[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 145 (Friday, September 9, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONCERN OVER RUTGERS REPORT ON INCREASE IN ANTI-HINDU DISINFORMATION

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                        HON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 9, 2022

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, I rise to express concern 
following a recent report published by The Network Contagion Research 
Institute (NCRI) at Rutgers University on an increase in anti-Hindu 
disinformation and Hinduphobic rhetoric on social media platforms such 
as 4chan, Telegram, Gab, and Twitter. As a religious, cultural, and 
ethnic minority of Indian and Hindu heritage, I am especially concerned 
that hateful rhetoric and disinformation can serve as a precursor to 
violence in the real-world.
  NCRI's study, which reviewed social media content ranging from 
January 2019 to June 2022, found that Hinduphobic tropes--such as the 
portrayal of Hindus as evil, dirty, tyrannical, genocidal, 
irredeemable, or disloyal--``are prominent across the ideological 
spectrum and are being deployed by fringe web communities and state 
actors alike.''
  Among many concerning findings, this report exposes that organized 
non-state actors such as ISIS have mounted disinformation campaigns to 
suggest that ``Hindu Extremists'' are responsible for attacks proven to 
be perpetrated by ISIS.
  In addition, the study found a proliferation of anti-Hindu attacks in 
white supremacist communities. Specifically, NCRI identified a growing 
reference on Twitter to the idea that Hindus are ``pajeets'' who are 
dirty, backwards, and perverted. Similarly, memes on Twitter in white 
supremacist channels borrow antisemitic tropes, such as the idea of a 
``Zionist Occupied Government.'' Further, the ``pajeet'' slur is found 
throughout the platform 4Chan and has been used by white supremacists 
in white nationalist podcasts in reference to violence towards Indians 
and Indian Americans.
  We need not search far and wide to understand how hate speech, and 
specifically Hinduphobia, can translate to real-world violence 
perpetrated against innocent civilians. For example, John Earnest, the 
white supremacist shooter of the Chabad Synagogue in San Diego in 2019, 
repeatedly referenced ``pajeets'' in his manifesto. This is but one 
example that warrants our collective attention.
  Madam Speaker, we must do everything we can to combat hate and 
racially and religiously motivate violence against the 2.5 million 
Hindus living in the United States, the one billion Hindus around the 
world, and the millions of other religious minorities of all faiths 
across the globe. As the proud author of the Hate Crimes Commission 
Act, and cosponsor of recently enacted legislation to encourage the DOJ 
to prosecute hate crimes against religious, ethnic, and racial 
minorities, I will continue to fight to combat hate in all its forms, 
whether it be Hinduphobia, Islamophobia, or any other form of hate. 
Similarly, as the author of the Anti-Bullying Act and as Co-Chair of 
the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, I will continue to fight to 
combat homophobia and transphobia.
  Hinduphobia to date is largely unknown, and the authors of the NCRI 
study note that ``the essential first step in combating hate speech is 
to call it out.'' Today, I am endeavoring to use my platform as a 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives to call out this disturbing 
trend, a meaningful preliminary action in combating hatred towards a 
community that contributes greatly to the cultural fabric and economic 
prosperity of our diverse nation, To that end, I call on all Members of 
Congress to stand alongside me in condemning this concerning rise in 
hateful rhetoric and threats of violence.

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