Anti-Hindu sentiment
Anti-Hindu sentiment, sometimes also referred to as Hinduphobia, is the fear of, hostility towards, or negative perceptions pertaining to the practitioners or religion of Hinduism. It exists in many contexts in many countries, often due to historical conflict. There is also scholarly debate on what constitutes Hinduphobia in the Western World.
Definitions of ''Hinduphobia''
Historical
In the late 19th and early 20th century, the word Hinduphobia was used more generally to refer to prejudice against Indians, regardless of religion. This reflected an earlier usage of the word Hindu, which referred to everyone from India. Sudhindra Bose, president of the Hindustan Association of America, used the word Hinduphobia as the title of a 1914 essay in The Cosmopolitan Student in this sense. The Hindustan Association of America clarified in a 1915 pamphlet that "Hindus unified peoples of India not as Hindus, Mohammadans and Christians; sons and daughters of India but not as Brahman, sudra, and untouchables."Contemporary
Hinduphobia in the sense of prejudice against Hindus in terms of their religion was coined by activist Rajiv Malhotra. Scholar Jeffery D. Long defined the term as an irrational aversion of Hindus or Hinduism. Vamsee Juluri, a Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco agrees. Sophie-Jung H. Kim said that the definition of Hinduphobia as presented by some Hindu activist groups "evolve depending on the evidence that the members of these groups discover."Examples of anti-Hindu sentiments
According to the religious dialogue activist P. N. Benjamin, some Christian evangelists denigrate Hindu gods and consider Hindu rituals barbaric, and such attitudes have caused tensions between religious communities.Hindus have historically been, and continue to be, considered Kafirs by some Muslims and Heathen, Satanic or Demonic by some Christians.
Asia
Afghanistan
Religious persecution, discrimination of Hindus has caused Afghanistan's Hindu population to dwindle. Sikhs and Hindus are continuing to flee from Afghanistan as of July 2020.The Taliban government in Afghanistan, which enforced strict sharia, announced plans to require all Hindus to wear identifying badges in public in May 2001 as part of the Taliban's campaign to segregate and repress non-Muslim parts of Afghan society. At the time, about 500 Hindus and 2,000 Sikhs remained in Afghanistan. The anti-Hindu decree was seen by many as being reminiscent of the Nazi law which required all Jews to wear identifying yellow badges. The order prompted international outrage, and it was denounced by the Indian and U.S. governments, as well as by Abraham Foxman of the ADL. Following international pressure, the Taliban regime dropped the badge plans in June 2001.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh political leaders frequently face controversy for spreading anti-Hindu sentiment in an attempt to appeal to religious extremists and incite community outrage. One of the most well known instances of this occurred in 1996 when Khaleda Zia a previous Prime Minister, and then leader of the opposition, declared that the country was at risk of hearing "uludhhwani" from mosques, replacing the azaan.The fundamentalists and right-wing parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jatiya Party often portray Hindus as being sympathetic to India, making accusations of dual loyalty and allegations of transferring economic resources to India, contributing to a widespread perception that Bangladeshi Hindus are disloyal to the state. Also, the right wing parties claim the Hindus to be backing the Awami League.
On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the Vice President of the Jamaat-e-Islami to death for the war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the sentence, Jamaat-e-Islami activists attacked Hindu communities across the country. Hindu properties were looted and burned down, and temples were desecrated and set on fire. While the government has held the Jamaat-e-Islami responsible for the attacks on the minorities, the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has denied any involvement. The minority leaders have protested the attacks and appealed for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed the law enforcement to start suo motu investigation into the attacks. US Ambassador to Bangladesh express concern about attack of Jamaat on Bengali Hindu community. The violence included the looting of Hindu properties and businesses, the burning of Hindu homes, and desecration and destruction of Hindu temples. According to community leaders, more than 50 Hindu temples and 1,500 Hindu homes were destroyed in 20 districts. On 5 May 2014, A mob of almost 3,000 attacked Hindu households and a temple in eastern Bangladesh after two youths from the community allegedly insulted the Islamic prophet, Muhammad on Facebook.
India
In March–April 2024, a Christian church in Andhra Pradesh came to attention when a video showing that the church's footwalk tiles consisted of sacred Hindu symbols of Om and Swastika went viral on social media and sparked outrage. Following the backlash, the tiles containing those symbols were removed by the church.Between 11:30 pm and midnight on 26 August 2024, the idol of the goddess in Bhoolaxmi temple was destroyed by vandals. The temple is located in the Rakshapuram area of Hyderabad, and is from the police station. Local politician, Samreddy Surender Reddy said that the temple had been attacked by vandals five times during the past five years. The police used CCTV to identify two suspects, who they arrested. A crowd gathered outside the temple to protest against the vandalism. The police said that there was no evidence that the vandalism was politically motivated.
In September 2024, stones were pelted at Ganesha idol processions in many parts of India. The police were also attacked in many places but managed to seize the swords used to attack the devotees; petrol bombs were also used to set shops on fire. In another incident, the Ganesh idol was taken from the demonstrators by the police, who then secured it in an unoccupied police van, the snaps of which went viral online, as well as in newspapers; some claimed it was, "belittling" to do so. In September 2025, there were more incidents of stone-pelting of Ganesha idols during immersion and Chappanbhog ceremonies in different parts of India; in an incident in late August 2025, eggs were thrown instead of stones.
Malaysia
In April 2006, local authorities demolished several Hindu temples to make way for developmental projects. Their reason was that these temples were unlicensed and squatting on government land. In April and May 2006, several Hindu temples were demolished by city hall authorities in the country, accompanied by violence against Hindus. On 21 April 2006, the Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur was reduced to rubble after the city hall sent in bulldozers.The president of the Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam in Selangor had been helping to organise efforts to stop the local authorities in the Muslim dominated city of Shah Alam from demolishing a 107-year-old Hindu temple. The growing Islamization in Malaysia is a cause for concern to many Malaysians who follow minority religions such as Hinduism.
On 11 May 2006, armed city hall officers from Kuala Lumpur forcefully demolished part of a 60-year-old suburban temple that serves more than 1,000 Hindus. The "Hindu Rights Action Force", a coalition of several NGO's, have protested these demolitions by lodging complaints with the Malaysian Prime Minister. Many Hindu advocacy groups have protested what they allege is a systematic plan of temple cleansing in Malaysia. The official reason given by the Malaysian government has been that the temples were built "illegally". However, several of the temples are centuries old.
According to a lawyer for the Hindu Rights Action Task Force, a Hindu temple is demolished in Malaysia once every three weeks.
A group of Malaysian Muslims protested against the construction of a Hindu temple in a Muslim-majority neighborhood, using a cow's head in the demonstration, sparking concerns about racial and religious tensions in the country.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, Hindus are often regarded as kafirs and blamed for "causing all the problems in Pakistan". On Pakistan Day, the Pakistan Army dropped leaflets in South and North Waziristan warning tribesmen about foreigners and their local supporters, using the term "Yahood Aur Hanood" to describe the perceived enemies. The leaflets aimed to differentiate between the war on terror and local tribes, urging vigilance against intruders. At the time of Pakistan's creation the 'hostage theory' had been espoused. According to this theory the Hindu minority in Pakistan was to be given a fair deal in Pakistan in order to ensure the protection of the Muslim minority in India.Separate electorates for Hindus and Christians were established in 1985—a policy which was originally proposed by Islamist leader Abul A'la Maududi. Christian and Hindu leaders complained that they felt excluded from the county's political process, but the policy had strong support from Islamists.
The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, a coalition of Islamist political parties in Pakistan, calls for the increased Islamization of the government and society, specifically taking an anti-Hindu stance. The MMA leads the opposition in the national assembly, held a majority in the NWFP Provincial Assembly, and was part of the ruling coalition in Balochistan. However, some members of the MMA made efforts to eliminate their rhetoric against Hindus.
The public school curriculum in Pakistan was Islamized during the 1980s. The government of Pakistan claims to undertake a major revision to eliminate such teachings and to remove Islamic teaching from secular subjects. The bias in Pakistani textbooks was also documented by Y. Rosser. She wrote that
The bias in Pakistani textbooks was studied by Rubina Saigol, K. K. Aziz, I. A. Rahman, Mubarak Ali, A. H. Nayyar, Ahmed Saleem, Y. Rosser and others.
A study by Nayyar & Salim that was conducted with 30 experts of Pakistan's education system, found that the textbooks contain statements that seek to create hate against Hindus. There was also an emphasis on Jihad, Shahadat, wars and military heroes. The study reported that the textbooks also had a lot of gender-biased stereotypes. Some of the problems in Pakistani textbooks cited in the report were:
A more recent textbook which was published in Pakistan and titled A Short History of Pakistan, edited by Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, has been heavily criticized by academic peer-reviewers for anti-Hindu biases and prejudices that are consistent with Pakistani nationalism, where Hindus are portrayed as "villains" and Muslims as "victims" living under the "disastrous Hindu rule" and "betraying the Muslims to the British", characterizations that academic reviewers found "disquieting" and having a "warped subjectivity".
Ameer Hamza, a leader of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, wrote a highly derogatory book about Hinduism in 1999 called "Hindu Ki Haqeeqat" ; he was not prosecuted by the Government.
According to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute report 'Associated with the insistence on the Ideology of Pakistan has been an essential component of hate against India and the Hindus. For the upholders of the Ideology of Pakistan, the existence of Pakistan is defined only in relation to Hindus, and hence the Hindus have to be painted as negatively as possible' A 2005 report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace a non profit organization in Pakistan, found that Pakistan Studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy-makers have attempted to inculcate towards the Hindus. "Vituperative animosities legitimise military and autocratic rule, nurturing a siege mentality. Pakistan Studies textbooks are an active site to represent India as a hostile neighbour", the report stated. "The story of Pakistan's past is intentionally written to be distinct from, and often in direct contrast with, interpretations of history found in India. From the government-issued textbooks, students are taught that Hindus are backward and superstitious." Further the report stated "Textbooks reflect intentional obfuscation. Today's students, citizens of Pakistan and its future leaders are the victims of these partial truths".
An editorial in Dawn discussed a report by The Guardian noted that state-run schools, promoted extremism and bigotry. It highlighted that textbooks in Pakistani state schools propagate concepts like jihad, the inferiority of non-Muslims, and hostility towards India, which foster a bigoted and obscurantist mindset. According to a study by a US government commission, textbooks in Pakistani schools foster prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and other religious minorities, and most teachers view non-Muslims as enemies of Islam. According to historian Professor Mubarak Ali, textbook reform in Pakistan began with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's introduction of Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies in 1971. General Zia-ul-Haq later intensified historical revisionism, exploiting these reforms to promote a religiously exclusive narrative, which has contributed to intolerance and extremism. The broader context includes issues with outdated and biased textbook content, with reform efforts struggling to address these problems comprehensively.