Deliberate attack on Hindu faith: American Christian influencer denigrates revered Hindu festival on social media
United States 
20 October, 2025
Case Summary
A derogatory remark targeting Diwali, a revered Hindu festival, was made on social media by an American Christian influencer named 'Feels Guy'. The accused's username on X (formerly Twitter) is '@FeelsGuy2003'. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, holds profound importance for Hindus as it symbolises the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It commemorates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana, representing the triumph of righteousness (dharma) and virtue. The festival also celebrates the divine feminine energy through Goddess Lakshmi, who symbolises wealth, prosperity, and good fortune, and through Goddess Kali, who represents the destruction of evil forces. Diwali unites Hindu families and communities in prayer, celebration, and renewal, encouraging spiritual cleansing, positive beginnings, and harmony. The accused has 39,600 followers on X. On 21st October 2025, the accused made a vile remark on Diwali, comparing it to a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The accused wrote: ‘What the hell is Diwali? Sounds like an STD.’ This tweet went viral with nearly 20,700 views. This resulted in massive outrage from Indian Hindus, who condemned the accused and his remarks targeting Diwali.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been 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. In this case, the Christian accused denigrated a revered Hindu festival, Diwali, by comparing it to a sexually transmitted disease. Diwali is one of the most sacred and revered Hindu festivals celebrated with pure devotion to divine Hindu deities. It is observed by lighting diyas, bursting crackers, and honouring the goddess Lakshmi, symbolising prosperity. This festival holds deep religious significance for Hindus. Despite this profound importance, the accused deliberately demeaned Diwali by making such offensive comparisons. This blatant disrespect showcases the perpetrator’s deep-seated hatred and animosity towards the Hindu community and their faith, making it a clear instance of religiously motivated hate speech. When someone with such a large platform denigrates revered Hindu festivals in this manner, it sets a dangerous precedent for others to follow. This behaviour encourages mockery of Hindu religious festivals and faith, amplifying negative stigma around Hinduism and potentially leading to discrimination, prejudice, and even violence against Hindus. This firmly constitutes religiously motivated hate speech. Such hatred is often rooted in Christian conservative ideologies, which are indoctrinated with theological teachings promoting intolerance and hostility toward non-Christian faiths. These doctrines tend to dehumanise non-Christians, labelling other religions as fake, demonic, and unworthy. Therefore, this case demonstrates doctrinal animosity towards Hinduism and its adherents, making it a religiously motivated hate speech. Given that this incident meets the parameters of anti-Hindu hate speech, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
