Draws Bipartisan support from Congressional Reps Against Rising Hinduphobia
CoHNA event brings together lawmakers, community members and scholars, Hindu youth, and allies
Washington DC, July 3, 2026: The Coalition of Hindus of North America’s (CoHNA) 5th Day of Advocacy, hosted by Capitol Hill, featured bipartisan concern about rising Hinduphobia as well as the voices of Hindu youth. Over 130 Hindus from fifteen states gathered in Washington DC to celebrate America’s anniversary, learn about its history, and listen to heartfelt testimony from young students, entrepreneurs, researchers, and lawmakers. Seven Congressional Representatives and 11 Staffers from both parties attended to hear about the issues affecting the community.
Hindu delegates met with staff members of Senators and Congressional Representatives more than 50 times before the event. They also visited more than 120 Congressional offices in order to educate and connect lawmakers with Hindu constituents.
“It was an amazing day on Capitol Hill.” Nikunj Trivedi is the president of CoHNA. “American Hindus are from all walks in life–students and entrepreneurs, pharmacists, homemakers and retail workers, engineers, scientists, bankers, cab drivers and retail workers. We are teachers, writers, and veterans. It was a privilege and honor to share insights, educate, and come together with our legislators and our interfaith partners to celebrate the grand anniversaries of our country .”
Community Voices
The event featured speakers from the Armenian, Jewish, and Maple Grove, MN city councils. A youth panel, featuring the CoHNA Youth Action Network’s Rutgers University Chapter, shared their learnings from a multi-year journey in college advocacy. They began with the struggle to secure representation, protest Hinduphobic events on campus, engage with administration, and finally host their own academic Hinduism conference. A CYAN leader at the national level discussed Hinduism’s history in America, dating back to the founding fathers. American Hindus also shared their varied life journeys.
Ruchir Bakshi, a Hindu veteran who served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, spoke about how the Bhagavad-gita taught him to act with integrity and discipline without regard for the outcome. Self-mastery is a powerful tool for civic engagement, without sacrificing one’s Hindu identity.
Bipartisan Support for Congress
Both parties of lawmakers have praised CoHNA for its efforts in this area. They also participated in the celebrations of America 250 and affirmed the community’s role in the American story.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R – GA) stated that “Freedom to worship is one of our most important rights” and condemned temple vandalism. He thanked Hindu Americans’ role in “this great democracy experiment”.
All the lawmakers addressed the issue of the rise in temple vandalism and hateful rhetoric as well as the debates that affect Hindu Americans.
He and other Georgia legislators also pointed out that their state is an example of how advocacy can be translated into action to bring about change. Rep. Brian Jack (RGA) emphasized that “Georgia leads the way against Hinduphobia,” in reference to the state’s pioneering acknowledgement of anti-Hindu hatred. He also stressed the importance of sustained civic involvement: “Your annual CoHNA Advocate Day matters enormously .”
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-GA, praised Hindu Americans’ many contributions and successes. He said Hindu Americans are “hardworking, intelligent and family-oriented–that is the American Dream.
Expert Testimony
Dr. Joel Finkelstein is the co-director of Network Contagion Research Institute and a fellow at Rutgers University’s Miller Institute for Secure Communities. He spoke about the push to incorporate caste into U.S. Policymaking, despite the lack of evidence that caste hierarchy is prevalent in American Hindu culture. He noted, drawing on his recent study, that “caste does not have a pre-existing narrative” in US civic life. This makes it an ideal case to isolate the effect of training narratives.
Prasiddha sudhakar, NCRI, presented research titled “From Purity Grift to Policy Drift” on how a debate about US immigration morphed into a coordinated attack against American Hindus. Her findings revealed that what was reported as being “anti-Indian”, was actually aimed at Hindus. There were attempts to weaponize contempt towards a religion, festivals and temples. Research revealed a pattern of hate incidents that were compounded by viral posts, and a core of influential voices. All of this was fuelled by geopolitics, with hate seeds from foreign states being amplified and spread by American influencers.
Anang Mittal, a former Capitol Hill staffer and political strategist, presented the Citation Integrity Dashboard. This independent, nonpartisan initiative was designed to evaluate transparency and methodology in institutional reports and test whether high-profile claims made about Hindu Americans and India can be backed up by verifiable proof. The tool encourages users to examine how information is gathered, rather than blindly trusting it.
Sudha Jagannathan is the director of government relations for CoHNA. She said, “It was very gratifying to witness so many lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, unite against temple attacks, anti-Hindu hatred, and speak out for religious freedom for American Hindus.” “This is what we are building at CoHNA for the Hindu American Community because the future belongs those who show up to advocate .”
about CoHNA
CoHNA is an advocacy and civil rights group that works to improve the understanding of Hinduism and Hinduism in North America. They do this by working to educate the public on Hindu heritage and traditions and by addressing issues affecting the Hindu community. Visit https://cohna.org for more information or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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