempted from the law and left up to the two individuals involved.<\/p>\n Disclaimer:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0The author is not a legal expert, and the views presented here are his interpretations of the vetoed SB 403 based on his personal experience of 18 years of dealing with more than 1200 youths in interfaith love relationships<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\u00a0California\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal challenges to current, future (dating), and past (divorced) interfaith married couples. Senator Aisha Wahab or any other author of a similar future caste bill should consider these points for the benefit of interfaith […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4670,"featured_media":1769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,1],"tags":[179,176,58,32,46,173],"class_list":["post-1766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hindu-christian-marriage","category-uncategorized","tag-aisha-wahab","tag-caste","tag-hindu","tag-laws","tag-relationship","tag-sb-403"],"yoast_head":"\nCaste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"About\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. Any future proposal of a caste bill like the vetoed\u00a0California\u00a0Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) could increase legal The vetoed California Caste bill SB 403 was discriminatory and flawed. Any future proposal of a new caste bill similar to SB 403 with a similar definition of caste could open a new Pandora\u2019s box for potential lawsuits for interfaith dating and married couples.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/equalityforhappiness\/2024\/04\/caste-bills-could-hurt-interfaith-couples\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Caste Bills Could Hurt Interfaith Couples\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"About\u00a040% of Americans marry interfaith. 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