An insightful assessment By Geeta Sikand Associate Clinical Professor at University of California Irvine, a community activist, author, and advocate for combating anti-Hindu hate narratives in the media, on how rising Hinduphobia is influencing the political landscape for Hindus in America, particularly in relation to their support for political figures. Many American Hindus, disillusioned by the Democratic Party’s failure to address their concerns, have begun aligning with Trump, drawn by his stance on religious freedom and Hindu concerns. This article explores how Hinduphobia, exacerbated by mainstream media and political factions, has shaped the political choices of American Hindus and their significant contributions to Trump’s 2024 victory.
By Geeta Sikand @GeetaSikand
Contributions by Hindu Americans to Trump’s triumph are indisputable. Hindus are feeling exasperated with the failure of the Democratic Party to value the interests of Hindus. According to the Carnegie Endowment and APIA Vote, Indian Americans’ support for Democrats has been declining since 2020.
Trump’s agenda about the economy, jobs, immigration, and taxes certainly resonated with Hindu Americans just as it did with White, Black, and Hispanic Americans. This article explores why and how the American Hindus contributed to Trump’s triumph in 2024 from the author’s perspective (a Hindu American community leader). The author contacted the Hindu community chat groups and received input from fifteen Hindu American community leaders. They shared their contributions and their stories with the author.
Notably, the trend of American Hindus leaving the Democratic party started in 2020, attributed to its anti-Hindu hatemongering by its leftist-Islamist-Marxist cabal, exacerbated by the leftist academe. All Leftist institutions (Media and Academia) strongly supported the anti-Hindu hate conference “Dismantling Global Hindutva” in 2020, followed by the hoax anti-Hindu hate legislation in California (CA SB 403) in 2023, followed by the multiple Attacks on Hindu places of Worship Hindu places of worship from New York to California. Imagine the gaslighting of Hindus with attacks on multiple Hindu Mandirs, and ordinary Hindus were spat at in a Taco Bell in Fremont, Pro-Khalistan trucks with scary LCD screens roaming the neighbourhoods intimidating Americans. Hindus, disappointed with the Democratic Party reached out to the mainstream media for help. Alas, to no avail!
In April last year (2024), in the US Congress a resolution H.Res.1131 – Celebrating Hindu Americans, and condemning attacks on Hindu places of worship, Hinduphobia, and anti-Hindu bigotry, and for other purposes. the 118th Congress (2023-2024) was introduced. In other words, H.Res.1131condemns the recent attacks on Hindu places of worship, the rising Hinduphobia, bigotry and hate crimes targeting Hindu individuals. I had to read that three times to believe that H.Res.1131 had the support of only twenty-three bipartisan co-sponsors last year. A resolution that celebrates the positive contributions of Hindu Americans and the rich heritage of Hinduism in the United States, including cultural, economic, and spiritual influences. The resolution reaffirms the United States as a nation that values diversity, condemns Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry, and commits to spreading awareness about the importance of inclusivity and respect for all communities.
Why did Hindus shift their political choice in 2024?
Over the past four years (2020-2024), Hindu voices have been maliciously silenced by the leftist pro-Islamist Legacy media, aka Democrat-Media Complex (DMC) with false anti-Hindu hate narratives. What is clear is that no mainstream legacy media, influenced by anti-Hindu hate organizations, lent their voice to our narratives. With unconscionable lies, the leftist pro-Islamist legacy media deviously bolstered the re-building and re-opening of the Ram Mandir (temple) in Ayodhya, India, into an anti-Hindu hate-mongering disinformation narrative.
Hindus have essentially been feeling a new low for their trust in journalism, attributed to the many hateful reports recently published in the legacy media like the Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN and the Wall Street Journal, among others. This presentation highlights the media bias against Hindus.
As I read Trump’s recent statement condemning the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh, tears welled in my eyes and rolled down my face. Finally, we Hindus felt heard! We felt validated! Donald Trump Vows To ‘Protect Hindu Americans’ In Viral Diwali Message | US Election 2024 “These atrocities would have never happened under my watch. Hindus have been ignored by the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Trump. Ironically, the Democrat-Media Complex (DMC) refused to become a voice to oppose the ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Recently, the lives of American Hindus were turned upside down by the same media. Anti-Hindu hate-mongering organizations conspiring with the informal cabal[1] have been gaslighting Hindus with Hinduphobic assaults.
The introduction of a hoax legislation in California (CA SB 403 in 2023), was another assault on American Hindus. Despite great optics, it was a targeted anti-Hindu hate legislation by the California Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Fremont), herself the child of Afghan refugees, and by the Equality Labs (EL), an anti-Hindu hate monger organization that sells bigoted DEI training to Corporations, including to international financial institutions such as the World Bank[2]. And yes! It was supported by the anti-Hindu hate monger California Democratic Progressive Caucus, the Hindus for Human Rights (an anti-Hindu hate monger organization that targets Hindus), the anti-Hindu Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the anti-Hindu Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), the anti-Hindu South Asian Network (SAN), the anti-Hindu SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund) and the anti-Hindu American Sikh Coalition, among many more anti-Hindu hate threats
Sadly, Sundar Iyer, a serial entrepreneur, and Manager at Cisco corporation was assaulted by a dubious lawsuit for alleged caste discrimination by the oxymoronic California Civil Rights Department (CRD) because of his Hindu name, despite his earlier blog at Stanford University that he was a non-practicing atheist Hindu. After years spent in legal battles, instead of using his demonstrated brilliance in technology with several highly valuable patents, he won the case and to protect itself the California government withdrew the case. Deliberate framing against Sundar Iyer by the CA Civil Rights Department must have weighed in on the mind of the California Governor Gavin Newsom who vetoed the devious anti-Hindu legislation SB403.
Sundar Iyer later joined forces with the Hindu American Foundation to countersue the CRD, and fight for the constitutional rights of both Hindu, Indian and all Americans. He has also written an open letter exposing over a hundred of the CRD’s multipronged assault on Hindu and Indian Americans, their toxic labelling of Hindu Americans as amongst others, dominant, hostile, oppressive, and bigoted, and the CRD’s heinous and repeated accusations that upper caste Hindu and Indian Americans have committed thousands of physical assaults and rapes of Dalit Americans in America without any proof whatsoever. To date, the entire Californian Democratic government apparatus has not even begun an investigation of the CRD. What is worse, California’s democratically elected attorney general’s office is currently defending the CRD’s heinous actions in court. The CRD’s actions have led to an increase in anti-Hindu hate crimes. The California Hate hotline documented 1,020 reports last year (2023). According to the FBI Report, “Anti-Hindu Hate Crimes Doubled In A Year.”
This brings us back to the issue of targeting our Hindu religious identity “Hindutva” by anti-Hindu hatemongers. Hindutva, an authentic Sanskrit word implies ‘Hinduness’ or the essence of being a Hindu. ‘Hinduness,’ is to Hindus the same as ‘Christianity’ is to Christians. Yet, the anti-Hindu leftist-Islamist-Marxist Cabal deviously defamed it to imply that ‘Hindus are Supremacists/Fascists/Racists.’ Analogous to implying that Christianity means “Christians are Supremacists/Racists, attributed to their history of slave ownership.” Sheer nonsense! As rigged up as the anti-Hindu hate narrative that Hindutva equates to Fascists/ Supremacists, a maliciously propagated narrative by the leftist pro-Islamist legacy media.
Another bitter disappointment to us Hindus is that the ‘extremist right-wing Christians’ in the GOP also express their anti-Hindu hate voices. Our concern is evidence-based: check out @AudreyTruschke, @PeterFriedrich @SunitaVishwanath. They are overt anti-Hindu hate agitators who practice intolerance against Hindus.
Hindu organizations have called out the global media outlets for biased and inaccurate coverage of the Ram Mandir’s reconstruction in Ayodhya, requesting the removal of misleading reports and public apologies. The reconstruction of the Ram Mandir is a historic and deeply spiritual moment for Hindus. After the Supreme Court verdict, it marks our Hindu deity Bhagwan Shri Ram’s journey from centuries of being exiled in a temporary shelter to finally being honoured in a sanctified temple at his birthplace. The misrepresentation of facts fuels anti-Hindu sentiments and maligns the peace-loving Hindu community worldwide.
The rise in Hinduphobia, especially in the U.S., reflects broader systemic issues, including discriminatory legislation like California’s SB 403, increasing hate crimes, and Attacks on Hindu places of Worship. Hindu Americans are increasingly disillusioned with the Democratic Party’s failure to address these concerns, prompting a shift of their political preference in 2024.
What a bitter disappointment the Democratic party has become to us Hindus! I liked to think that the Democratic party would have held itself to a high standard. I liked to think that the Democrat’s focus on the greater good is virtuous. I liked to think that Democrats value honesty and integrity. I can no longer think that.
In totality, the rising Hinduphobia in America highlights the urgent need for Hindu Americans to advocate for stronger representation and fair treatment across all political and media platforms. Beyond party lines, building coalitions, encouraging youth engagement in politics, and creating platforms to highlight Hindu contributions that can build a more comprehensive narrative. Hindus must continue to address misinformation and disinformation and assert their identity to protect their cultural and religious integrity in a challenging environment. Participating in Hindu Advocacy is the responsibility of every Hindu in America. If we do not have a seat at the table, we are the menu. Are we Hindus ready to counter these anti-Hindu hate threats?
[1] Democrat-Media Complex, aka Democratic Socialist Progressives aka leftists-Islamist-Marxist parroting and amplifying each other’s narratives.
[2] Fortunately, this has now been stopped after the videos of Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Executive Director, Equality Labs, using profane and abusive language appeared in the media.