by Asra Nomani

A Woke Army of far-left activists and leaders from the mosque that once hired radical imam Anwar Al-Awlaki put a mother in their crosshairs: Suparna Dutta, a brave immigrant who has advocated for the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, democracy, and meritocracy.

In a reprehensible display of bigotry and xenophobia, Virginia Democrats voted on Tuesday, Feb. 7, to reject Suparna’s nomination to the Virginia Board of Education, after Sen. Ghazala Hashmi accused her of alignment with “white supremacy.”

These are the new Southern Democrats — mimicking the bigotry of their predecessors.

You can’t make this up.

In a statement, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who nominated Dutta, criticized the “Democrats’ partisan rejection of qualified appointees,” including with the Parole Board and Board of Health.

“In an appalling show of partisanship, today Senate Democrats attacked the integrity of three highly qualified members of my administration,” said Youngkin.

They voted to remove Suparna Dutta, shockingly claiming that a public school parent isn’t qualified to serve on the Board of Education. She is a mother and advocate for parents’ rights, she is an immigrant and an advocate for Asian American rights, she is an engineer and advocate for STEM in education. She is not only qualified, she epitomizes parental involvement in our schools and we need her voice on our Board of Education, he said.

Youngkin continued: Democrats are repeating loudly their clear beliefs: parents don’t matter, criminals first victims last, and petty politics above Virginia’s best interests. It’s shameful. Virginians deserve so much better.

What was Suparna’s crime? Being an American Hindu. I write this as I should be finalizing details for the release of a new book, Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance That Is Destroying America’s Freedom, that I have been working on for 10 years. But I depart from my tasks because we are living the Woke Army’s incursion in our lives — and into the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I know the leaders at the mosque — Dar Al-Hijrah — very well. They called the police on other women and me when we dared to walk through the front door of the mosque and into the main hall. They have advocated for female genital mutilation.

Let me be very clear. Their attack on Suparna Dutta is based on a belief of Hindus as a dirty polytheistic faith whose adherents are committing a mortal sin. This worldview is ugly and intolerant, and the Woke Army’s character assassination must be stopped.

Here is what happened.

On Jan. 20, 2023, the bill, SJ 276, was presented with Suparna’s name to the Virginia Board of Education. She has been an accidental activist ignored like so many of us by the UnFairfaXXX County School Board. She represented the kind of diversity the Woke Army claims it wants but really doesn’t when it’s from those of us who refuse their propaganda.

SJ 276 Governor; confirming appointments.

Board of Education

Grace Turner Creasey of Goochland, Virginia, Member, appointed on July 1, 2022, for a term of four years beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2026, to succeed Keisha Lanell Pexton.

Suparna Dutta of Fairfax, Virginia, Member, appointed on July 1, 2022, to serve an unexpired term beginning July 1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2024, to succeed Anthony Swann.

William D. Hansen of McLean, Virginia, Member, appointed on July 1, 2022, for a term of four years beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2026, to succeed Francisco D. Duran.

Andrew J. Rotherham of Madison, Virginia, Member, appointed on July 1, 2022, to serve an unexpired term beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2025, to succeed Jamelle S. Wilson.

H. Alan Seibert of Salem, Virginia, Member, appointed on July 1, 2022, to serve an unexpired term beginning July 1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2024, to succeed Stewart D. Roberson.

On Jan. 31, lawmakers in the Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee approved Dutta’s nomination 14-0.

SJ 276 Governor; confirming appointments.

01/31/23 Senate: Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (14-Y 0-N)
YEAS–Spruill, Howell, Deeds, Reeves, Ebbin, Ruff, Peake, McDougle, Surovell, Mason, McClellan, Boysko, Bell, Hackworth–14.

NAYS–0.

ABSTENTIONS–0.

Tuesday afternoon as I wrote, far-left activists were lobbying to sabotage Dutta’s nomination with an amendment introduced to the floor of the Virginia Senate — united in this unholy alliance with illiberal religious clerics who kicked me and other women out of the mosque for daring to walk through the front door and into the main hall.

Suparna faced an amendment from Virginia Sen. Ghazala Hashmi — a fierce opponent for two years of our quest for meritocracy, as she parrots Democratic Party talking points — to cancel Suparna’s nomination.

What changed?

Last week, on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2023, the day after the Democrats voted for Dutta’s nomination, at a meeting of the Virginia Board of Education, Suparna dared to go toe-to-toe with a board member, Anne Holton, who is politically connected in the Virginia Democratic Party. Her husband is Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine. Holton reprimanded Suparna for her meeting “hygiene,” an ironic choice of words — and a microaggression, in the words of equity activists — considering the racism against Hindus as a “dirty” faith.

Watch.

Suparna supports the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, while Holton says they are not “remarkable” documents. What’s more, Suparna opposes socialism and Holton supports socialism as potentially “compatible” with democracy.

🔥 WATCH @TimKaine’s wife @AnneHolton claim the Constitution is NOT “remarkable” + then defend socialism. @VDOE_News board member Suparna Dutta, a Hindu woman of color, challenges her. Now a #wokearmy of @virginiadems and Holton trolls campaign to kill Suparna from the board 🧵 pic.twitter.com/kyEVeCS5s4

— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) February 7, 2023

Here is the full video.

4:23:40 — Suparna’s defense started and the debate continued through 4:41:15.

4:27:12 — Democratic Sen. TimKaine’s wife @AnneHolton defended socialism. And said that the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Declaration of Independence weren’t “remarkable.”

4:46:10 — Suparna said: “May I?” She delivered a principled rebuttal.

Let’s be clear what this is about. It’s about the same type of intolerance that was a part of the Southern Democratic agenda and Byrd Machine that barred the integration of black students with white students in the 1950s. Now, this Woke Army has put Hindus from India in their crosshairs and Suparna Dutta is the target of their character assassination campaign, accusing this woman of color of being — wait for it — a white supremacist. What Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares will find is that not only do Asian American students face disparate impact with the recent withholding of National Merit awards, but, in a deep analysis that I have conducted, many of the students impacted are Hindu American children from immigrant families from India.

As a Muslim reformer and feminist,  I find the character assassination campaign against Suparna Dutta to be unconscionable and un-American.

Who is behind the campaign from the left? None other than local Fairfax County trolls including Vanessa Hall @V_theClash and Jorge Torrico, leaders in the TJ Alumni Action Group, which has opposed Suparna’s advocacy (with me and many immigrant parents) for merit-based admissions to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. This is the defamatory campaign they are waging against a woman of color, calling her a “right-wing extremist,” when she is, like many immigrant parents, seeking equality and fairness in America and its educational system.

🔥 @virginiadems @AnneHolton launch a character assassination campaign against Suparna Dutta, a moderate immigrant mom of color from India, defaming her as “extremist.” It’s the #wokearmy: Islamist sympathizers oppose her as a Hindu. Leftists defame her for her love of America. pic.twitter.com/XZglGFR6Q9

— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) February 7, 2023

What must every Virginian do? Support Suparna against the Woke Army.

Suparna Dutta is an American Hindu immigrant mom of color from India who defies the hegemony of @timkaine's wife @AnneHolton on @VDOE_News board. Holton foments @virginiadems to kill Suparna's nomination TODAY in Virginia Senate. Find, contact your senator https://t.co/s75BsScXuW pic.twitter.com/48zA7rrsZq

— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) February 7, 2023

Watch her reading of poet Robert Frost to be inspired.

1992, Suparna Dutta arrived in the US from India. 2020, she spoke to our Fairfax County VA school board. They ignored her. 2021, she helped Glenn Youngkin win. 2022, in a sari at his inauguration, she said, “God bless the United States of America!” Wait for her air fist pumps! 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/HGkVtlpAh5

— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) January 15, 2022

Asra Q. Nomani is a former Wall Street Journal. She can be reached at asra@asranomani.com. This column has been republished with permission from her Substack column Asra Investigates.