Hindu students face discrimination in UK classrooms - racial slurs, beef thrown, deities mocked, bullied to convert
United Kingdom 
18 April, 2023
Case Summary
A study conducted by the UK-based think tank, Henry Jackson Society, found that Hindu students in the country are being subjected to bullying and racial discrimination in classrooms. It was carried out by a researcher named Charlotte Littlewood, who interviewed 988 Hindu parents and surveyed more than 1000 schools in the United Kingdom. Charlotte noted that several Hindu students were mocked for their vegetarianism in classrooms, verbally abused using xenophobic slurs and held responsible for political and social events in India. She further stated that their deities were belittled in a manner "reminiscent of the radical Islamists that attacked the Hindu community in Leicester." Hindu students were bullied by their Muslim classmates and repeatedly asked to convert to Islam. Derogatory slurs such as ‘Kafir’ were also hurled at them. They also faced discrimination from Christian students who told them that Hindu deities would be sent to Hell by Jesus Christ. 8 physical assaults were detailed; one female Hindu pupil had beef thrown on her, a male student was reported to have to change East London schools three times on account of anti-Hindu bullying. It came to light that Hindu students were not being given a holiday on Diwali although off-days were given to adherents of other religions during their festivals.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under three prime categories of the tracker because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and their deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. Because of the case's specifics, we have put this case under the prime category: Predatory Proselytisation and to narrow down the search further we have chosen the sub-category 'attempting to convert by harassment/threat' under this core category. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats in this case find their root on discriminatory grounds which have the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion and forceful circumcision. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment in an attempt to make the Hindu victim abandon his/her professed religion and adopt the religion of the perpetrator. In this sub-category, we would include cases where the non-Hindu perpetrator harassed, threatened or coerced the victim to convert, however, the Hindu victim did not convert to another faith. Cases where the victim was converted owing to the harassment and threats would be documented in another sub-category. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The second sub-category under 'Predatory Proselytisation' relevant in this case is: Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. Further, as per the details of the report, we have selected another prime category, 'Assault not resulting in death' and to narrow down the search results further, we have chosen the sub-category: Attacked for Hindu identity- In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The third component which gives this case a distinct religious angle is that the accused mocked the Hindu faith and hurled anti-Hindu slurs at Hindu victims. For the purpose of documentation of these components, this case has also been listed under the prime category- Hate speech against Hindus and 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. The bullying and discrimination faced by Hindu students in the UK, as revealed by the Henry Jackson Society study, exemplify a religiously motivated hate crime rooted in attempts to undermine Hindu identity and faith. The harassment involved direct attempts at proselytization, where Hindu students were pressured by their Muslim classmates to convert to Islam, accompanied by threats and intimidation, thereby seeking to erase their religious affiliation. Furthermore, the students experienced denigration of Hinduism itself, with their deities being belittled in a manner that reflects deep-seated prejudice. This attack on their Hindu identity was further exacerbated by the use of anti-Hindu slurs, such as "Kaffir," which not only mocked their beliefs but also perpetuated a hostile environment. Such actions highlight a systematic pattern of religious intolerance aimed at diminishing the dignity and faith of Hindu students. Given the clear religious motivations driving the actions of the perpetrators in this case, it is evident that the bullying and discrimination against Hindu students in UK schools can indeed be classified as a hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
