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Anti-Hindu hate crimes on the rise in California
Hindu-Americans were the second-highest targets of religiously motivated bias in the state.
Last January, a Hindu temple in Hayward, California was defaced with pro-Khalistan graffiti. / (File photo/courtesy of the Hindu American Foundation)
SACRAMENTO, California — Hate crimes against Hindu Americans have increased multi-fold, reported the California Civil Rights Department at a press conference here on May 20.
In 2023, the state of California launched an initiative known as California vs. Hate, a multilingual statewide hotline and online portal that provides
a safe, anonymous reporting option for victims and witnesses of hate acts.
In the first full year of operation, approximately 2,000 calls were made to the hotline and 1,020 acts of hate were reported. Most reports were of discriminatory treatment at or near the home or workplace. Religion was a significant factor in bias-motivated crimes and incidents.
Anti-Jewish hate accounted for almost 37 percent of reports in this category, while anti-Hindu hate came in second with 23 percent of reports in this category. Hate crimes against Black people were the most reported to the state’s hotline.
The data is in line with the FBI’s annual Uniform Crimes Report. In 2022, the last year for which data was available, the FBI recorded 22 hate crimes against Hindus. Critics of the FBI’s UCR say that hate crimes overall are under-reported as reporting by law enforcement agencies is voluntary, and not mandated.
Further, law enforcement agencies often fail to recognize a hate crime, or will not charge a hate crime because of the high burden of proof.
Samir Kalra, managing director of Policy and Programs at the Hindu American Foundation, told New India Abroad that the Hindu American community has in fact experienced a rise in bias-motivated crimes.
“We're still delving into the data from the California Civil Rights Department, but at HAF we have seen an uptick in reports of hate crimes and bias incidents from community members, particularly towards the later half of 2023 and beginning of 2024,” said Kalra.
“For instance, there were temple vandalisms and desecrations, as well as harassment of devotees in Newark, California, in addition to reports of harassment, intimidation, and threats against Hindu individuals by Khalistani extremists in the Bay Area,” he added.
Hindu Americans have increasingly been targeted for hate crimes since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, said Kalra. “The community has faced increased harassment as well as hate on social media, especially as many in the Hindu community have stood with the Jewish community in the face of unprecedented anti-semitism,” he said.
HAF is fighting back against bias-motivated attacks by creating new resources, engaging with law enforcement and federal agencies, and empowering the community on how to report bias incidents and hate crimes. In April, the organization hosted its first “Combating Rising Hinduphobia” conference. Local police departments, representatives of the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, and District Attorney’s offices spoke and attended the meeting.
“We provided an informative Hinduism 101 training followed by two panel discussions: The parallels in Anti-Semitism and Hinduphobia and Rising Khalistani Extremism in the Diaspora,” said Kalra.
Victims of hate crimes in California are encouraged to call the hotline — (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE. They can receive support in 200 different languages, including Hindi. Callers will be connected with a professional trained in culturally competent communication and trauma-informed practices.
They are then connected with a care coordinator who provides access to resources and support, including legal, financial, mental health, and mediation services.
Phone calls can be made anonymously. Undocumented immigrants can also report hate crimes without harm to their immigration status.
“We have launched an array of programs to ensure our communities feel safe,” said Kevin Kish, director of the California Civil Rights Department, at a press conference in Sacramento on May 20. He noted that people who asked for follow-up care after reporting a hate crime were connected with over 100 different services.
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