New Delhi: A photograph of South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory getting criticised on social media, a Republican candidate’s post mocking the image, and a 90-foot Hanuman statue that a MAGA activist has threatened to pull down. Taken separately, these are very different episodes. Together, they point to a growing political and cultural debate around Indians and Hindus in Texas.
Earlier this month, Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner Bo French posted a photograph of South Asian students celebrating at a University of Texas stadium, writing that he had heard graduation “looked like this” and that the situation was “far worse than anyone imagined”. The post drew criticism from South Asian students and university officials, who called it racist and said the photograph was being taken out of context.
Days later, Jesse Hughes, a YouTuber and a MAGA activist, turned his attention to a 90-foot Hanuman statue at the Ashthalaxmi Temple in Sugar Land. “Btw, when we win, we are tearing this down,” he wrote on X.
These episodes have fuelled concern among some Indian Americans and Hindu groups about increasingly open hostility towards the community. But they have also prompted a more vocal pushback from Indian Americans, including conservatives and veterans, raising a broader question: what is driving the new friction around Texas’ growing Indian community?
The Hanuman statue row
A 90-foot Hanuman statue, located at the Ashthalaxmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas, became the centre of a political storm after a Conservative YouTuber called for it to be pulled down.
The tweet came from Make America Great Again (MAGA) activist Jesse Hughes, ahead of the US midterm elections. It read, “Btw, when we win, we are tearing this down.”
Hughes’ remark comes amid rising anxiety about the shifting religious composition of the US. Conservatives have argued that increased Hindu immigration could alter the nation’s ‘Christian’ character.
“America is a Christian nation, and pagan, demonic filth like these idols of false gods have no place here,” former Republican Senate hopeful Alex Duncan commented on X, backing Hughes’ remarks.
The Hanuman statue, officially called the “Statue of Union”, has courted controversy since its installation in 2024. It is the third-tallest statue in the US. Its installation drew protests from several Christian conservatives, who gathered outside the temple and prayed against what they called a “demon god”.
Texas has emerged as a flashpoint for these sentiments due to the significant size of its Indian population. Indian residents make up 1.8 per cent of the state’s population, compared with the national average of 1.5 per cent.
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The Bo French controversy
Earlier this month, another instance of anti-immigrant rhetoric targeting South Asians gained traction online. Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner Bo French made a post on X, criticising the University of Texas’ (UT) large enrollment of South Asians.
The post showed a group of South Asian students from the university celebrating a football victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes at a stadium in Austin. “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” the post read. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” French added.
The photograph was taken from a video posted by Texas Athletics, showing students cheering after a touchdown in the final minute of the game.
Dhairya Gupta, a UT senior who appears in the photograph, said he and his friends had waited in line for hours before rushing into the student section when the gates opened. “When I look at that picture, I don’t see a problem,” he told The Texas Tribune.
Another student, Arsheeya Moyeen, said the photograph had been taken “extremely out of context”, adding that the students were simply supporting their university team.
French later defended his stance on a conservative radio talk show, saying, “The America we grew up in no longer exists.”
The post drew criticism from South Asian students and university administrators, with many saying the image had been taken out of context and objecting to French using the students’ appearance to make a point about immigration and who belongs at UT.
Indians and conservatives react
Indian-American individuals, Hindu groups, and some conservatives have pushed back against these “anti-Hindu” comments.
Hindu American US Army combat veteran Ruchir Bakshi took to X to highlight his, and other Hindus’ contributions to the nation. He called Hughes’ comments a “threat against Hinduism itself”, and stated, “I didn’t put on that uniform, leave my family, and go to war so some third-rate talk show guy could announce that when his side ‘wins,’ they’re coming for my religion”.
“The people who worship in those temples”, he added, “pay taxes, run businesses, and send their sons and daughters into the same Army I served in”. His comments reflect an argument made by many Hindu Americans that the community has made significant contributions to the country.
Conservative journalist Jonah Goldberg highlighted what she described as contradictions present in anti-Indian sentiments among Republicans. “This anti-Indian bs is all being marshaled against them as if Indian-Americans drag America down, but the complaint is also that they outperform the average American. Which is it?” she wrote on X.
“If Hinduism is so awful, why do its practitioners do better than average in school and business and are under-represented in terms of crime, divorce, out of wedlock birth, etc? Pick a lane,” she added.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America also claimed that while there is a strong anti-immigrant sentiment against “ALL brown folks…”, it is important to note that some critics are specifically targeting Hindus and Hinduism.
The group urged “elite academics, privileged activists and various political players” to call Hughes’ remarks out “for the anti-Hindu bigotry and Hinduphobia that it is.”
(Edited By Raunaq Lekhi)
Muslims created an entire city for themselves in Texas. And Christian conservatives are outraging over a single Lord hanuman statue.
Fact remains that Hindus have never engaged in any kind of terrorist activity in the USA. And they are hardly involved in any kind of crime – a fact supported by official statistics.
It’s hard to understand why the Christian conservatives are so anti-Hindu.