Hindus have suffered Islamic extremism, in the form of discrimination and violence, in the Indian subcontinent since ages. The recent attacks on them in so-called liberal democracies prove there is no escape, even in the West, from the violent Islamic ideology, where Khalistanis have become ‘useful idiots’ in their anti-Hindu campaign. growing Attacks
A US-based scientific research organisation, Network Contagion Research Institute, has said, in its recent report, that there has been a 1,000 per cent rise in anti-Hindu narrative and attacks worldwide, particularly in the USA. In the words of Joel Finkelstein, co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute, “We’ve seen that there’s been a growth of over 1,000 per cent (incidents) and anti-Hindu slurs are stoking fears of replacement mixing with anti-semitic memes, with other forms of narratives, and hatred shared by white supremacists, by Islamists, and others, and creating a toxic atmosphere of hostility.” (NCRI, 2022).
This report, seen along with the recent instances of hate crimes and discrimination against the Hindu diaspora, confirms the rising trend of Hinduphobia in countries like Australia, Canada, the USA and the UK.
American Scenario
North America has served as a natural home for Indian talent from various walks of life. Indian Americans, particularly Hindus, have played a huge role in the prosperity of this region. However, in recent times, this region is becoming increasingly unsafe for American Hindus.
A US-based organisation, the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), has released a statement in which it points out that “Hindus are a vibrant and diverse community that has contributed significantly to American progress, well-being, and democratic values, whether during the COVID-19 pandemic or in the day-to-day things that make the US a great nation”. “Yet, our community is often the target of bigotry and hate, as witnessed in the recent attack on a local temple in New York and the twice desecration of the Gandhi statue on temple premises.” (CoHNA, 2022)
Similar findings have been reported in a historic study done by researchers at Rutgers University on the rise of Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu sentiment on social media and other messaging platforms. According to it, there has been a dramatic rise in hate speeches and hateful memes directed towards the Hindu community across social media platforms, often amplified by Islamists and Khalistani radical elements accusing Hindus of committing genocide of minorities in India. The study reveals that Islamists and other extremists are increasingly using genocide memes, tropes and code words to spread Hinduphobia.
These findings are further verified by the 2020 FBI data, which reveals that hate crimes against Indian Americans are up by 500 per cent (FBI, 2020). Ironically, this is despite the fact that over 100 Indian-origin persons are occupying prominent positions in the Government.
In a recent report on human rights in the USA, the Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights (CDPHR), a Delhi-based think tank working on human rights issues, has also pointed towards the rampant discrimination and hate crimes against peaceful Hindu diaspora community. In the words of Dr Prerna Malhotra, head of CDPHR, “Freedom of Religion is one area in which the USA makes much noise, but it fails in practice as it has its own preferred religions. Religious minorities, particularly non-Abrahamic religions like the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains routinely face discrimination.” (CDPHR, 2022). This report also points out that North American Universities have been sponsoring attacks on Hinduism. The University of California at Davis recently sponsored a Hindu-phobic conference. Also, Hindus have been targetted by the racially entrenched North American political establishment, media and academia.
Situation in Canada
Hate crimes have been on the rise in Canada in recent times, with active political support to Khalistani radicals. Hindu temples, in particular, are targets of these hate crimes. The Indian government has issued a number of advisories in this context for Indians living in Canada.
The unholy alliance of Islamists-Khalistanis-liberals is at the forefront of anti-Hindu crimes, yet they manage to play the victim card and portray Hindus as the aggressors
While speaking in the House of Commons, Chandra Arya, a Canadian lawmaker, stressed that “The increasingly vocal and well-organised anti-India and anti-Hindu groups in Canada have resulted in increasing anti-Hindu sentiments and Hindu-Canadians are legitimately concerned about rising Hinduphobia in Canada” (news 18.com, 2022).
This worrying trend is reflected in the report of Statistics Canada, an official Canadian Government agency which points out that there has been a 72 per cent surge in hate crime incidents between 2019 and 2021, and Canadian Hindus are a major victim of this (Statistics Canada, 2021).
Whether it is the sacrilege at Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto, or defacement of another Hindu temple in New York or the recent violence at Leicester in the UK, the role of Khalistani separatists in fomenting anti-Hindu sentiment is increasingly being noticed. These Khalistani radicals often operate hand-in-glove with Islamists and have become a menace to the peaceful Hindu diaspora in the West. They routinely intimidate Hindus during Hindu festivals or on Independence Day or Republic Day functions. For example, on the occasion of August 15, a UK-based Khalistani group proudly confessed that they (Sikh radicals) vehemently opposed and pushed Hindus out of Slough city of the UK. Similarly, in a disgusting incident at fast-food joint Taco Bell in California’s Fremont, a Sikh radical named Tejinder Singh verbally harassed Krishnan Jayaraman for being a practicing Hindu and ridiculed his religious beliefs (The Washington Post, 2022).
Hinduphobia in the UK
In the Western world, the United Kingdom is another centre for Islamic and Khalistani radicalisation. From being a recruiting ground for ISIS and other jihadi grooming gangs, it has also become a major hotspot for hate crimes against the successful Hindu community. The political establishment has allowed this disease of Islamic radicalisation to foster in the name of multiculturalism and in pursuit of appeasement politics. The UK Home Office data shows that hate crimes against Hindus have gone up from 58 in 2017-18 to 166 in 2020-21, a rise of almost 200 per cent in just four years (Home Office, 2022). These crimes involve racial abuses, violent attacks on Hindus and vandalism of their properties and temples.
A recent incident of Muslim mob vandalising a temple and several properties of the Hindu community in the Leicester city of United Kingdom is an example of the constant fear under which Hindus are forced to live in western cities with significant Muslim and Khalistani population. These recent attacks happened after the defeat of Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket match on August 28 between India and Pakistan.
The spate of hate crimes against Hindus has significantly increased during and after the farm laws and CAA agitation in India. The rising trend of Hinduphobia in the UK also gets reflected in the recent report of the Centre for Holistic and Integrated Studies (CHIS) which observes that “An incisive study of the cases of Hinduphobia in the UK show that Muslims and other adversaries have attacked Hindus time and again over issues which are central to Hindu culture. Hindu festivities have been disrupted and vandalised on many occasions.
This reflects the deep-seated hatred and fear which Islamists have for the Hindu civilisation. In the last one-year, religious hate crimes have increased by 9 per cent in the UK. As observed on ground, Hinduphobia has risen severely.” (CHIS, 2022).
Whitewashing Anti-Hindu Crimes
Recently, the Hindu community in Australia has witnessed a spate of violent hate crimes and vandalism of their temples by extremists. Apart from the routine racial attacks on Indian students, the Khalistani menace has increased. Defacement of the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Melbourne and BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Mill Park with anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti are recent incidents (The Hindustan Times, 2023). Similarly, frequent anti-India rallies result in violent clashes. In the name of freedom of expression, the absence of strict action by Australian authorities has further emboldened these radicals.
The recent spate of incidents has exposed the Hinduphobic propensity of the ‘liberal’ West. What is worse is that despite being the victim of such violent attacks, Hindus are painted as the aggressors because the narrative is completely controlled by Islamists, Khalistanis and ‘liberals’. The western media, with the support of their Indian ‘secular’ counterparts, tends to whitewash the crimes of Islamists and Khalistani radicals. For example, Pratap Bhanu Mehta in his article (‘Exporting Division’, The Indian Express, September 23) blamed the Modi Government for being in power as the reason for the recent Leicester riots and called on MEA to issue a statement instructing Hindus in the UK not to chant “Jai Shri Ram” in the so-called “Muslim Areas”.
Today anti-India protests in these countries are synonymous with anti-Hindu sentiments. The Hindu diaspora, for most of the time, has shown reluctance to speak against this hatred but they can no longer afford this silence. Despite being in key political, administrative and business positions, they’re being painted as the aggressor – a clear indicator that the narrative is slipping out of the hand of successful Hindus. That’s why it is necessary for the community to raise its voice on all platforms against the unholy alliance of Islamists-Khalisanis and ‘liberals’.
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