Proposed 'Hinduphobia envoy’ Will Cause Further Division
Claims of extensive 'Hinduphobia' deflect legitimate criticism of Hinduism and is a conflation of racism against South Asians.
Sydney, April 8, 2025: Hindus for Human Rights ANZ is concerned an article in 'The Australian' claiming that 'Australian Hindus' have called on the next federal government to appoint an envoy on Hinduphobia misrepresents the threat of racism to Australia’s South Asian communities, will pit Hindu communities against South Asian Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and caste-oppressed communities and will weaponise claims of Hinduphobia to silence legitimate criticisms of Hindutva, an ethnonationalistic ideology, and the Indian government.
This call has come from the Hindu Council of Australia (HCA), a conservative Hindu organisation whose leadership has organisational links with groups aligned with Hindu nationalist ideology, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Australia and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and has held events with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.
Despite their claims, the Hindu Council does not speak for all Hindus in Australia. Hindus for Human Rights Australia and New Zealand, (HfHR-ANZ) is a registered charity that advocates for a progressive and inclusive Hindu community and speaks for human rights for all. Any discrimination or hate against Hindus is condemnable and needs to be called out. Hindus in Australia must have the same freedom to practice their faith peacefully and without fear as all Australians and other faith groups, under the laws and protections afforded to them constitutionally. We condemn the comments on the recent announcement of a Hindu School that brought racism and bigotry sharply to the fore.
That said, the term Hinduphobia itself merits a closer examination. According to The South Asia Scholar Activist Collective, 'Hinduphobia is a recently coined term popularized by far-right groups to claim systematic and targeted discrimination against Hindus for being Hindu. Scholars of South Asia overall consider the term “Hinduphobia” inappropriate for several reasons. It is deployed to stifle academic inquiry into Hinduism as well as to tamp down critiques of the Indian state, Hindu nationalist positions, Islamophobia, and casteism. “Hinduphobia” rests on the false notion that Hindus have faced systematic oppression throughout history. Anti-Hindu bias, while real and painful in individual cases, is neither systemic nor entrenched in modern society...The term seeks to mirror and thereby discredit “Islamophobia,” similar to claims of anti-white racism to undercut anti-black racism.'
HfHR ANZ rejects the notion of systemic “Hinduphobia” in Australia with any equivalence to Islamophobia or anti-Semitism. We condemn all acts of hate based on someone’s identity or perceived identity, including one’s faith, regardless of the identities of the perpetrator and the victim. But we also strongly oppose wilful propagation of an exaggerated sense of victimhood led by certain Hindu organisations that seek to speak on behalf of all 'Australian Hindus'. We are also disappointed in the reporting of the The Australian newspaper for failing to engage on this important issue with other Hindu and caste oppressed organisations who might have a different viewpoint and deserve to be included in the conversation.
We emphasise that mere criticism of caste, Hindu nationalism, or Hinduism itself -- especially when it comes from marginalised communities -- should not be construed as anti-Hindu sentiment. The narrative that there is widespread Hinduphobia, and that the community needs a special envoy in Australia is disingenuous at best. The dangers of this narrative far outweigh any benefit this will bring to the Hindu community. In the United States, for example, labelling individuals who oppose 2 Hindu nationalism as “Hinduphobic” has led to trolling, death threats, and rape threats against them and their families. The “Hinduphobia” narrative is often deployed as political cover to defend and deflect from the alarming rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Christian violence in India – including open calls for mass killing of Christians by certain Hindu religious leaders. The “Hinduphobia” narrative has also been used to oppose legal efforts to ban caste discrimination in the workplace and educational settings.
A special Hinduphobia envoy will only lead to more division. The clear need of the hour is a unified stand against racism of all kinds. We call upon whichever party forms the government to implement the anti-racism framework which is specifically about targeting racism systemically and building on the progress made in recognising caste discrimination as a form of racism. It is important to note that the wider Australian community is often unable to differentiate between Hindus and other South Asian faith groups therefore it is often not easy to identify hate speech or discrimination as being specifically anti-Hindu.
In our view, one hate crime is one too many, and HfHR ANZ will continue to speak out against hate crimes directed at all communities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, and caste oppressed groups. Defending Human Rights is not a zero-sum game. We need to find positive ways to address racism for all, instead of building more walls and divisiveness between communities.