Hinduphobia Rises In California: Anti-Hindu Incidents Account For 23.3% Of Religious Targeting Cases

A recent report released by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) based on the findings of the yearlong California vs Hate campaign revealed that Hinduphobia and incidents spurred by anti-Hindu sentiments have risen sharply in the US state. Anti-Hindu incidents rank second after anti-semitic incidents and surpasses incidents spurred by Islamophobia.

“Anti-Jewish (36.9%), antiHindu (23.3%) and antiMuslim (14.6%) were the most cited reasons for reports related to religious targeting,” the California vs Hate’s data showed. The data has been gathered on the basis of calls received by the California vs Hate, which is a non-emergency hate incident and hate crime reporting system.

The system’s findings showed that it received 1,020 actual reports of hate based on the information provided by the individual reporting the act and that four out of six people who reached out to them agreed to follow up for care coordination services, including direct and ongoing support accessing legal aid or counselling.

“Nearly 80% of California’s counties were represented, including all 10 of the state’s most populated counties,” their report said.

The CRD’s report, released on May 20, shows that out of 1,020 reported hate incidents, 580 were verified. The report states that 35% of these incidents were motivated by race and ethnicity, 15% by gender identity, and nearly 11% by sexual orientation. However, it does not specify the exact percentage of hate incidents caused due to hostility towards a certain religion.

“The report confirms what we already knew: Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu incidents are more prevalent than previously reported. At HAF, we have seen an uptick in reports of hate crimes and bias incidents from community members, particularly towards the latter half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024,” Samir Kalra, Managing Director of Policy and Programs at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), said while speaking to US-based newspaper IndiaWest.

The Vijay’s Sherawali Temple in Hayward, California and Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in California’s Newark were vandalised by miscreants who sprayed anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti on the temple premises.

The rise in anti-Hindu hate incidents aligns with the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report, which recorded 22 hate crimes against Hindus in 2022. Critics argue that hate crimes are often under-reported due to voluntary law enforcement reporting and the high burden of proof needed to charge hate crimes.

Democrat US House of Representative Shri Thanedar from Michigan in April introduced a new legislation in the House of Representatives aimed to condemn “Hinduphobia” as well.

“Today I am seeing in the United States a substantial increase of attacks on Hinduism, a lot of misinformation being circulated. Having practised Hinduism, having grown up in a Hindu household, I know what Hinduism is. It is a very peaceful religion … It is not a religion that attacks others, it is not a religion that is aggressive against others,” he said.