Faith of Hindus mocked as Christian politician denigrates Hindu deity calling it “false god”
Texas, United States 
19 September, 2025
Case Summary
In Texas, United States of America, in a blatant act of anti-Hindu hatred, a Hindu deity was mocked and ridiculed as a “false god” by Christian politician Alexander Duncan. On September 20, 2025, the Republican Senate candidate from Texas published an X post 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.” His remarks reflected a dangerous trend of normalising anti-Hindu hostility in American socio-political discourse. The post quickly garnered over 43,000 likes, reflecting the disturbing normalisation of Hinduphobia in institutional circles. The Hindu American Foundation condemned Duncan’s remarks as inflammatory and anti-Hindu and urged the Republican Party leadership to take disciplinary action on the grounds that he violated the party’s own guidelines against discrimination. It is essential to note that Duncan’s anti-Hindu remarks are not isolated but a part of a pattern of MAGA-driven hatred against the statue of the Hindu deity since its inception, with Christian supremacists repeatedly describing it as a “demonic” monument to a “foreign deity.” The Hanuman idol had been lawfully installed on private temple land with full permissions, yet Hindus were subjected to public slander despite their peaceful and law-abiding religious observance.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, 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 has been added to the tracker because it clearly exemplified anti-Hindu hate speech against the revered deity of Lord Hanuman by a Christian politician. Lord Hanuman, one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, embodies strength, devotion, courage, and selfless service, and holds profound spiritual and cultural significance for millions of Hindus worldwide. To Hindus, idols are not mere objects but living embodiments of the divine, serving as sacred focal points for worship and spiritual connection. They are treated with utmost reverence, reflecting the community’s deep devotion and faith. The public ridicule of such a sacred idol by Alexander Duncan, also a Republican Senate candidate from Texas, constituted a religiously motivated act of hostility, revealing deep-rooted contempt for Hinduism and its followers. By calling Lord Hanuman a “false god” and the statue a “false idol,” Duncan openly disrespected Hindu beliefs and culture. Such targeted hostility, especially coming from a political leader, clearly amounted to religiously motivated hate speech. Furthermore, he attempted to justify his stance by quoting verses from the Bible. The use of Biblical references to justify such denigration highlighted the role of Christian theological doctrines in fostering contempt for polytheistic faiths, such as Hinduism, by labelling them heathen and idolatrous. The Bible repeatedly instructs believers not to make or bow to idols, portraying idolatry as false and impure. While this belief is central to the Christian faith, it has historically fuelled intolerance and hostility towards polytheistic religions, particularly Hinduism. When Alexander Duncan mocked the Hanuman idol by calling it a “false god” and a “false idol,” it reflected more than personal disrespect. It was a manifestation of deep-seated theological contempt against Hindu practices, rooted in Christian doctrinal views that propagate that Hinduism is a "false faith" worshipping "false Gods" and therefore, any suggestion to that effect is innately Hinduphobic and results in the delegitimisation of Hindus and their faith. Therefore, the remark made by Alexander Duncan was not just an act of personal hatred; it was religious animosity that is harboured by those who espouse Abrahamic faiths. His statement echoed this taunt, which dehumanises Hindus and delegitimises their faith, essentially claiming that Hindu Gods are not "real" Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Duncan’s mockery of Lord Hanuman not only hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus but also revealed a deep-seated hostility towards their polytheistic beliefs and cultural identity. These actions reflected entrenched animosity and a clear intent to insult the Hindu faith. The targeted hate speech against Hindu deities, combined with the wider pattern of slander and bigotry towards Hindus in the US, demonstrated motivated religious hatred and hostility. In recent times, social media has increasingly become a platform for anti-Hindu hate, with derogatory memes, videos, and messages targeting Hindu religious symbols, practices, and deities. This incident fits within that broader pattern of Hinduphobia, where revered Hindu symbols are deliberately insulted to humiliate and marginalise the community. For this reason, it is categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim’s ordeal began or when the event occurred. Since the tweets were dated September 20, 2025, the date of the incident has been recorded as September 20, 2025.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
