Hinduphobia or Hindu hate is growing nationwide and resulting in various kinds of hate crimes. Several reports including the one by the FBI highlight this alarming trend.
What is Hinduphobia [1]
Hinduphobia is a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviors towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred.
The complete range of Hinduphobic acts extends from microaggressions to genocide. Hinduphobic projects include the destruction and desecration of Hindu sacred spaces; aggressive and forced proselytization of Hindu populations; targeted violence towards Hindu people, community institutions, and organizations; and, ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Reports by the Federal Bureau of Investigation [2]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been tracking anti-Hindu hate crimes since 2017 as part of Crime Data Explorer. There are a significant number of anti-Hindu hate crimes as per FBI reports available from 2017 to 2022 considering that Hindu Americans constitute less than 1% of the nation’s population.
The FBI report released on October 16, 2023, highlights that, with 25 occurrences, anti-Hindu hate crimes grew more than double in the year 2022 compared to the previous year.
Anti-Hindu Hate Crimes As Per FBI Reports
Attack on Swaminarayan Mandir on Dec 22, 2023
There have been numerous cases of vandalizing Hindu Temples. In the latest occurrences, on December 22, 2023, Swaminarayan Mandir in Newark was defaced with hate slogans.
Hindu American Foundation reported this to be investigated as a hate crime and highlighted that agencies have started investigating this.
We all have a role to play
The first step to address any problem is acknowledging it and there have been some efforts in this regard. The Georgia Assembly passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia on March 27, 2023, making it the first American State to take such a legislative measure. The City of Fremont, California condemns the rise in Hinduphobia in a new proclamation on April 18, 2023. Increasing incidents of Hinduphobia show an alarming situation requiring immediate and effective steps to address where each one of us can play a role. Let’s rise to the occasion to enhance the awareness about the contributions of Hindu Americans as well as Hindu culture, and beliefs.
References:
- Working Definition of Hinduphobia, https://understandinghinduphobia.org/working-definition
- Federal Bureau of Investigation – Crime Data Explorer, https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/explorer/crime/hate-crime
- Rutgers Report Finds Increase in Anti-Hindu Disinformation, https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-report-finds-increase-anti-hindu-disinformation
- Anti-Hindu attacks grow from N.Y. to California, https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/08/29/hindu-gandhi-taco-bell-punjab
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