The issue of Hinduphobia is complex and deeply ingrained, with historical biases evolving over time and permeating modern society. This prejudice is evident in academia and media. Even artificial intelligence perpetuates discriminatory narratives and coded imagery that manipulate perceptions. Hinduphobia can hit anyone without any warning, in both real life and in the virtual world. Hindu individuals face challenges and discrimination in the West, with instances of bias targeting their sacred festivals, where the perpetrators didn’t face any consequences.
The bipartisan nature of Hindu hate and the weaponization of caste discrimination in the workplace highlights the pervasive nature of this problem. Hindu communities must speak for themselves, challenge harmful perceptions, integrate into society, and protect their cultural heritage while striving for equality and fair treatment in US laws. Organisations like CoHNA are doing as much as they can to fight this injustice. One must have heard of the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference, have we not? Or that of ‘Eqality Labs’. If not one can find the details here.

About The Speaker:
Pushpita Prasad is a storyteller and communications professional with a background in working with technology, media, culture, and history. She researches and educates about topics related to India, Hinduism, its festivals and traditions, decolonization, and media representation. Her work has been published at Patheos, AmericanKahani, ThePrint, Indian Express, First Post, India Currents, etc. Pushpita is on the Board of CoHNA (Coalition of Hindus of North America) and believes in the power of grassroots advocacy, activism, and dialogue to drive change and understanding.

Further Links: https://cohna.org/5-takeaways-rutgers-hinduphobia-study/