Anti-Hindu hatred on display; American Muslim podcaster denigrates Hindus, their faith and religious practices, refers to them as ‘pagans’
United States 
30 September, 2026
Case Summary
American Muslim podcaster Myron Gaines made derogatory remarks targeting the Hindu community and their faith under the pretext of making racist remarks against Indians. According to available information, a video clip from his YouTube live was posted on an X account named ‘Myron Gaines Updates’ on 1 October 2026 and subsequently went viral. In the video, Gaines was heard making a series of derogatory and hateful remarks targeting Hindus and disparaging their religious beliefs and practices. He began by questioning what would happen if Indians took over the United States, suggesting that this was going to happen regardless. He then questioned what kind of culture Indians would bring to the country, referring to the caste system and Hindu religious practices in a derogatory manner. He mocked Hindus by stating that they worship cows, describing them with the religious slur “pagans”, and ridiculing their worship of idols (Murti Puja) and multiple deities. Gaines further disparaged Indians by stating that they walk barefoot and do not believe that their food needs to be cleaned in a particular manner. He characterised them as backwards, filthy and disgusting, and accused them of refusing to assimilate into American society. He also portrayed Indians as a source of trouble and suggested that they were incapable of assimilating into what he described as the First World, referring to the United States. At another point, he referred to Indians as “third-world retards”. Although Gaines stated that he did not want immigrants in the United States, including Sunni Muslims, he nevertheless contrasted Sunni Muslims favourably with Hindus. He stated that Sunni Muslims at least shared what he described as "common values of monotheism and respect for Jesus" with Christians in America, whereas Hindus did not share such values. In making this comparison, he derogatorily described Hindus as “pagan niggas”. Gaines further attributed what he described as the poor condition of Indians to Hindu culture, thereby portraying Hinduism itself as responsible for the social and economic conditions of its adherents. He subsequently sought to justify his remarks by saying that he was not a white supremacist, but rather a “realist”. Notably, Myron Gaines is an American Muslim podcaster best known as the co-host of the "Fresh & Fit podcast", which gained notoriety for its misogynistic commentary and disparaging remarks about women. During its investigation into Gaines’ identity and background, the Hinduphobia Tracker team found that he appeared on a podcast with YouTuber Sam Khan on 28 February 2023, during which he described himself as a Muslim and spoke about his experience growing up as a Muslim, as well as his religious background and upbringing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Hate Speech against Hindus. The subcategory selected is: Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. This case is a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as American Muslim podcaster Myron Gaines made a series of derogatory remarks specifically targeting the Hindu community, their faith and their religious practices. His remarks did not merely express hostility towards Indians as a nationality; they repeatedly invoked and denigrated distinctly Hindu beliefs, symbols and practices, making the religious dimension of the offence explicit. At the outset, it is important to distinguish between a generalised racist remark against Indians and a religiously motivated remark against Hindus. A purely racial or nationalistic remark would ordinarily be directed at Indians irrespective of their religious identity. In this case, however, Gaines repeatedly invoked Hindu religious terminology and practices while speaking about Indians, including their worship of cows, idols and multiple deities, and referred to them as “pagans”. These references demonstrate that the Indians he was targeting were being singled out in connection with their Hindu identity. His remarks therefore went beyond generalised hostility towards Indians and specifically denigrated Indians on the basis of Hindu religious beliefs and practices. This distinction is further significant in the context of the Islamic concept of the Ummah, which denotes the global community of Muslims united by their religious identity and is a central concept of transnational Muslim solidarity and brotherhood. At the same time, India is frequently viewed within Islamist and broader Muslim political discourse as a predominantly Hindu country and as a collective Hindu civilisation. Gaines’ own comparison between Hindus and Sunni Muslims was explicitly framed around religious beliefs, as he stated that Sunni Muslims shared what he described as common values of monotheism and respect for Jesus with Christians in America, whereas Hindus did not. His references to Indians were therefore not merely racial or nationalistic when they specifically invoked Hindu religious practices and beliefs. The religious terminology used by Gaines demonstrates that his hostility was directed at Indians whom he identified with Hinduism, making the remarks anti-Hindu in nature rather than merely racist. Gaines also denigrated the Hindu reverence for cows. The cow holds a particularly sacred and revered position within Hinduism and is traditionally regarded as a symbol of nourishment, abundance and maternal care. The cow is described in Hindu tradition as "Aghnya", meaning one who should not be killed, and is revered in Hindu traditions as a divine mother. Cow-derived substances, including milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung, also have ritual significance and are used in various Hindu religious practices and Vedic rites. Therefore, mocking Hindus for revering and worshipping cows was not merely an attack on a cultural practice, but a direct denigration of a deeply significant Hindu religious symbol. Targeting this practice in a derogatory manner consequently demonstrated hostility towards an important aspect of Hindu faith and observance. Gaines further denigrated Hindus by referring to them as “pagans”. The term “pagan” has historically been used as a religiously derogatory label by Christian and Muslim polemicists to denigrate polytheistic and non-Abrahamic faiths. Medieval Christian polemics used the term to classify and denigrate non-Christian religious traditions, while Islamic polemical traditions similarly used terms such as 'mushrik' and 'kafir' to denigrate polytheists and non-Muslim communities. Hindu traditions, particularly because of their diverse forms of deity worship, have historically been subjected to such religious polemics. In this context, Gaines’ use of the term “pagans” while specifically discussing Hindu beliefs served to denigrate Hindus on account of their religious identity. His use of a religious slur against Hindus therefore constituted an explicit expression of religious hostility rather than merely a general insult against Indians. He also mocked Hindus for practising idol worship, or Mūrti Pūjā. In Hindu traditions, a mūrti is not simply regarded as an ordinary stone or physical object. Through consecration and ritual processes, the presence of the deity is invoked in the mūrti, which then becomes an important focus of worship, devotion and ritual practice. Mūrti Pūjā is an established and deeply significant form of Hindu religious observance, through which devotees worship and approach the divine in a tangible form. Gaines’ mockery of Hindus on account of this practice therefore targeted a central aspect of Hindu religious life. His dismissal and denigration of Mūrti Pūjā consequently demonstrated hostility towards a specifically Hindu mode of worship. Gaines also denigrated Hindus for worshipping multiple deities. Hindu traditions encompass diverse forms of deity worship and understand the divine through different theological frameworks. In Hindu traditions, the numerous deities worshipped by devotees are understood as manifestations, forms or expressions of the one ultimate reality, although Hindu schools differ in how they conceptualise this relationship. The plurality of deities and forms of divine worship is therefore an integral feature of Hindu religious traditions and their theological diversity. By ridiculing Hindus for worshipping multiple deities, Gaines was consequently mocking a distinctive aspect of Hindu theology and religious practice, further demonstrating that his remarks were directed at Hinduism itself. Gaines’ remarks were not merely part of a general discussion on immigration or opposition to immigration, as he specifically singled out Hindus for repeated denigration on the basis of their religious identity. While political or policy discussions on immigration can take place in a civilised manner, Gaines went beyond such a discussion by portraying Indians whom he was referring to as Hindus as backward, troublesome and incapable of assimilating into American society, while simultaneously mocking their religious beliefs and practices. His repeated targeting of Hindus in this manner, including his denigration of their faith, demonstrates that the remarks were rooted in hostility towards the Hindu community rather than being limited to a general position on immigration. Such rhetoric reinforces negative stereotypes, fosters social hostility and contributes to discrimination, persecution and violence against Hindu communities, particularly where they are religious minorities, and therefore further demonstrates the religious animosity underlying his remarks. Taken together, Gaines’ repeated denigration of Hindu beliefs, symbols and practices, including cow reverence, Mūrti Pūjā and deity worship, demonstrates overt hostility towards Hinduism rather than mere hostility towards Indians. The case therefore constitutes a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime and is being added to the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database. Disclaimer: Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it was reported by the media or when the incident went viral on social media. In this case, the exact date on which the YouTube Live was conducted is not available, as the video is undated. However, as the video went viral on social media on 1 October 2026, this date is being recorded as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only. As per publicly available information, Myron Gaines is based in the United States. Since the exact location from which the remarks were made is not available, Hinduphobia Tracker has recorded the location of the case as the United States for documentation purposes.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
