Defaced Vijay Sherawali temple in Hayward, California. / Saurabh Singh

In the past few decades, the U.S. has made great strides in removing discrimination against minorities such as African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Muslims and Asians. Today there is institutional concern and care for antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and gender diversity. Americans take pride in protection of minority rights and in being accepting of diversity and cultural pluralism. So one would expect similar sympathy in the light of increasing anti-Hindu hate and incidents, right?

Yet, there has been much pushback on taking a stand against anti-Hindu hate. For instance, when Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) introduced (H. Res. 1131), a resolution in Congress recognizing the contributions of Hindu Americans and also highlighting a rise in anti-Hindu hate, it was surprisingly attacked by some political advocacy groups, who questioned whether Hinduphobia is even a real phenomenon, trying to bury an increasing accumulation of evidence that anti-Hindu hate is on the rise in America. 

And unfortunately, this attitude is all too common. When the victim is Hindu, we see many attempts to rationalize the hate they face, or misdirect the intent to be anything but religiously driven.

Attacks on Hindu temples continue with distressing regularity. Just this past month, on Sept. 17 2024, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melville, New York, was vandalized with anti-Hindu hate messages sprayed on the temple's driveway and entrance sign. Astonishingly, a week later, on Sept, 25 2024, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir (temple) in Sacramento, California was also vandalized with a Hinduphobic “"Hindus go back" message sprayed on its walls. The spate of anti-Hindu hate crimes continues unabated with few arrests made. 

Nor were the September attacks an aberration. Between late 2023 and early 2024, a series of six attacks on Hindu Temples in California’s Bay Area in just three months traumatized the Hindu community. A mix of vandalizations or burglaries, targeted the Pancha Mukha Hanuman Temple in Dublin (Jan. 11), Shree Ashta Lakshmi Temple in Fremont (Jan. 5), Shiv Durga Temple in Santa Clara (Dec. 30), Vijay’s Sherawali Temple in Hayward (Dec. 24), The Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Newark (Dec. 22) and Hari Om Radha Krishna Mandir in Sacramento (Oct. 30).

This wave of hate, prompted five members of Congress to write to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) asking for federal oversight of law enforcement actions in investigating these hate crimes and seeking information on the DOJ’s strategy concerning hate crimes targeting Hindus.

Besides temples, there have been multiple attacks on statues of prominent Hindus like Mahatma Gandhi and attempted arson at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. In August2022, a Hindu resident of Fremont, CA was assaulted in his neighborhood Taco Bell for simply being Hindu and ordering vegetarian food. Two years later the attacker faced no serious consequences.  

 Data backs lived experience of rising Hinduphobia

This was further validated by the California Civil Rights Department report released on May 20th. Anti-Hindu hate incidents constituted the second highest category of acts of religious hate to the CA vs Hate hotline and portal launched a year ago. Anti-Hindu bias  accounted for nearly a quarter (23.3%) of all such incidents, behind Anti-Jewish (36.9%) and ahead of anti-Muslim (14.6%) hate incidents reported. 

A 2022 investigative report by Rutgers University researchers at its cyber-social threat detection center, the Network Contagion Research Institute (which specializes in tracking the use of social media platforms to instigate real-world violence) found an explosive growth in anti-Hindu hate messaging and disinformation on social media. Their investigation uncovered shocking levels of hate against Hindus in a number of social media platforms – genocidal memes and coded language patterns being advanced by white supremacists to caricature Hindus, presenting them as parochial, dirty, cunning and less than fully human.

Hinduphobia in US history

The Pacific Northwest was the site of the first large-scale Hinduphobic violence in America -- the Bellingham, Washington riots in 1907. In reaction to the rising presence of Indian origin lumber mill workers (often called “Hindoos”), mobs ran through the town assaulting Hindoos, attacking their homes and workplaces in a successful violent campaign to permanently disperse them. Local newspapers were full of menacing articles and editorials. “The Hindu is not a good citizen” declared the Bellingham Herald. 

As is sometimes done today, Hindu dietary norms were attacked in a Seattle Morning Times article that stated “When men who require meat to eat and real beds to sleep in are ousted from their employment to make room for vegetarians who can find the bliss of sleep in some filthy corner, it is rather difficult to say at what limit indignation ceases to be righteous”. The frontpage of the Puget Sound American blared “Have we a Dusky Peril? Hindu Hordes Invading the State”. 

Decades later, in the 1980s, a rise in Hindu immigrants in New Jersey gave rise to a violent gang calling themselves “Dotbusters”, named for the bindi or tilak many Hindus wear on their foreheads. They unleashed a reign of terror among New Jersey Hindus till a federal and state crackdown reigned them in.

Institutional denial

Hinduphobia doesn’t always emanate from anonymous trolls or via stealthy attacks in the dead of the night. There is a more “respectable” Hinduphobia seen in religiously-motivated attacks against Hindu Americans in the ivory towers of academia. Professors from 50+ leading universities in US and Canada, during the course of the 2021 Dismantling Global Hindutva conference repeatedly called for the dismantling of Hindu religion itself. We have also seen credentialed Professors publicly target young interns and college students, simply for being visibly Hindu, despite a shared racial and national origin.

When powerful tenured professors and administrators openly voice such opinions under the guise of academic freedom, it has a chilling effect on Hindu American students and makes them more likely targets of violence and discrimination. 

Despite the growing evidence of Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu hate incidents, the reluctance to recognize this issue remains a concern. Whether it is violence on the streets or intolerance in academia, Hinduphobia must be acknowledged and addressed as we address other forms of bigotry. Combating Hinduphobia requires collaboration between lawmakers, civil rights organizations, and the public, to ensure that no group is overlooked in the national conversation on inclusion.

Supporting H. Res 1131 is one obvious need of the hour. Prosecuting those who attack temples needs to be a top priority for law enforcement, because without that freedom of religion becomes an empty concept. Hindus need to speak up and ask that the recognition and protection of Hindu Americans should become remain a priority, reaffirming the nation's commitment to tolerance and respect for all.

 

Singh is a New Jersey-based volunteer with CoHNA, a grassroots-level advocacy organization representing the Hindu community of North America. Prasad is a storyteller and educator with a background in working with media, technology, and history and serves on the Board of CoHNA.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of  New India Abroad.)