The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has called on California’s Commission on the State of Hate to formally recognise and address a growing pattern of anti-Hindu bias, vandalism, and violence targeting Hindu Americans across the state.
HAF pointed to data from California’s CA vs Hate reporting system, which found that anti-Hindu incidents accounted for 23 percent of all reported religious bias cases, making them the second most frequently reported form of religiously motivated hate in the state.
“Hindu Americans are an integral, vibrant part of the California tapestry,” said Samir Kalra, HAF’s Managing Director of Policy and Programs. “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,” he added.
Among the examples cited were several attacks on Hindu temples in California over recent years, including the vandalism of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, where anti-Hindu and anti-Indian graffiti caused significant property damage.
The foundation also referenced an attack on another BAPS temple in the Sacramento area, where vandals allegedly defaced property and cut major water lines, an act that investigators treated as a potential hate crime. Additional incidents of anti-Hindu graffiti were reported at temples in Newark and Hayward in Northern California.
Beyond attacks on religious institutions, HAF cited cases involving individual victims, including assaults in Santa Clara County where elderly Hindu women wearing traditional Indian attire were allegedly targeted and robbed of jewelry, with prosecutors pursuing hate-crime enhancements.
HAF also focused on the growth of anti-Hindu and anti-Indian rhetoric online, citing a 2023 study by Rutgers University’s Network Contagion Research Institute that documented the rapid spread of anti-Hindu content across social media platforms.
To address these concerns, HAF urged California officials to expand multilingual outreach efforts, improve data collection and tracking of anti-Hindu incidents, and increase security grants for temples and community centers.
California is home to one of the largest Hindu populations in the United States, with hundreds of temples, cultural organisations, and businesses contributing to the state’s diverse social fabric.
HAF urges California to recognise rising 23% anti-Hindu bias – second highest religious hate – as temples vandalized, elderly women assaulted, and online hate campaigns target Hindu Americans.
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