California: The Hindu American Foundation(HAF) has alerted the California’s State of Hate Commission on spiralling cases of targeted attacks on the Hindus in America. By presenting the appropriate data and evidence, the HAF highlighted how anti-Hindu hate is systematically spiking across the United States which includes, biased treatment, violence, vandalism, targeted assaults, attack on temples, online hate campaigns etc.
On June 9, the HAF submitted formal comments to the California Civil Rights Department and the California Hate Commission and warned that the Hindus in the American state of California are repeatedly being victims of targeted attacks and anti-Hindu bias is running deep in the state. Hindus are living in an increasingly hostile environment, the statement by HAF further added.
Thus the organisation reiterated the concerned authorities to ensure the safety and security of the Hindu Americans in California by strengthening reporting mechanisms, improving transparency in hate-crime data tracking, expanding security resources for religious institutions and publicly acknowledging anti-Hindu discrimination as a serious civil rights concern.
“Hindu Americans are an integral, vibrant part of the California tapestry. Freedom of religion and the right to practice without fear of violence are foundational. We respectfully urge this Commission to formally recognise this dangerous spike in anti-Hindu bias and to prioritize the protection, safety and inclusion of the Hindu American community in statewide anti-hate initiatives”, said Samir Kalra, HAF’s Managing Director of Policy and Programs, in the submission to the California Hate Commission.
According to the Hindu American Foundation(HAF) the anti-Hindu incidents in the state have soared by 23 per cent of all reported religious bias cases in the state. Thus, targeted attacks on the Hindu community of America is the second most frequently reported form of religiously motivated hate in the state. This data is taken from the official records of the California Civil Rights Department. Thus, the spiking rate of anti-Hindu bias in California is frightening, demanding immediate action from the government wings.
The HAF also urged the authorities to take initiatives such as expanding outreach programmes to the Hindu American community, proper assessment of the hate crime data that helps law enforcement officers, policy makers and others to better understand the depth of the problem and articulate safety measures accordingly.
Other measures include, increasing state security grants for the safety of Hindu Americans and organising awareness programmes on places of worship and community centres. Also, the Civil Rights Department and other state agencies have to be enlightened about the importance of fighting against the anti-Hindu bias, so that the rate of targeted crime against the Hindu community can be curtailed by creating a safe environment, HAF further reiterated.
In recent years, hate and targeted attacks on the Hindu community is spiking drastically across the United States. This includes vandalism of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in California. The culprits carved anti-Hindu and anti-India hate slogans on the temple walls. Property worth Rs. USD 15,000 were damaged. Similarly, temples across Northern California were also damaged. Also, Hindu men and women are continuously attacked, assaulted and targeted with foul language.
The antiHindu online hate campaign is also rigorously brewing in recent days. For example, between 2023 and 2025, the online anti-Hindu hate campaign in the United States rose by 115 per cent. Anti-Hindu content is exploding across the web with millions of comments and impressions, including on mainstream platforms. Memes and slurs depict Hindus as “genocidal” or “evil”, the Hindu American Foundation further noted.
