Insult to Hindu religious sentiments: American Christian politician denigrates revered Hindu deity's idol on social media
Texas, United States 
31 October, 2025
Case Summary
In the United States, an anti-Hindu remark was made by a Christian politician named Alexander Duncan. The accused was a Republican Senate candidate from Texas. A large statue of Lord Murugan, a revered Hindu deity, was planned as part of a Hindu temple complex being built in Moncure, North Carolina. The statue was expected to be 155 feet (about 47 metres) tall, making it taller than the Statue of Liberty. In connection with this, Alexander Duncan posted a derogatory remark on X (formerly Twitter), quoting a Bible verse that read: “Those who worship idols are disgraced—all who brag about their worthless gods—for every god must bow to him - Psalm 97:7.” A day earlier, he had made another remark targeting the construction of the Murugan temple, stating: “This is not what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they wrote the First Amendment….” Notably, this was not the first time Alexander Duncan had made objectionable remarks about Hinduism and its symbols. The Hinduphobia Tracker had previously documented another instance on 20th September 2025, when he published a post on X sharing a video of the 90-foot statue of Lord Hanuman at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas. He wrote, “Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation!” In further posts, he quoted verses from the Bible to justify his stance against idol worship, explicitly referring to Hindu deities as “idols” and “false gods.”
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 quoted a verse from the Bible to justify his derogatory remarks against Hindus and their faith. In doing so, he targeted Hindus who worship idols, describing them as “disgraced” and their gods as “worthless.” Through these statements, the accused used a Christian religious text to attack the Hindu community and its faith. By quoting a verse that labels those who worship idols as dishonourable, he directly insulted Hindus for practising idol worship — a sacred and central aspect of their religion. This stands as a clear example of religious intolerance and hate speech aimed at belittling the Hindu community for its religious beliefs. The accused’s remarks revealed a deep misunderstanding of Hinduism. Hindus do not worship the idol itself; they worship the divine being through the idol. The idol serves as a sacred medium that represents the divine presence, helping devotees to focus their prayers and devotion. Within Hindu tradition, idols are not objects of decoration but manifestations of divinity consecrated through rituals that invite the deity’s spiritual presence. By mocking and denigrating this form of worship, the accused displayed a deliberate lack of respect and a deep-rooted prejudice towards the Hindu faith and traditions. Moreover, the verse he quoted explicitly referred to other gods, in this case Hindu deities, as “worthless gods.” To describe revered deities in such language is grossly disrespectful and constitutes a direct act of hate speech grounded in religious hostility. For millions of Hindus worldwide, their deities embody divine truth, protection, and guidance; attacking them in this manner reveals a conscious attempt to humiliate the faith and its followers. This deliberate act of denigration demonstrates the accused’s intent to insult and marginalise the Hindu community purely on religious grounds. Additionally, the accused criticised the construction of the Hindu temple and the statue of Lord Murugan by stating that the Founding Fathers of the United States did not envision such expressions of faith under the First Amendment. This statement implied that Hinduism and its sacred spaces do not belong in America and should not receive the same constitutional protection as other religions. Such remarks reflect exclusionary and discriminatory attitudes toward Hindus, suggesting they are incompatible with the nation’s identity. This rhetoric mirrors a pattern of anti-Hindu bigotry that seeks to erase or delegitimise the community’s presence in public and cultural life. It is also important to note that the accused had previously made similar derogatory comments about Hindu deities. While commenting on the statue of Lord Hanuman in Texas, he referred to the Hindu deity as a “false god” and opposed the presence of the statue, describing it as an affront to Christian values. This shows that his behaviour was not an isolated outburst but part of a consistent pattern of hostility toward Hinduism. The repeated denigration of Hindu deities demonstrates a deliberate attempt to demean the faith, making the religious motivation behind his hate speech clear and undeniable. The propagation of such narratives fuels a wider cycle of anti-Hindu hatred and intolerance. By misusing religious scripture to justify bigotry and attack Hindu beliefs, the accused promoted polarisation and hostility along religious lines. For these reasons, the Hinduphobia Tracker has documented this incident as a hate crime motivated by prejudice and animosity towards the Hindu faith and its followers.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
