Anti-Hindu sentiment

{{Short description|Irrational hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Hindus}} {{About|hatred of, or prejudice towards Hindus|religious persecution of Hindus|Persecution of Hindus}} {{protection padlock|small=yes}} {{EngvarB|date=July 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}

{{Hinduism |society}} {{Status of religious freedom |expanded=persecution}} '''Anti-Hindu sentiment''', also referred to as '''Hinduphobia''', is the irrational fear, hostility, or negative perceptions directed toward practitioners of Hinduism or the religion itself. It has been observed in various contexts across multiple countries, often arising from historical conflicts and sociopolitical factors.

[[File:Destroyed Hindu temple in Banshkhali.jpg|thumb|Destroyed Hindu temple in Banshkhali, Chittagong, Bangladesh]] According to the religious dialogue activist P. N. Benjamin, some Christian evangelists dislike the concept of Hindu gods and consider Hindu rituals barbaric, and such attitudes have caused tensions between religious communities.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/10/09/stories/13090244.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523043106/https://www.thehindu.com/2001/10/09/stories/13090244.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2019|website=The Hindu|title=Who's afraid of dialogue?|date=2001-10-09|access-date=2017-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DoFxBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT125|title=Pentecostals, Proselytization, and Anti-Christian Violence in Contemporary India|last=Bauman|first=Chad M.|date=2015-02-02|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190266318|pages=125|language=en}}</ref>

Hindus have historically been, and continue to be, considered Kafirs (disbelievers) by some Muslims<ref name="HMP">{{cite journal |last=Engineer |first=Ashghar Ali |date=13–19 February 1999 |title=Hindu-Muslim Problem: An Approach |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=37 |issue=7 |page=397 |jstor=4407649}}</ref> and Heathen, Satanic or Demonic by some Christians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Altman |first=Michael |author-link=Michael J. Altman |title=Heathen, Hindoo, Hindu: American Representations of India, 1721-1893 |year=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190654924}}</ref>

==Definitions== === Historical === In the late 19th and early 20th century, the word ''Hinduphobia'' was used more generally to refer to prejudice against Indians, regardless of religion. This reflected an earlier usage of the word ''Hindu'', which referred to everyone from India.{{Sfn|Kim|2023|pp=5-6}} Sudhindra Bose, president of the Hindustan Association of America, used the word ''Hinduphobia'' as the title of a 1914 essay in ''The Cosmopolitan Student'' in this sense. The Hindustan Association of America clarified in a 1915 pamphlet that "Hindus unified peoples of India not as Hindus, Mohammadans and Christians; [...] sons and daughters of India but not as Brahman {{Sic}}, sudra, and untouchables."{{Sfn|Kim|2023|p=7}}

=== Contemporary === ''Hinduphobia'' in the sense of prejudice against Hindus in terms of their religion was coined by activist Rajiv Malhotra.{{Sfn|Kim|2023|p=4}}<ref name=":4" /> Scholar Jeffery D. Long defined the term as an irrational aversion of Hindus or Hinduism.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Long|first=Jeffery D.|date=December 2017|title=Reflections on Hinduphobia: A Perspective from a Scholar-Practitioner|url=https://www.esamskriti.com/essays/pdf/17%20Reflections%20on%20Hinduphobia%20PDF.pdf|journal=Prabuddha Bharata|volume=122|pages=797–804}}</ref> Vamsee Juluri, a Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco agrees.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Juluri|first=Vamsee|title=Ethics, Ethnocentrism and Social Science Research|publisher=Routledge|year=2020|isbn=9780429270260|editor-last=Sharma|editor-first=Divya|chapter="Hindu nationalism" or "Hinduphobia"? : Ethnocentrism, errors, and bias in media and media studies|doi=10.4324/9780429270260-8|s2cid=226346622|chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429270260-8/hindu-nationalism-hinduphobia-vamsee-juluri}}</ref>{{Efn|In a discourse on the related issue of California textbook controversy, Chinnaiah Jangam (Professor of South Asian History at Carleton University) had noted that Juluri did not have any academic training in history, swore by Brahminical ideology, and even wrote a book in defense of militant Hindu nationalism.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2015-06-05|title=What Is at Stake in Rewriting California School Textbooks?|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2016/29/commentary/what-stake-rewriting-california-school-textbooks.html|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|last=Jangam|first=Chinnaiah|language=en|volume=51|issue=29|pages=7–8}}</ref> Juluri rejected the charges.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2015-06-05|title=California Textbooks Issue: A Response|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2016/31/web-exclusives/california-textbooks-issue-response.html|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|last=Juluri|first=Vamsee|language=en|pages=7–8}}</ref>}} Sophie-Jung H. Kim said that the definition of Hinduphobia as presented by some Hindu activist groups "evolve depending on the evidence that the members of these groups discover."{{Sfn|Kim|2023|p=4}}

== Asia ==

=== Afghanistan === {{See also|Hinduism in Afghanistan}} Religious persecution, discrimination of Hindus has caused Afghanistan's Hindu population to dwindle.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=Ruchi |date=2017-01-01 |title=The decline of Afghanistan's Hindu and Sikh communities |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/12/decline-afghanistan-hindu-sikh-communities-161225082540860.html |location=Kabul |access-date=2020-05-01 |work=Al Jazeera}}</ref> Sikhs and Hindus are continuing to flee from Afghanistan as of July 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bagchi |first=Joymala |date=2020-07-26 |title=Sikh Afghan Nationals Narrate Their Stories Of Fear, Suppression And Anxiety Faced In Kabul |url=http://www.businessworld.in/article/Sikh-Afghan-nationals-narrate-their-stories-of-fear-suppression-and-anxiety-faced-in-Kabul/26-07-2020-301687/ |location=New Delhi |access-date=2020-07-27 |work=Businessworld |agency=Asian News International}}</ref>

The Taliban government in Afghanistan, which enforced strict sharia (Islamic law), announced plans to require all Hindus (and Sikhs) to wear identifying badges in public in May 2001 as part of the Taliban's campaign to segregate and repress non-Muslim parts of Afghan society.<ref name="TalibantoMark">{{cite news |author= |date=2001-05-22 |title=Taliban to mark Afghan Hindus |url=https://www.cnn.com/2001/fyi/news/05/22/taleban.hindus/ |work=CNN |location=Kandahar |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref><ref name="PBS">{{cite news |author= |date=2001-05-22 |title=Taliban to Require Identity Badges for Non-Muslims |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/asia-jan-june01-afghanistan_05-22 |work=PBS News Hour |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref> At the time, about 500 Hindus and 2,000 Sikhs remained in Afghanistan.<ref name="Harding">{{cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |date=2001-05-24 |title=Taliban defends Hindu badges plan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/24/lukeharding |work=The Guardian |access-date=2025-05-16}}.</ref> The anti-Hindu decree was seen by many as being reminiscent of the Nazi law which required all Jews to wear identifying yellow badges.<ref name="PBS"/><ref name="Kelley">{{cite news |last=Kelley |first=Jack |date=2001-05-22 |title=Taliban: Hindus must wear identity labels |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2001-05-22-talibanids.htm |work=USA Today |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref><ref name="wired.com">{{cite magazine |author= |date=2001-05-22 |title=Taliban to Enforce Hindu 'Badges' |url=https://www.wired.com/2001/05/taliban-to-enforce-hindu-badges/ |magazine=Wired |agency=Associated Press |location=Kabul |access-date=2020-11-19}}</ref> The order prompted international outrage, and it was denounced by the Indian and U.S. governments,<ref name="Harding"/> as well as by Abraham Foxman of the ADL.<ref name="Kelley"/> Following international pressure, the Taliban regime dropped the badge plans in June 2001.<ref>{{cite news |author= |date=2001-06-27 |title=Taliban drop badge policy for Hindus |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/06/27/Taliban-drop-badge-policy-for-Hindus/6861993614400/ |work=United Press International |location=Islamabad |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref>

=== Bangladesh === {{See also|Persecution_of_Hindus#Bangladesh|l1=Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh}} In Bangladesh political leaders frequently face controversy for spreading anti-Hindu sentiment in an attempt to appeal to religious extremists and incite community outrage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dandapani |first=Vijay |date=2005-08-12 |title=Wanted: Some Hindu spine |url=https://rediff.com/news/2005/aug/13guest1.htm |work=Rediff.com |location= |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2025}} One of the most well known instances of this occurred in 1996 when Khaleda Zia a previous Prime Minister, and then leader of the opposition, declared that the country was at risk of hearing "uludhhwani" (a Bengali Hindu custom involving women's ululation) from mosques, replacing the azaan (Muslim call to prayer).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kabir |first=Bhuian Md Monoar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ee5tAAAAMAAJ&q=1996%20khaleda%20zia%20azaan |title=Politics and Development of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh |date=2006 |publisher=South Asian Publishers |isbn=978-81-7003-305-9 |pages=168 |language=en}}</ref>

The fundamentalists and right-wing parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jatiya Party often portray Hindus as being sympathetic to India, making accusations of dual loyalty and allegations of transferring economic resources to India, contributing to a widespread perception that Bangladeshi Hindus are disloyal to the state. Also, the right wing parties claim the Hindus to be backing the Awami League.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA130062001!Open |title=Bangladesh: Attacks on members of the Hindu minority |website=Amnesty International |access-date=21 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018043738/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA130062001!Open |archive-date=18 October 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the Vice President of the Jamaat-e-Islami to death for the war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the sentence, Jamaat-e-Islami activists attacked Hindu communities across the country. Hindu properties were looted and burned down, and temples were desecrated and set on fire.<ref>{{cite news |last=Habib |first=Haroon |title=44 killed in Bangladesh violence |work=The Hindu |date=2013-03-01 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/44-killed-in-bangladesh-violence/article4465210.ece |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Bagerhat Hindu Temple Set on Fire |url=http://dev-bd.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=241410&cid=2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407194310/http://dev-bd.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=241410&cid=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-07 |access-date=20 March 2013 |work=bdnews24.com |date=2013-03-02}}</ref> While the government has held the Jamaat-e-Islami responsible for the attacks on the minorities, the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has denied any involvement. The minority leaders have protested the attacks and appealed for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed the law enforcement to start ''suo motu'' investigation into the attacks. US Ambassador to Bangladesh express concern about attack of Jamaat on Bengali Hindu community.<ref name="US_amb_ds-1">{{cite news |title=US worried at violence |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/us-worried-at-violence/ |access-date=2013-03-12 |work=The Daily Star (Bangladesh) |date=2013-03-12}}</ref><ref name="US_amb_Itt-1">{{cite news|title=Mozena: Violence is not the way to resolution |url=http://www.clickittefaq.com/featured-area/mozena-violence-is-not-the-way-to-resolution/ |access-date=12 March 2013 |newspaper=The Daily Ittefaq |date=11 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116055856/http://www.clickittefaq.com/featured-area/mozena-violence-is-not-the-way-to-resolution/|archive-date=16 November 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The violence included the looting of Hindu properties and businesses, the burning of Hindu homes, and desecration and destruction of Hindu temples.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bangladesh: Wave of violent attacks against Hindu minority |url=http://amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority-2013-03-06#.UTeKDSrYyD8.twitter |website=Amnesty International |access-date=2013-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309203359/http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority-2013-03-06#.UTeKDSrYyD8.twitter |archive-date=2013-03-09 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to community leaders, more than 50 Hindu temples and 1,500 Hindu homes were destroyed in 20 districts.<ref name="bbc09032013-1">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21712655 |title=Bangladesh minorities 'terrorised' after mob violence |last=Ethirajan |first=Anbarasan |date=2013-03-09 |work=BBC |access-date=2013-03-17}}</ref> On 5 May 2014, A mob of almost 3,000 attacked Hindu households and a temple in eastern Bangladesh after two youths from the community allegedly insulted the Islamic prophet, Muhammad on Facebook.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 May 2014 |title=Hindu households, temple attacked in Bangladesh |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/404464/hindu-households-temple-attacked-bangladesh.html |work=Deccan Herald |location=Dhaka |access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |date=5 May 2014 |title=Mob of 3000 attack Hindu households, temple in Bangladesh |url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/mob-of-3000-attack-hindu-households-temple-in-bangladesh-1509359.html |newspaper=Firstpost |agency=Press Trust of India |location=Dhaka |access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref> In 2025, a 21-year-old Hindu woman was gang-raped in the Cumilla district in Central Bangladesh by a member of the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party. There were 2,442 instances of atrocities against religious minorities (mainly Hindus) in Bangladesh in 2024, and that the number stands at 72 in 2025 till the end of March 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How long will the Hindu Minority remain silent in Bangladesh? - Indian Council of World Affairs (Government of India) |url=https://www.icwa.in/show_content.php?lang=1&level=3&ls_id=13179&lid=8040 |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=www.icwa.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Attacks on minorities: 258 incidents in first half of 2025 {{!}} The Daily Star |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/attacks-minorities-258-incidents-first-half-2025-3936701 |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=www.thedailystar.net |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=2,400 incidents of atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh in 2024, 72 in 2025: Jaishankar in LS |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cases-atrocities-minorities-bangladesh-jaishankar-lok-sabha-9911015/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-19 |title=Minorities under fire in Bangladesh: 2,442 hate crimes; ‘perpetrators enjoy impunity’ |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/minorities-under-fire-in-bangladesh-2442-hate-crimes-perpetrators-enjoy-impunity/articleshow/122370916.cms |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

=== India=== {{See also|Persecution of Hindus#Post-Independence India}} Between 11:30 pm and midnight on 26 August 2024, the idol of the goddess in Bhoolaxmi temple was destroyed by vandals. The temple is located in the Rakshapuram area of Hyderabad, and is {{convert|50|yds|m}} from the police station. Local politician, Samreddy Surender Reddy said that the temple had been attacked by vandals five times during the past five years. The police used CCTV to identify two suspects, who they arrested. A crowd gathered outside the temple to protest against the vandalism. The police said that there was no evidence that the vandalism was politically motivated.<ref name="q364">{{cite news | title=Telangana: Hyderabad Police arrests 2 men for vandalising Bhoolaxmi temple idol |newspaper=Mint | date=27 August 2024 | url=https://www.livemint.com/news/hyderabad-police-news-vandalise-bhoolaxmi-temple-goddess-chandrayanagutta-telangana-constituency-riyasat-nagar-division-11724731256605.html | access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref>

In September 2024, stones were pelted at Ganesha idol processions in many parts of India.<ref name="y119">{{cite web | last=Ansari | first=Nahid | title=Clashes erupt in UP's Mahoba after stone pelting during Ganesh idol procession | website=India Today | date=15 September 2024 | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/uttar-pradesh-up-mahoba-city-kotwali-clash-stone-pelting-ganesh-idol-procession-2599975-2024-09-15 | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="y484">{{cite web | last=Singh | first=Umesh | title=SP Lodha transferred following stone-pelting incident during a Ganesh idol procession in MP's Ratlam | website=Deccan Herald | date=11 September 2024 | url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/madhya-pradesh/sp-lodha-transferred-following-stone-pelting-incident-during-a-ganesh-idol-procession-in-mps-ratlam-3186192 | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="g631">{{cite web | title=Stones pelted at Ganesh pandal in Surat; 6 arrested | website=The Hindu | date=9 September 2024 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat/stones-pelted-at-ganesh-pandal-in-surat-6-arrested/article68620775.ece | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="c458">{{cite web | last=Samachar | first=Gujarat | title=After Surat stones pelted at Ganesh Pandal in Kutch | website=GujaratSamachar English | date=11 September 2024 | url=https://english.gujaratsamachar.com/news/gujarat/after-surat-stones-pelted-at-ganesh-pandal-in-kutch | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="g618">{{cite web | last=Raj | first=Gayathri V | title=Nagamangala Ganesha procession news: Stone pelting, lathi charge during procession in Karnataka's Nagamangala, Section 144 imposed | website=Deccan Herald | date=11 September 2024 | url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/stone-pelting-lathi-charge-during-ganesha-procession-in-nagamangala-mandya-district-3186911 | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref> The police were also attacked in many places, but managed to seize the swords used to attack the devotees; petrol bombs were also used to set shops on fire.<ref name="d085">{{cite web | title=Ganpati idol stone pelting incident: 52 held, BJP questions arrest of Hindu devotees | website=English.Mathrubhumi | date=12 September 2024 | url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/stone-pelting-ganpati-idol-karnataka-police-arrest-bjp-slam-congress-1.9895563 | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref> In another incident, the Ganesha idol was taken from the demonstrators by the police, who then secured it in an unoccupied police van, the snaps of which went viral online, as well as in newspapers; some claimed it was "belittling" to do so.<ref name="r570">{{cite web | title=Bengaluru: Viral photo of Ganesh idol in police van sparks outrage | website=The Siasat Daily | date=14 September 2024 | url=https://www.siasat.com/bengaluru-viral-photo-of-ganesh-idol-in-police-van-sparks-outrage-3096126/ | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="c250">{{cite web | last=Verma | first=Shivam | title=Picture of Lord Ganesha's idol in police van sparks row in Bengaluru: Here's what we know so far | website=DNA India | date=14 September 2024 | url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-picture-of-lord-ganesha-idol-in-police-van-sparks-row-in-bengaluru-here-what-we-know-so-far-3107552 | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="k658">{{cite web | title=Lord Ganesha murti in Bengaluru police van sparks row: PM Modi says 'in Congress-ruled Karnataka, even…' | website=mint | date=15 September 2024 | url=https://www.livemint.com/news/lord-ganesha-murti-in-bengaluru-police-van-sparks-row-pm-modi-says-in-congress-ruled-karnataka-even-11726375067734.html | access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref> In September 2025, there were more incidents of stone-pelting of Ganesha idols during immersion and Chappanbhog ceremonies in different parts of India;<ref>{{cite news |title=Stone pelting during Ganesh Visarjan in Karnataka's Mandya sparks protests; section 144 imposed |newspaper=Hindustan Times |date=8 September 2025 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/stone-pelting-during-ganesh-visarjan-in-karnatakas-mandya-sparks-protests-section-144-imposed-101757314672445.html |access-date=10 September 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Three injured after stone-pelting outside Ganesh Puja pandal in Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur |newspaper=The New Indian Express |date=8 September 2025 |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Sep/08/three-injured-after-stone-pelting-outside-ganesh-puja-pandal-in-madhya-pradeshs-burhanpur |access-date=10 September 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Dwary | first=Anurag | title=Old FIR Surfaces As Bhopal Cops Probe Alleged Stone-Pelting During Ganesh Immersion |website=NDTV | date=9 September 2025 |url=https://www.ndtv.com/bhopal-news/old-fir-surfaces-as-bhopal-cops-probe-alleged-stone-pelting-during-ganesh-immersion-9242365 |access-date=10 September 2025 }}</ref><ref name="DeshGujarat-01Sep25">{{cite news |title='Stone pelting' near Ganpati pandal in Vadodara's Tarsali area; police conducts combing |work=DeshGujarat |date=1 September 2025 |url=https://deshgujarat.com/2025/09/01/stone-pelting-near-ganpati-pandal-in-vadodaras-tarsali-area-police-conducts-combing/ |access-date=10 September 2025 }}</ref> in an incident in late August 2025, eggs were thrown instead of stones.<ref name="DeshGujarat-01Sep25"/>

=== Malaysia === {{See also|Hinduism in Malaysia|2001 Kampung Medan riots|2009 cow head protests|HINDRAF|2007 HINDRAF rally}}

In April 2006, local authorities demolished several Hindu temples to make way for developmental projects. Their reason was that these temples were unlicensed and squatting on government land. In April and May 2006, several Hindu temples were demolished by city hall authorities in the country, accompanied by violence against Hindus.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kaliban |first=K. |date=2006-06-16 |title=Temple row - a dab of sensibility please |url=https://malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/52600 |url-access=subscription |work=Malaysiakini |access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|reason=WP:NEWSOPED|date=May 2025}} On 21 April 2006, the Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur was reduced to rubble after the city hall sent in bulldozers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Free domain sharing - Site not yet configured|url=http://www.gatago.com/talk/politics/mideast/12428067.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104235008/http://www.gatago.com/talk/politics/mideast/12428067.html|archive-date=2006-11-04|work=gatago.com}}</ref>

The president of the Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam in Selangor had been helping to organise efforts to stop the local authorities in the Muslim-dominated city of Shah Alam from demolishing a 107-year-old Hindu temple. The growing Islamization in Malaysia is a cause for concern to many Malaysians who follow minority religions such as Hinduism.<ref>{{cite news |author= |date=2006-05-16 |title=Pressure on multi-faith Malaysia |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4965580.stm |work=BBC |access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref>

On 11 May 2006, armed city hall officers from Kuala Lumpur forcefully demolished part of a 60-year-old suburban temple that serves more than 1,000 Hindus. The "Hindu Rights Action Force", a coalition of several NGOs, has protested these demolitions by lodging complaints with the Malaysian Prime Minister.<ref name="Finexp">{{cite news |author= |date=2006-05-23 |title=Hindu group protests 'temple cleansing' in Malaysia |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=128069 |work=The Financial Express |location=Kuala Lumpur |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704022731/http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=128069 |archive-date=2007-07-04 |access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref> Many Hindu advocacy groups have protested what they allege is a systematic plan of temple cleansing in Malaysia. The official reason given by the Malaysian government has been that the temples were built "illegally". However, several of the temples are centuries old.<ref name="Finexp"/> According to a lawyer for the Hindu Rights Action Task Force, a Hindu temple is demolished in Malaysia once every three weeks.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hamid |first=Jalil |date=2007-11-08 |title=Malaysia ethnic Indians in uphill fight on religion |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-30397720071108?pageNumber=1 |work=Reuters |location=Kuala Lumpur |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316232954/http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-30397720071108?pageNumber=1 |archive-date=2017-03-16 |access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref>

A group of Malaysian Muslims protested against the construction of a Hindu temple in a Muslim-majority neighborhood, using a cow's head in the demonstration, sparking concerns about racial and religious tensions in the country.<ref>{{cite news |last=Joshi |first=Vijay |date=2009-08-28 |title=Malaysia Muslims protest proposed Hindu temple |url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5RWG2ScAdC9V7eo-B6-KfUL3QjgD9ABV6U81 |work=Google News |agency=Associated Press |location=Kuala Lumpur |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902210504/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5RWG2ScAdC9V7eo-B6-KfUL3QjgD9ABV6U81 |archive-date=2009-09-02 |access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref>

=== Pakistan === {{Main|Persecution of Hindus in Pakistan}}

In Pakistan, Hindus are often regarded as kafirs and blamed for "causing all the problems in Pakistan".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kashmirherald.com/featuredarticle/democracyinpakistan.html|title=Why democracy didn't take roots in Pakistan?|work=kashmirherald.com}}</ref> On Pakistan Day, the Pakistan Army dropped leaflets in South and North Waziristan, warning tribesmen about foreigners and their local supporters, using the term "Yahood Aur Hanood" (Jews and Hindus) to describe the perceived enemies. The leaflets aimed to differentiate between the war on terror and local tribes, urging vigilance against intruders.<ref>[http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/24-03-2006/main/main5.htm Military drops leaflets in Waziristan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817081717/http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/24-03-2006/main/main5.htm |date=17 August 2007 }}, ''jang.com.pk''</ref> At the time of Pakistan's creation, the 'hostage theory' had been espoused. According to this theory, the Hindu minority in Pakistan was to be given a fair deal in the country in order to ensure the protection of the Muslim minority in India.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5c9ta97GeoC&q=hostage+theory+partition&pg=PA72|title=The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia: Refugees, Boundaries, Histories|last=Zamindar|first=Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780231138475|pages=72|quote=The logic of the ''hostage theory'' tied the treatment of Muslim minorities in India to the treatment meted out to Hindus in Pakistan.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PrqLBgAAQBAJ&q=In+this+regard,+it+repeatedly+stressed+the+hostage+population+theory+that+held+that+%27hostage%27+Hindu+and+Sikh+minorities+inside+Pakistan+would+guarantee+Hindu+India%27s+good+behaviour+towards+its+own+Muslim+minority.&pg=PA19|title=Creating a New Medina: State Power, Islam, and the Quest for Pakistan in Late Colonial North India|last=Dhulipala|first=Venkat|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2015|isbn=9781316258385|pages=19|quote=Within the subcontinent, ML propaganda claimed that besides liberating the 'majority provinces' Muslims it would guarantee protection for Muslims who would be left behind in Hindu India. In this regard, it repeatedly stressed the hostage population theory that held that 'hostage' Hindu and Sikh minorities inside Pakistan would guarantee Hindu India's good behaviour towards its own Muslim minority.}}</ref>

Separate electorates for Hindus and Christians were established in 1985—a policy which was originally proposed by Islamist leader Abul A'la Maududi. Christian and Hindu leaders complained that they felt excluded from the county's political process, but the policy had strong support from Islamists.<ref name="OBJ-31">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/pakistaneyeofsto00benn|url-access=registration|quote=separate electorates for minorities in pakistan.|title=Pakistan: Eye of the Storm|date=2002|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0300101473|page=[https://archive.org/details/pakistaneyeofsto00benn/page/31 31]|last1=Jones|first1=Owen Bennett|access-date=9 December 2014}}</ref>

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a coalition of Islamist political parties in Pakistan, calls for the increased Islamization of the government and society, specifically taking an anti-Hindu stance. The MMA leads the opposition in the national assembly, held a majority in the NWFP Provincial Assembly, and was part of the ruling coalition in Balochistan. However, some members of the MMA made efforts to eliminate their rhetoric against Hindus.<ref name="USdept2006">[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71443.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2006] Published by the US Department of State</ref>

The public school curriculum in Pakistan was Islamized during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71443.htm|title=Pakistan|work=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> The government of Pakistan claims to undertake a major revision to eliminate such teachings and to remove Islamic teaching from secular subjects.<ref name="USdept2006" /> The bias in Pakistani textbooks was also documented by Y. Rosser (2003). She wrote that {{Blockquote|"in the past few decades, social studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used as locations to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy makers have attempted to inculcate towards their Hindu neighbours", and that as a result "in the minds of generations of Pakistanis, indoctrinated by the 'Ideology of Pakistan' are lodged fragments of hatred and suspicion."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mlists.net/sindh-intl/mail/mail_abuseofhistory.htm |title=Abuse of History in Pakistan: Bangladesh to Kargil |access-date=2007-01-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031114223934/http://www.mlists.net/sindh-intl/mail/mail_abuseofhistory.htm |archive-date=14 November 2003 |df=dmy }}, by Dr. Yvette C Rosser</ref>}}

The bias in Pakistani textbooks was studied by Rubina Saigol, K. K. Aziz, I. A. Rahman, Mubarak Ali, A. H. Nayyar, Ahmed Saleem, Y. Rosser and others.

A study by Nayyar & Salim (2003) that was conducted with 30 experts of Pakistan's education system, found that the textbooks contain statements that seek to create hate against Hindus. There was also an emphasis on Jihad, Shahadat, wars and military heroes. The study reported that the textbooks also had a lot of gender-biased stereotypes. Some of the problems in Pakistani textbooks cited in the report were: {{Blockquote|"Insensitivity to the existing religious diversity of the nation"; "Incitement to militancy and violence, including encouragement of Jihad and Shahadat"; a "glorification of war and the use of force"; "Inaccuracies of fact and omissions that serve to substantially distort the nature and significance of actual events in our history"; "Perspectives that encourage prejudice, bigotry and discrimination towards fellow citizens, especially women and religious minorities, and other towards nations" and "Omission of concepts ... that could encourage critical self awareness among students". (Nayyar & Salim 2003). The Pakistani Curriculum document for classes K-V stated in 1995 that "at the completion of Class-V, the child should be able to "Understand Hindu-Muslim differences and the resultant need for Pakistan. [p. 154]}}

A more recent textbook which was published in Pakistan and titled ''A Short History of Pakistan'', edited by Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, has been heavily criticized by academic peer-reviewers for anti-Hindu biases and prejudices that are consistent with Pakistani nationalism, where Hindus are portrayed as "villains" and Muslims as "victims" living under the "disastrous Hindu rule" and "betraying the Muslims to the British", characterizations that academic reviewers found "disquieting" and having a "warped subjectivity".<ref>Lehmann, F., 1968, Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia, pp. 644–645</ref><ref>Calkins, P. B. Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia, pp. 643–644, 1968</ref><ref name="Ahmed">Ahmed, A., Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia, pp. 645–647, 1968</ref>

Ameer Hamza, a leader of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, wrote a highly derogatory book about Hinduism in 1999 called "Hindu Ki Haqeeqat" ("Reality of (a) Hindu"); he was not prosecuted by the Government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35519.htm|title=Pakistan|work=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>

According to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute report, 'Associated with the insistence on the Ideology of Pakistan has been an essential component of hate against India and the Hindus. For the upholders of the Ideology of Pakistan, the existence of Pakistan is defined only in relation to Hindus, and hence the Hindus have to be painted as negatively as possible.'<ref name=sdpi>Nayyar, A.H. and Salim, A. (eds.)(2003). [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090205032614/http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/reporton/State%20of%20Curr&TextBooks.pdf The subtle Subversion: A report on Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan]. Report of the project ''A Civil Society Initiative in Curricula and Textbooks Reform''. Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.</ref> A 2005 report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace. a non-profit organization in Pakistan, found that Pakistan Studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy-makers have attempted to inculcate towards the Hindus. "Vituperative animosities legitimise military and autocratic rule, nurturing a siege mentality. Pakistan Studies textbooks are an active site to represent India as a hostile neighbour", the report stated. "The story of Pakistan's past is intentionally written to be distinct from, and often in direct contrast with, interpretations of history found in India. From the government-issued textbooks, students are taught that Hindus are backward and superstitious." Further, the report stated, "Textbooks reflect intentional obfuscation. Today's students, citizens of Pakistan, and its future leaders are the victims of these partial truths."<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C04%5C25%5Cstory_25-4-2006_pg7_26 Hate mongering worries minorities], Daily Times (Pakistan), 2006-04-25</ref><ref name="LA Times Report: In Pakistan's Public Schools, Jihad Still Part of Lesson Plan - The Muslim nation's public school texts still promote hatred and jihad, reformers say.">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-18-fg-schools18-story.html In Pakistan's Public Schools, Jihad Still Part of Lesson Plan - The Muslim nation's public school texts still promote hatred and jihad, reformers say.] By Paul Watson, Times Staff Writer; 18 August 2005; Los Angeles Times. 4 Page article online Retrieved on 2 January 2010</ref><ref name="Outlook India Magazine Report: Primers Of Hate - History or biology, Pakistani students get anti-India lessons in all their textbooks; 'Hindu, Enemy Of Islam' - These are extracts from government-sponsored textbooks approved by the National Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education.">[http://www.outlookindia.com/fullprint.asp?choice=2&fodname=20051010&fname=Pakistan+%28F%29&sid=1 Primers Of Hate - History or biology, Pakistani students get anti-India lessons in all their textbooks; 'Hindu, Enemy Of Islam' - These are extracts from government-sponsored textbooks approved by the National Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003427/http://www.outlookindia.com/fullprint.asp?choice=2&fodname=20051010&fname=Pakistan+(F)&sid=1 |date=7 September 2006 }} By AMIR MIR; 10 October 2005; Outlook India Magazine Retrieved on 2 January 2010</ref><ref>[https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/16guest.htm Noor's cure: A contrast in views]; by Arindam Banerji; 16 July 2003; Rediff India Abroad Retrieved on 2 January 2010</ref>

An editorial in ''Dawn'' discussed a report by ''The Guardian'', which noted that Pakistan's state-run schools extensively promoted extremism and bigotry. Among others, it highlighted that textbooks in Pakistani state schools propagate concepts like jihad, the inferiority of non-Muslims, and hostility towards India, which foster a bigoted and obscurantist mindset.<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/11-curriculum-of-hatred--03 Curriculum of hatred] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526140357/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/11-curriculum-of-hatred--03 |date=26 May 2009 }}, ''Dawn'', 2009-05-20</ref><ref name="Dawn: ‘School texts spreading more extremism than seminaries’">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110120143721/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/school-texts-spreading-more-extremism-than-seminaries-959 ‘School texts spreading more extremism than seminaries’] By Our Special Correspondent; Tuesday, 19 May 2009; ''Dawn''. Retrieved 1 January 2010</ref> According to a study by a US government commission, textbooks in Pakistani schools foster prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and other religious minorities, and most teachers view non-Muslims as enemies of Islam.<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 9, 2011|title=US commission: Pakistan schools teach Hindu hatred|work=The Boston Globe|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2011/11/09/commission-pakistan-schools-teach-hindu-hatred/FW7nomQ0jk3H37kFgkkrkI/story.html|access-date=January 26, 2022}}</ref> According to historian Professor Mubarak Ali, textbook reform in Pakistan began with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's introduction of Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies in 1971. General Zia-ul-Haq later intensified historical revisionism, exploiting these reforms to promote a religiously exclusive narrative, which has contributed to intolerance and extremism. The broader context includes issues with outdated and biased textbook content, with reform efforts struggling to address these problems comprehensively.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/18/pakistan-textbooks-religious-extremism The threat of Pakistan's revisionist texts], The Guardian, 2009-05-18</ref>

== Outside Asia ==

=== Australia === In April 2024, a Hindu woman named ''Swastika Chandra'' from Sydney was banned from using the Uber app because it considered her first name (''Swastika'') to be offensive and related to Nazism. The Swastika is a Hindu symbol of divinity and spirituality that the Hindu community has used for centuries; however, its perception in other parts of the world is different due to the adoption of the symbol by the Nazi Party in the early 20th century. After a period of six months, Uber eventually lifted the ban and apologized for the misunderstanding.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A woman called Swastika got an apology from Uber after it banned her because of her name |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/a-woman-called-swastika-got-an-apology-from-uber-after-it-banned-her-because-of-her-name/articleshow/109438904.cms |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom === After the Leicester riots in October 2022, Hindu groups were set to boycott a review by Dr. Chris Allen, the review's head, because of perceived lack of impartiality.<ref>{{cite web | last=Watson | first=Greig | title=Leicester disorder: Hindu groups set to boycott review | website=BBC News | date=2022-10-29 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63426507 | access-date=2022-11-01}}</ref>

A national report in the UK found that 51% of Hindu parents reported their children facing Anti-Hindu hate in schools, and found that schools had failed to monitor and address the issues. It also reported several cases of physical assault, as well as beef being thrown at a student.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anti-Hindu Hate In Schools|url=https://henryjacksonsociety.org/event/anti-hindu-hate-in-schools/}}</ref>

In October 2018, it was reported that Conservative Party candidate for the Mayor of London, Shaun Bailey, had written a pamphlet, entitled ''No Man's Land'', for the Centre for Policy Studies. In it, Bailey argued that accommodating Hindus "[robs] Britain of its community" and it is also turning the country into a "crime-riddled cesspool". He also claimed that South Asians "bring their culture, their country and any problems they might have, with them" and that this was not a problem within the black community "because we've shared a religion and in many cases a language".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-10-04|title=Tory London mayoral candidate claimed celebrating Hindu and Muslim festivals has turned Britain into 'cesspool of crime'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservative-london-candidate-mayor-shaun-bailey-hindu-muslim-festival-crime-a8566341.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservative-london-candidate-mayor-shaun-bailey-hindu-muslim-festival-crime-a8566341.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-12|website=The Independent|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the pamphlet, Bailey confused the Hindu religion with the Hindi language: "You don't know what to do. You bring your children to school, and they learn far more about Diwali than Christmas. I speak to the people who are from Brent, and they've been having Hindi <small>(sic)</small> days off."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/anti-hindu-muslim-views-return-to-haunt-london-mayor-candidate-shaun-bailey/story-woCY6o4owDF4Yp9lnOxNBM.html|title=Anti-Hindu, Muslim views return to haunt London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey|last=Sonwalkar|first=Prasun|date=4 October 2018|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>

James Cleverly, the Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, defended Bailey and suggested that Bailey's remarks were being misconstrued. He implied that black boys were turning to crime due to exposure to other religions rather than focusing on "their own Christian culture." However, the anti-racism organization Hope Not Hate condemned Bailey's comments as "grotesque."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/04/tory-concerns-shaun-bailey-remarks-london-mayoral-race |title=Tory deputy chairman admits concerns about Shaun Bailey remarks |last=Sabbagh |first=Dan |date=4 October 2018 |website=The Guardian |language=en |access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>

=== United States === {{see also|Persecution of Hindus#United States}}

The rise of the Indian American community in the United States has triggered some isolated attacks on them, as has been the case with many minority groups in the United States. Attacks which specifically target Hindus in the United States stem from what is often referred to as the "racialization of religion" among Americans, a process that begins when certain phenotypical features that are associated with a group and attached to race in popular discourse become associated with a particular religion or religions. The racialization of Hinduism in American perception has led Americans to perceive Hindus as belonging to a separate group, and this contributes to prejudices against them.<ref>Joshi, Khyati, The Racialization of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism in the United States, Equity & Excellence in Education, Volume 39, Number 3, August 2006, pp. 211–226(16)</ref>

In 2019, the Swaminarayan Temple in Kentucky was vandalised. They sprayed black paint on the deity and sprayed "Jesus is the only God" on the walls. The Christian cross was also spray-painted on various walls.<ref name="TH2019"/> In April 2015, a Hindu temple in north Texas was vandalised when nasty images were spray-painted on its walls. In February 2015, Hindu temples in Kent and the Seattle Metropolitan area were also vandalised.<ref name="TH2019">{{Cite news|agency=PTI|date=2019-01-31|title=Hindu temple vandalised in U.S.|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/hindu-temple-vandalised-in-us/article26136111.ece|access-date=2021-01-12|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=US: Hindu temple vandalized in Kentucky, deity sprayed black paint|url=https://in.news.yahoo.com/us-hindu-temple-vandalized-kentucky-062710369.html|access-date=2021-01-12|website=in.news.yahoo.com|language=en}}</ref>

In July 2019, a Hindu priest wearing his religious attire was physically assaulted by Sergio Gouveia in Queens, New York, just two blocks from Shiv Shakti Peeth Temple in Glen Oaks. A Senator and the New York State Attorney General have labeled it a hate crime, stating, "If someone is targeted because of religious robe and a couple of blocks from the temple where he resides, it is difficult to believe this was random." However, the New York police have not classified it as a hate crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pix11.com/2019/07/23/community-leaders-rally-around-hindu-priest-who-was-beaten/|title=Community leaders rally around Hindu priest who was beaten|work=WPIX |date=23 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/07/23/hindu-priest-assaulted-hate-crime-swami-ji-harish-chander-puri-attorney-general-letitia-james/|title=State Attorney General James Calls Unprovoked Attack On Hindu Priest In Queens A Hate Crime|date=23 July 2019}}</ref>

==== Pat Robertson ==== In addition, anti-Hindu views have been expressed, which are specifically based on misperceptions of the religion of Hinduism as well as mistaken racial perceptions. In the United States, Pat Robertson has denounced Hinduism as "demonic", believing that when Hindus "feel any sort of inspiration, whether it's by a river or under a tree, on top of a hill, they figure that some God or spirit is responsible for that. And so they'll worship that tree, they'll worship that hill, or they'll worship anything."<ref>''The 700 Club'', 23 March 2006.</ref> His remarks were widely condemned and disputed by Indian Americans and members of many non-partisan advocacy groups.<ref>{{cite web|title=Using TV, Christian Pat Robertson Denounces Hinduism as "Demonic" |url=http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/7027/htoday.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020024413/http://geocities.com/CapitolHill/7027/htoday.html |archive-date=20 October 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=April 2025}} Evangelical leader Albert Mohler defended Robertson's remarks, saying "any belief system, any world view, whether it's Zen Buddhism or Hinduism or dialectical materialism for that matter, Marxism, that keeps persons captive and keeps them from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, is a demonstration of satanic power."<ref>''The O'Reilly Factor'', Fox News Channel. 17 March 2006.</ref>

==== United States Congress ==== {{Main|Rajan Zed prayer protest}}

In July 2007, the United States Senate conducted its morning prayer services with a Hindu prayer,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071202007.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127225107/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071202007.html|archive-date=2020-01-27|url-status=dead|title=Senate Prayer Led by Hindu Elicits Protest|access-date=2008-12-19 | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=2007-07-13}}</ref> a historical first. During the service, three disruptors, named Ante Nedlko Pavkovic, Katherine Lynn Pavkovic, and Christen Renee Sugar, from the Fundamentalist Christian activist group Operation Save America<ref name="news.bostonherald.com" /> protested by arguing that the Hindu prayer was "an abomination", and they also claimed that they were "Christians and Patriots". They were swiftly arrested and charged with disrupting Congress.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/washington/13brfs-AHINDUPRAYER_BRF.html?ex=1341979200&en=851dbe33e5130b8d&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg | work=The New York Times | title=A Hindu Prayer in the Senate Meets Protest | date=2007-07-13 | access-date=2010-04-25}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|EZ9To30Hz7|A link to YouTube video}}</ref>

The event generated a storm of protest by Christian right groups in the country, with the American Family Association (AFA) opposing the prayer and carrying out a campaign to lobby senators to protest against it.<ref>Michelle Boorstein, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072700206.html Hindu Groups Ask '08 Hopefuls to Criticize Protest], ''Washington Post'' (27 July 2007).</ref><ref>[https://lasvegassun.com/news/2007/jul/13/a-prayer-and-protest/ A Prayer and Protest], ''Las Vegas Sun'' (13 July 2007).</ref> Their representative attacked the proceedings as "gross idolatry".<ref name="news.bostonherald.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/view.bg?articleid=1010979|title=Christian protesters disrupt first Senate prayer by a Hindu|date=12 July 2007|work=Boston Herald|access-date=20 March 2011|location=Washington}}</ref> The AFA sent an "Action Alert" to its members in which it asked them to e-mail, write letters, or call their Senators and ask them to oppose the Hindu prayer, stating that it is "seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god."<ref name="Hindu Prayer in Senate Disrupted">"[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19729245 Hindu Prayer in Senate Disrupted]." Associated Press (published on NBC News). 2007-06-12. Retrieved on 2007-06-15</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afa.net/Petitions/issuedetail.asp?id=257 |title=ActionAlert: Hindu to open Senate with prayer |publisher=American Family Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715175738/http://www.afa.net/Petitions/issuedetail.asp?id=257 |archive-date=15 July 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071202007.html|title=Senate Prayer Led by Hindu Elicits Protest|work=washingtonpost.com}}</ref> The "alert" stated that "since Hindus worship multiple gods, the prayer will be completely outside the American paradigm, flying in the face of the American motto ''One Nation Under God.''"<ref>"''Hindu to open Senate with prayer'' AFA Action Alert, July 10, 2007"</ref> The convocation by Zed was, in fact, disrupted by three protesters in the gallery, reportedly shouting "this is an abomination" and other complaints.<ref name="Hindu Prayer in Senate Disrupted" />

Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the protest "shows the intolerance of many religious right activists. They say they want more religion in the public square, but it's clear they mean only their religion."<ref name="news.bostonherald.com" />

==== Dotbusters ==== {{Main|Dotbusters}}

The Dotbusters was a hate group in Jersey City, New Jersey, that attacked and threatened Indian-Americans in the fall of 1987.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gutierrez |first1=Elizabeth |title="THE -DOTBUSTER- ATTACKS: HATE CRIME AGAINST ASIAN INDIANS IN JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY" |url=https://www.overcominghateportal.org/uploads/5/4/1/5/5415260/dotbuster_attacks.pdf |publisher=Geography and Urban Studies Temple UniversitY Philadelphia, PA 19122 |access-date=September 17, 2024 |page=30}}</ref> The name originates from the bindi traditionally worn by Hindu women and girls on their foreheads. In July 1987, they had a letter published in the ''Jersey Journal''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/12/nyregion/in-jersey-city-indians-protest-violence.html|title=In Jersey City, Indians Protest Violence|last=Marriott|first=Michel|date=12 October 1987|work=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=20 March 2011}}</ref> stating that they would take any means necessary to drive the Indians out of Jersey City:<ref name="pluralism">{{Cite web |author= |title=Dot Busters in New Jersey |url=http://www.pluralism.org/ocg/CDROM_files/hinduism/dot_busters.php |website=The Pluralism Project |access-date=20 April 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520234733/http://www.pluralism.org/ocg/CDROM_files/hinduism/dot_busters.php |archive-date=20 May 2011}}</ref> <blockquote>I'm writing about your article during July about the abuse of Indian People. Well, I'm here to state the other side. I hate them, if you had to live near them, you would also. We are an organization called dot busters. We have been around for 2 years. We will go to any extreme to get Indians to move out of Jersey City. If I'm walking down the street and I see a Hindu and the setting is right, I will hit him or her. We plan some of our most extreme attacks, such as breaking windows, breaking car windows, and crashing family parties. We use the phone books and look up the name Patel. Have you seen how many of them there are? Do you even live in Jersey City? Do you walk down Central Avenue and experience what its{{sic}} like to be near them: we have, and we just don't want it anymore. You said that they will have to start protecting themselves because the police cannot always be there. They will never do anything. They are a week{{sic|nolink=y}} race, physically{{sic|nolink=y}} and mentally. We are going to continue our way. We will never be stopped. </blockquote>

====Resolutions and proclamations recognizing Hinduphobia==== In April 2023, Georgia became the first state in the United States to pass a resolution condemning Hinduphobia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Now {{!}} |first=Times |date=2023-04-01 |title=Georgia legislature takes aim at attacks on Hinduism, passes resolution against Hinduphobia |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/georgia-legislature-takes-aim-at-attacks-on-hinduism-passes-resolution-against-hinduphobia/videoshow/99165100.cms |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=The Economic Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia passes resolution condemning Hinduphobia, becomes first US state to do so |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/world/us/georgia-passes-resolution-condemning-hinduphobia-becomes-first-us-state-to-do-so20230401123316/ |website=ANI News |access-date=September 17, 2024 |date=April 1, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The resolution was initiated by representatives of Forsyth County as part of Hindu Advocacy Day! |url=https://cohna.org/georgia-state-legislature-passes-the-first-ever-county-resolution-condemning-hinduphobia-and-anti-hindu-hate/ |website=Coalition of Hindus of North America |date=21 April 2023 |access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref> That same month, the city of Fremont, California, issued a proclamation acknowledging that "Hindu Americans have been the targets of bullying, discrimination, hate speech, harassment, and bias-motivated crimes."<ref>{{Citation |title=April 18, 2023 City Council Meeting |url=https://fremontca.viebit.com/player.php?hash=SRI3LUx6R0XH |access-date=2023-08-04 |language=en}}</ref> In January 2025, a resolution was introduced into the US House of Representatives condemning Hinduphobia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thanedar |first=Shri |date=2025-01-24 |title=H.Res.69 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Celebrating Hindu Americans, condemning attacks on Hindu places of worship, Hinduphobia, and anti-Hindu bigotry, and for other purposes. |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/69 |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=www.congress.gov}}</ref>

== On social medias == Anti-Hindu sentiment have been documented as increasing on social media, including 4Chan, Instagram, Telegram, Gab, and Twitter.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Sudhakar |first=Prasiddha |title=Quantitative Methods for Investigating Anti-Hindu Disinformation |url=https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/NCRI-Anti-Hindu-Disinformation-v2.pdf |journal=Rutgers University Miller Center for Critical Intelligence Studies, Powered by Network Contagion Institute}}</ref> Online anti-Hindu bias correlate with and predict real-world anti-Hindu violence.<ref name=":5" />{{Request quotation|date=November 2025}} An analysis of over 1 million tweets found that malicious actors from Iran were promoting anti-Hindu hate to inflame divisions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sudhakar |first=Prasiddha |title=Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media |url=https://millercenter.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Hinduphobia-NC-Labs_6.22.22.pdf |journal=Rutgers Center for Critical Intelligence Studies, Powered by the NCRI}}</ref>{{Clarify|reason=divisions among whom?|date=November 2025}}

The term "pajeet" is an ethnic slur targeting Indians and, by default, Hindus, used widely across the internet.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Urban Dictionary: Pajeet |url=https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pajeet |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Urban Dictionary |language=en-US}}</ref> It was first coined on 4Chan<ref name=":5" /> and has been used by white supremacists in podcasts promoting violence against Hindus.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-30 |title=White Nationalist State Department Official Still Active in Hate Movement |url=https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/white-nationalist-state-department-official-still-active-hate-movement/ |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en-US}}</ref> It was even used in the manifesto of white supremacist shooter John Earnest, who also targeted the Poway synagogue.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Earnest |first=John |title=An open letter |url=https://bcsh.bard.edu/files/2019/06/Earnest-Manifesto-042719.pdf}}</ref>

After the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025, anti-Hindu bias{{Clarify|reason=bias where?|date=November 2025}} and conspiracy theories dramatically surged online on social media platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From State Actors to Western Influencers: The Transnational Surge of "False Flag" Disinformation After Terror Attack in India |url=https://networkcontagion.us/reports/5-20-25-from-actors-to-western-influencers-the-transnational-surge-of-false-flag-disinformation-after-terror-attack-in-india/ |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Network Contagion Research Institute |language=en}}</ref>

==Criticism== Some academics question the usage of the term "Hinduphobia".<ref name=":4">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2011 |title=Hinduphobia |encyclopedia=Historical dictionary of Hinduism |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Md. |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000long/page/142/mode/2up |last=Long |first=Jeffery D. |author-link=Jeffery D. Long |page=142}}</ref> Brian Collins{{Efn|Collins is the Chair Professor in Indian Religion and Philosophy at Ohio University.}} found the tropes of Hinduphobia to be a popular weapon employed by the affluent Hindu diaspora in stifling critical academic discourses on Hinduism—parallels with Kansas creationists were drawn.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Collins|first=Brian|title=The Head Beneath the Altar: Hindu Mythology and the Critique of Sacrifice|date=2014|publisher=Michigan State University Press|isbn=978-1-61186-116-7|pages=26–28|chapter=Introduction|doi=|jstor=10.14321/j.ctt7zt5hc.4}}</ref> Scholars affiliated with the South Asia Scholar Activist Collective (SASAC)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Hindutva's threat to academic freedom|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/hindutvas-threat-to-academic-freedom/2021/07/07/476a8128-df73-11eb-a27f-8b294930e95b_story.html|access-date=2021-07-10|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Prakash|first=Priyali|title='Targeted by hate': Audrey Truschke on why she helped write a 'Hindutva Harassment Field Manual'|url=https://scroll.in/article/999710/targeted-by-hate-audrey-truschke-on-why-she-helped-write-a-hindutva-harassment-field-manual|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Scroll.in|date=10 July 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> reject "Hinduphobia" as an ahistorical and inappropriate neologism employed by the Hindu Right in order to suppress academic inquiry into topics concerned with Hinduism, Hindutva, caste, and the Indian State.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Bad Faith Bias Claims|url=https://www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/badfaith|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Hindutva Harassment Field Manual|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Glossary|url=https://www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/glossary|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Hindutva Harassment Field Manual|language=en-US}}</ref> While racist and anti-Hindu prejudices have been indeed observed, in their view, Hindus have not faced any entrenched systematic oppression in India or the United States;<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> the claimants of Hinduphobia were also accused of engaging in discrimination against Muslims, lower-castes, Dalits, Christians, and progressive Hindus.<ref name=":2" /> Jeffery D. Long concluded that "[i]t seems that Hinduphobia can sometimes be in the eye of the beholder and can sometimes be a genuine phenomenon."<ref name=":4" />

== Notes == {{notelist|30em}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite journal |last=Kim |first=Sophie-Jung H. |date=2023-10-05 |title=The Global Turn in Nationalism: The USA as a Battleground for Hinduism and Hindu Nationalism |journal=Religions |language=en |volume=14 |issue=10 |pages=1265 |doi=10.3390/rel14101265 |doi-access=free |issn=2077-1444}} {{Refend}}

== Further reading == * {{cite journal|last1=Balagangadhara|first1=S.N.|first2=Sarah|last2=Claerhout|date=Spring 2008|title=Are Dialogues Antidotes to Violence? Two Recent Examples From Hinduism Studies|journal=Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies|volume=7|issue=19|pages=118–143|url=http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=19_balagangadhara_claerhout.pdf|access-date=17 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820023251/http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=19_balagangadhara_claerhout.pdf|archive-date=20 August 2009|url-status=dead}} * {{cite book|last1=Benkin|first1= Richard L.|publication-date=1 January 2014|title=A Quiet Case of Ethnic Cleansing - The Murder of Bangladesh's Hindus|year= 2014|place=New Delhi|publisher=Akshaya Prakashan|edition=2nd|isbn=978-8188643523|language=en}} * {{cite book|last1=Kamra|first1=A. J.|publication-date=2000|title=The prolonged partition and its pogroms: Testimonies on violence against Hindus in East Bengal 1946-64|year=2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MFtuAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Voice of India|isbn= 9788185990637|access-date=23 January 2023}} * {{cite book|last1=Rosser|first1=Yvette Claire|publication-date=2003|title=Islamization of Pakistani Social Studies Textbooks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tq7rAAAAMAAJ|place=New Delhi|publisher=Rupa & Co|isbn= 9788129102218 |series=Monograph (Observer Research Foundation)|year=2003 |access-date=23 January 2023}}. * {{cite web|last1=Chaturvedi|first1= Vinayak|date=1 December 2021|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/hindu-right-academic-freedom/|title=The Hindu Right and Attacks on Academic Freedom in the US|website=The Nation|access-date=23 January 2023}}

== External links == {{Wikiquote}} * {{cite book|title=Hyperlink To Hinduphobia: Online hatred, extremism and bigotry against Hindus|url=https://www.hinduamerican.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/hate_report_2007.pdf|publisher=Hindu American Foundation|publication-date=2007|access-date=23 January 2023}}

Category:Anti-Hindu sentiment Category:Persecution of Hindus