Hindutva in the American Diaspora

Savera and Political Research Associates

“There is growing alignment between the Far Right and the Hindutva movement, which is helmed in the U.S. by a network known collectively as the American Sangh. From the participation of Hindu supremacists in the January 6th insurrection and the involvement of American Sangh leaders in the Edward Blum-led campaign to dismantle affirmative action to the creation of new Political Action Committees (PACs) like the Bannon-led Republican Hindu Coalition, evidence of this convergence continues to emerge.”

Pranay Somayajula for Jacobin magazine

“A video uploaded to YouTube by the Indian diaspora-focused news outlet India Abroad shows Pandit, alongside several other attendees, being interviewed by a bearded man in a white blazer. This man, whom Pandit addresses in the interview with the honorific ‘Krishnaji,’ is none other than Krishna Gudipati — a local leader in the Hindu supremacist Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), who infamously waved an Indian flag among the crowd of rioters during the January 6 insurrection.”

Tracey Tully for the New York Times

“In India, where a divisive brand of Hindu-first nationalism is surging, bulldozers have become symbols of oppression, and a focus of the escalating religious tension that has resulted in the government-led destruction of private homes and businesses, most of them owned by members of the country’s Muslim minority. But now the symbol was here, in Edison, a sprawling suburb that is home to one of the largest Indian American communities in the United States. To Indian immigrants outraged by its presence, it represented a threat to the highest ideals of their adoptive country and exposed subtle fault lines within the region’s Muslim and Hindu communities.”

Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service

“In a survey of Asian American voters released by four advocacy organizations on July 10, Democratic identification among Indian American voters had decreased to 46% from 54% in 2020, when the same survey was sent out, as Republican affiliation increased from 16% to 23%. Support for President Joe Biden dropped significantly, from 65% in 2020 to 48% this year, and support for former President Trump increased just slightly, from 28% to 31%.”

Somdeep Sen, Al Jazeera

“When the United States Supreme Court recently outlawed affirmative action in college admissions, among those celebrating the moment were sections of the Hindu right in America. The Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective (HinduPACT), for instance, was quick to tweet: ‘#RacialQuotas in ed. adversely impacted #IndianAmerican students. We welcome #AffirmativeAction ruling by the #SCOTUS’. HinduPACT is an advocacy group established by the US branch of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHPA) – an organisation known for its role in the rise of Hindu militancy in India.”

Molly Olmstead, Slate

“Indeed, Ramaswamy has all but explicitly supported Christian nationalism on the campaign trail. ‘Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values, there’s no doubt about it,’ the candidate told NBC News in July. And in an interview with NewsNation this month, he declared, ‘I believe I live by those values more so than many self-proclaimed Christian politicians.’”

Aria Thaker, The Caravan Magazine

“The Hindu camp’s edits, particularly on issues concerning the representation of caste, appeared to mirror the positions adopted by Hindutva groups in India. For instance, Sanskar Bharti, a cultural affiliate of the RSS, was reportedly seeking to ‘correct the lies’ about ancient Hindu scriptures being ‘anti-Dalit and anti-woman.’ The outfit sought to remove references to caste discrimination from the Manusmriti, and noted that interpretations of the text arguing that it was anti-Dalit were ‘propaganda.’ The Hindu camp’s edits during both the framework and textbook review sought a similar erasure of references to caste.”

South Asia Scholar Activist Collective

“Whether you are the target or a witness to a Hindu Right assault, this Field Manual offers resources for how to defend those attacked and how to educate others. This guidance was written by the South Asia Scholar Activist Collective for academics under assault. We hope these resources prove valuable more broadly to those targeted by Hindu nationalist attacks.”

Rutgers Law School Center for Security, Race, and Rights

“The report Hindutva in America: A Threat to Equality and Religious Pluralism examines how Hindu nationalists have capitalized on the anti-Muslim public discourse arising from the Global War on Terror to obtain greater acceptance of their ethnonationalist agenda. By couching their rhetoric within the mainstream narrative that Muslims worldwide are presumptively terrorists and violent, Hindutva organizations join the chorus of other anti-Muslim right-wing groups. Specifically, the various strands of Hindutva in the United States pursue two objectives: the othering of Muslims as suspicious outsiders and stymying academic freedom.”

Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative

“This report will examine the historical and contemporary context that has cultivated the complex landscape in which Hindu nationalist influences have materialised in the UK. It will discuss the history and background of Hindutva. It will then examine how British voices who have long played a role in spreading Islamophobia have aligned themselves with Hindu nationalist narratives, which often employ anti-Muslim tropes.”

The Savera coalition

“Consider this – Hindu supremacist organizations, including the organization featured in this report, the VHP of America, have: entered into alliances with the likes of Laura Loomer, Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and the white supremacist far right; taken positions against affirmative action, academic free speech and critical social science instruction; incubated and vocally supported a range of right-wing leaders, the most recent example of whom is Vivek Ramaswamy; sought to imitate, and collaborate with, the Zionist far right in weaponizing multicultural protections to curb free speech; played leading roles in spreading disinformation and hate in social media ecosystems; and launched new formations, including SuperPACs, birthed with the explicit purpose of taking on progressive politicians.”

The Savera coalition

“Actors within the Multiracial Far Right have emphasized their minority identity while downplaying their far-right ideology, thereby claiming to speak on behalf of their communities while obscuring the reality of the significant internal contestation they have always faced. With many such groups now openly aligning with an ascendant MAGA movement, civil society must reckon with how entry points into the Far Right for communities of color have proliferated. Perhaps the paradigmatic example of this phenomenon is the American Sangh, a network of U.S.-based organizations that uphold the principles of Hindu supremacy (or Hindutva), one of which is the subject of this report: the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).”

Indian American Muslim Council

“In the spring of 2024, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and ReThink Media conducted a community survey of 950 Indian American Muslims to assess their perceptions of Hindu nationalism and its impact on their lives in the United States. The findings of this survey provide a stark illustration of the growing influence of Hindu nationalism within the Indian diaspora and its detrimental effects on social cohesion, professional relationships, and individual well-being.”

Indian American Muslim Council

“From the shocking testimonies of Kashmiri journalists like Masrat Zahra to the intimidation of Sikh, Muslim, and Christian diaspora communities, this report presents previously unpublished evidence of how the Modi regime is extending its authoritarian reach beyond India’s borders. It reveals how the Indian state’s campaign of silencing dissent at home has now become a global threat to democracy, civil liberties, and community safety—even within the United States.”

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

“In 2024, Southern Poverty Law Center staff interviewed eight experts and advocates working in the human rights space to explore the topic of Hindu supremacism and the myriad ways this ideology shows up in the United States. Each interview touches on topics ranging from supremacist movements to overlaps with SPLC-designated hate and hard-right groups to class and caste. It is the hope this interview series will educate and provide perspective on how these issues impact civil society and the country at large.”