Hindus mocked by a Christian American social media user following H1B visa controversy, makes Hinduphobic ‘cow urine’ jibe

Case Summary
A debate on H-1B visas, which allow highly skilled foreign professionals to work in the United States, escalated into targeted attacks against the Hindu community and India, often viewed collectively as a Hindu-majority nation. The controversy gained momentum after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Indian-American Sriram Krishnan's appointment as Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Comments by influential figures like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy further ignited the debate, ostensibly focusing on protecting American jobs. However, the discussion devolved into hostility towards Indian professionals and Hindus, key beneficiaries of the H-1B program. Many Indians perceived the discourse as masking underlying biases rather than addressing legitimate workforce concerns. An X user mocked Hindu beliefs with a jibe referencing “Gaumutra,” suggesting tech companies hiring Indians should provide cows for employee breaks. "Cows are holy for Elon Musk’s H1-B Indian programmers. If you import Indians to replace White Americans in tech jobs your company should have a few cows at the ready so that your new employees get refreshed during breaks. WATCH!" the user wrote. This insult paralleled past instances of Hinduphobia, including a 2019 video by Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist. Before carrying out a suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF soldiers, Dar ridiculed Hindus with similar cow-related slurs, highlighting the ideological targeting of Hindus rather than the Indian state. The normalization of such anti-Hindu rhetoric is now echoed by American Christian supremacists under the guise of “America First” activism. These cow-related jibes, rooted in disdain for Hindu practices, revealed how a policy debate on immigration turned into a platform for hidden Hinduphobic narratives, blending bigotry with superficial policy arguments.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category 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. In Hinduism, cow urine (gaumutra) and cow dung hold religious, spiritual, and medicinal significance, deeply rooted in the belief that the cow is a sacred animal. However, recently, the "gaumutra" jibe has become a frequent tool for anti-Hindu bigots, serving as a deliberate insult against the Hindu community’s reverence for the cow. This slur, often wielded by individuals or groups harbouring deep-seated animosity towards Hindu beliefs and practices, is a calculated attack on the sanctity of the cow in Hinduism, a religion where cows are considered holy. Mocking cow urine is an attempt to delegitimize and belittle the Hindu faith itself. Such remarks have been observed in statements made by those who express open hostility towards Hindus, including Pulwama terrorist Ahmed Dhar, who used the slur to denigrate Hindus while justifying violence. His remark about killing CRPF soldiers because they "drink cow urine" highlights how this slur is weaponized not only to ridicule religious practices but also to justify acts of hatred and violence. The increasing use of the "gaumutra" jibe suggests a broader agenda to normalize the mockery of Hindu religious symbols, setting the stage for more direct attacks on Hindu deities and beliefs. By trivializing or ridiculing something as sacred as cow worship, it becomes easier for those with malicious intent to escalate their rhetoric into outright abuse of Hindu Gods, a pattern that has been witnessed in recent years. This slur is not simply about targeting a practice but serves as a stepping stone towards undermining the entire Hindu faith. By making offensive comments and targeting individuals based on their religious identity, the American X user reveals his disdain for Hinduism. His words are not just casual insults but indicate a deeper hostility, fueled by a desire to demean and belittle Hindu beliefs and customs. As such, this incident is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus.

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
unknown