American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) is the very first Hindu organization, a watchdog group, anywhere in the world, dedicated to preserve the sanctity of Hindu symbols, icons, culture and customs.
AHAD started its life as American Hindus Anti-Defamation Coalition, a project o fWorld Hindu Council of America (VHPA), on March 27, 1997. Hindus across US felt that there were increasing incidents of abuse and misrepresentation of Hindu images, icons, deities in commercial products, entertainment industry and mass media. The immediate impetus was SONY Music’s production of Aerosmith’s album, Nine Lives, which featured Lord Vishnu’s morphed image on its cover.
Envisioned to be a coalition of Hindu organization, it immediately attracted several organizations and tens of thousands of signatories to the protest on the internet
Significant milestones in AHAD history are presented in the AHAD timeline