In an open letter released on October 10, several Hindu and Indian-American organizations criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of making “Hinduphobic and inflammatory” remarks.
the letter stated
Dear Mr. Mamdani,
As a coalition of leading Hindu and Indian diaspora organizations in New York City and beyond, we are appalled by your Hinduphobic actions and statements and condemn them in the strongest terms.
To be clear – we respect freedom of speech and thought – enshrined both in the US Constitution as well as in the philosophical ethos of Hinduism. However, as a public official, you are aware that free speech must not be used to target an entire community with false information and endorse bigotry against the community.
We call your attention to the following specific examples:
1) In 2020, you spoke at a rally where organizers[1] called Hindus “bastards” as well as “dishonest thieves…who should go drink cow urine.” And yet, you have failed to denounce these dehumanizing comments and stand in solidarity with the Hindu community.
2) In March of 2020, you called Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, the first ever Hindu to be elected in the New York legislature, a puppet of “Hindu fascists”[2]. Ms. Rajkumar is very well respected not just by Hindus, but by various communities that she represents in her district. To target a well-respected lawmaker from our community as a puppet of fascists is not only inaccurate but it also breeds Hinduphobia and conspiracy theories about Hindu lawmakers and their loyalty to our great nation.
3) At the same time, you inaccurately described India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as “the first stage of an attempt to strip Muslims of their citizenship”[3] – a line of thinking often used by many anti-Hindu activists and organizations to paint our community as oppressors and marauders. Conveniently, you ignored the fact that CAA had NOTHING to do with India’s Muslims and ONLY applies to religiously persecuted minorities[4] (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan – communities that are on the verge of extinction or are barely surviving. CAA provides them a lifeline to escape gross human rights violations, restore their dignity and practice their religion without fear of rape, conversion or death. To shed light on the dire situation, in June 2020, twenty US senators wrote a letter to the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,[5] urging him to provide emergency refugee protection to Hindus and Sikhs facing existential threat in Afghanistan. Not to mention that in Pakistan, 1000 Christian and Hindu girls are forcefully abducted, raped, converted[6] and married off to men much older than them ever year. By portraying India’s CAA as a “anti-Muslim” law, you raise the spectre of “Hindu fascism” and whitewash the real persecution of religious minorities in these countries.
4) It doesn’t end there. In your rush to paint Hindus as fascists and murderers, you also falsely claimed[7] that there was a “mass slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat [India]” and that “people don’t even believe that [Muslims] exist anymore.” This lie erases the 6 million Muslims (including some of our own friends and colleagues) that call Gujarat their home and adds to the false propaganda of “Hindu fascism” peddled by agenda driven activists and social justice groups.
5) You have also failed to condemn two repeated attacks on Tulsi Mandir in Queens,[8] while many other local and federal lawmakers have come out strongly against such hate and stood in solidarity with the Hindu community. Do Hindus matter less than others?
6) And finally, you are one of the co-sponsors of Assembly Bill 6920, which targets the Hindu and Indian American communities by introducing “caste” as a category of protection in New York. However, “caste” is not a facially neutral category and most Americans widely associate it with Hindus and people of Indian origin[9]. If passed, such legislation will profile Hindus and people of Indian origin and violate our civil rights.
These comments and stances, which have also been flagged recently by prominent Hindu-Americans[10] indicate that you are not serious about including ALL New Yorkers with you. Some matter less – and in this case, it is the Hindus.
New York City is home to hundreds of thousands of Hindus – whether from India, or from Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Fiji, or other countries. Hindus have contributed significantly to NYC’s progress, and continue to do so alongside other New Yorkers. From serving the needy through meals, clothing, and education, to teaching in public schools and universities, to law enforcement, small business, public services, Wall Street, etc. we are an integral part of the City’s diverse tapestry.
Anyone who aspires to be the mayor of the largest city in America must ensure that they stand against hate and bigotry and make New York City a place that welcomes all – as it has for the past almost four hundred years.
Unfortunately, the statements highlighted above are nothing short of blatant bigotry and Hinduphobia and have caused great pain to many New Yorkers of Hindu faith. We once again condemn them in the strongest of terms and have no confidence in your ability to engage on issues concerning the Hindu community.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) Americans4Hindus
Association of Indians in America
Aum Spiritual Center
CaresGlobal
Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA)
Federation of Hindu Mandirs
Gujarati Samaj of New York
Hindu Community Relations Council of Michigan
Hindu Physicians International
HinduPACT
Hindus Advancing Human Rights
Hindus of Long Island (HOLI)
India Association of Los Angeles
Indo American Community Voice Jaipur Dialogue USA
South Asians For Empowerment
Surya Narayan Seva Outreach Sanga
The Avanti Foundation
The Hindu Diaspora Foundation
The US Indian Community Foundation
USA Pandits Parishad, Inc
Vishwa Hindu Parishad America
REFERENCES:
- https://x.com/OnTheNewsBeat/status/1930799382494101817
- https://nypost.com/2025/09/19/us-news/hindu-americans-call-out-zohran-mamda
nis-hinduphobia/ - https://x.com/ZohranKMamdani/status/1236041081919336450
- https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/Documents/UserGuide/E-gazette 2019 201
22019.pdf - https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/06-25-20%20RM%20letter%20to
%20Pompeo%20on%20Afghan%20Sikhs%20and%20Hindus.pdf - https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-56337182
- https://nypost.com/2025/09/19/us-news/hindu-americans-call-out-zohran-mamda
nis-hinduphobia/ - https://nypost.com/2022/08/18/queens-gandhi-statue-vandalized-for-second-time
-in-two-weeks/ - https://cohna.org/survey-american-understanding-caste/
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/adding-fuel-to-already-existing-fire-n ew-yorks-hindu-americans-push-back-against-zohran-mamdani-flay-city-mayoral
-candidate/articleshow/124000994.cms
