Georgia becomes first US state to introduce bill against 'Hinduphobia'

Georgia has made history by becoming the first U.S. state to introduce legislation formally recognising “Hinduphobia” and anti-Hindu hate in its penal code, according to a report by PTI.

Senate Bill 375 was introduced on April 4 by Republican Senator Shawn Still. If passed, the bill would include anti-Hindu bias under existing anti-discrimination laws that prohibit prejudice based on race, color, religion, or national origin.

The bill has drawn significant attention from advocacy groups. The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) praised the move, stating that it would enable law enforcement to account for Hinduphobia in cases involving bias or discrimination. The bill defines Hinduphobia as “a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours towards Hinduism.”

Calling the bill a “historic move,” CoHNA said it proudly welcomes the legislation, which seeks to formally include anti-Hindu hate in Georgia’s legal framework. Rajeev Menon, co-founder of CoHNA, hailed the bill as a “pivotal moment for the Hindu community in Georgia and across the United States.”

The bill has received bipartisan support, with Republican Senators Shawn Still and Clint Dixon and Democratic Senators Jason Esteves and Emanuel D. Jones signing on as sponsors, according to The Times of India.

However, the proposed legislation has also sparked criticism. Hindus for Human Rights, another advocacy group, has consistently rejected the notion that systemic Hinduphobia exists either in the U.S. or India in a way that parallels Islamophobia or anti-Semitism. While the group acknowledged that religiously motivated violence against Hindus is real in some parts of the world, it warned against equating criticism of caste, Hindutva, or Hinduism—particularly from marginalised communities—as anti-Hindu sentiment.

Further skepticism has come from a collective of North America-based academics associated with the South Asia Scholar Activist Collective. They argue that while racism remains a serious issue for South Asian Americans, individual cases of discrimination should not be broadly categorised as Hinduphobia. Citing a study on disinformation among Asian American communities, the group stated that the term Hinduphobia is “frequently weaponised by far-right groups to silence and gaslight Dalit organisers and caste-oppressed communities.” They added that the term rests on “the false notion that Hindus have faced systematic oppression throughout history and in present times.”

According to the Pew Research Center’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study, Hindus make up approximately 1% of the U.S. population.