Weaponizing Islamophobia: Hindutva’s Transnational Assault on Pluralism and Academic Freedom

Hindu nationalist organizations with ties to India have leveraged a heightened climate of suspicion and islamophobia to normalize an ethnonationalist agenda. By portraying critics and dissenting voices as threats to national interest, these groups pursue two linked objectives: marginalizing South Asian dissenters and systematically undermining academic freedom. That dual strategy weakens the pluralistic fabric of diaspora communities and corrodes the intellectual integrity of academic institutions, creating a chilling effect on scholarship and civic debate.

Hindutva’s Strategic Alignment with Global Islamophobia

Islamophobia began as colonial propaganda, evolved into Cold War paranoia, and became a post-9/11 global policy tool. Hindu nationalist groups in the U.S., many ideologically aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have leveraged this environment to recast their ethnonationalist project as a defense against Islamic extremism.

According to Hindus for Human Rights (2025), the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has allied with far-right networks in the United States to promote narratives that justify caste-based discrimination and marginalize critics of Hindu nationalist policies. These efforts are often framed as the defense of Hinduism, but they function to advance an ethnonationalist agenda with broader social and political implications. By co-opting counterterrorism rhetoric, these groups depict Indian Muslims as internal threats, which allows them to gain influence within conservative political networks, attract philanthropic funding, and secure media visibility, all while presenting Hindu nationalism abroad as a legitimate civilizational response rather than a political ideology.

Othering of Muslims in the Diaspora

A central component of this strategy is the portrayal of Muslims, both in India and abroad, as culturally incompatible, politically subversive, and religiously intolerant. Hindu nationalist organizations in the U.S. organize events, publish narratives, and lobby policymakers to reinforce the perception that Muslims threaten Western liberal values.

IAMC data illustrate the tangible effects of this ideology. In a 2024 survey of 950 Indian American Muslims, 80% reported feeling less comfortable in Indian American cultural spaces since the rise of the BJP, and 48% experienced harassment on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn. Workplace discrimination was widespread. 70% reported bias or exclusion by Hindu colleagues, while 37% faced regular or occasional harassment. Respondents described being excluded from neighborhood gatherings, cultural events, and professional networks dominated by Hindus, as well as enduring subtle online trolling and Islamophobic messaging.

Mental and Emotional Toll

IAMC respondents reported emotional exhaustion, fear for family in India, and anxiety over younger generations growing up under Hindutva’s influence. The survey shows that Hindutva’s presence in the U.S. is measurable, manifesting in exclusion, harassment, and marginalization that mirror authoritarian and majoritarian strategies from India. This polarization undermines pluralism, interfaith solidarity, and academic freedom.

The Assault on Academic Freedom

The 2021 backlash against the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, documented by The Guardian (2021), exemplifies a concerted effort to suppress critical inquiry into Hindutva ideology, caste discrimination, and communal violence. Organizers and participants faced email campaigns, death threats, and institutional pressure to cancel the event. Scholars note that Hindu nationalist groups have lobbied textbook boards to remove references to caste and Islamophobia, targeted professors, and attempted to influence South Asian Studies curricula, reflecting a Gramscian pursuit of cultural hegemony that seeks dominance over political discourse and knowledge production.

Postcolonial Securitization

The convergence of Hindutva and Islamophobia can be understood through Postcolonial and Securitization Theories. Edward Said’s work demonstrates how the West constructs the “Orient” as irrational and violent; Hindutva appropriates this colonial gaze, casting Muslims as the internal “Other” to be disciplined or expelled. This aligns with the Runnymede Trust’s definition of Islamophobia, showing that such hostility manifests in unequal treatment, exclusion, and violence.

Securitization Theory, developed by Barry Buzan and Ole Wæver, explains how political actors frame groups as security threats to justify extraordinary measures. Hindutva groups in the U.S. depict Muslims as threats to Indian sovereignty and Western security, legitimizing exclusionary policies and silencing dissent. IAMC data showing widespread marginalization and harassment illustrate that securitization is not just domestic but a lived experience for diaspora communities abroad.

Transnational Hindutva and Soft Power

Hindu nationalist groups in the U.S. are part of a broader transnational project reshaping global perceptions of India and its minorities. Groups such as HAF, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), and Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) act as soft power extensions of the Indian state, promoting a sanitized Hindutva while discrediting critics as anti-Hindu or anti-national.

Transnational Hindutva and Its Impact

The Guardian (2025) reports that the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has allegedly operated as a proxy for the Indian government, facilitating meetings between U.S. lawmakers and Indian officials to advance BJP and Hindutva interests. The Rutgers Center for Security, Race, and Rights (2025) notes that these organizations build networks with U.S. policymakers, think tanks, and media outlets while representing a narrow ideological spectrum that systematically excludes Dalits, Muslims, Christians, and dissenting Hindus. This selective representation distorts policy debates and undermines pluralism both within the diaspora and in broader public discourse.

Challenging Transnational Hindutva

Addressing the transnational spread of Hindutva requires unwavering protection of academic freedom, interfaith solidarity, and rigorous scrutiny of diaspora politics influenced by Indian nationalist networks. Critique of Hindutva is not an attack on Hinduism; rather, it is a necessary response to an ideology actively promoted by the Indian state and affiliated organizations to advance political agendas abroad. Scholars, activists, and policymakers must defend pluralism, equality, and intellectual integrity against these incursions. Only a transnational commitment to democratic values can ensure that religious freedom and academic independence remain more than formal ideals. The IAMC survey demonstrates that Hindutva is not a distant or abstract ideology, it is a force exported from India that shapes communities, social interactions, and professional spaces abroad, demanding urgent and sustained attention from global policymakers, civil society, and academia.