Washington, D.C: HinduPACT’s American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) issued a decisive call for the President of the United States to dismiss Peter Navarro from his position as Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, following his deeply inappropriate and Hinduphobic reference to caste and his portrayal of India’s Prime Minister in a sacred act of Hindu prayer. Navarro’s rhetoric constitutes not only a cultural violation but also a reckless provocation that endangers the dignity of over a billion Hindus and threatens the foundational relationship between the two largest democracies.
Navarro’s comment, accusing “Brahmins profiting at the expense of the Indian people,” is not a critique; it’s a colonial-era trope recycled to divide Hindu society and depict India as inherently unjust. Using caste rhetoric to pressure a democratic ally is beneath the diplomatic dignity of the United States.
“This is not foreign policy. It’s weaponized Hinduphobia,” said Ajay Shah, Executive Chair of HinduPACT. “Dividing Hindus through colonial scripts doesn’t build relationships. It destroys them. People like Navarro have no place in American political life.”
Navarro also circulated an image of India’s Prime Minister meditating in saffron robes; a sacred Hindu practice rooted in dharma. The implication was clear: ridicule Hindu spirituality while pushing economic pressure.
“Saffron is sacred. Prayer is not propaganda. What exactly was Navarro trying to say by using that image?” asked Deepti Mahajan, President of HinduPACT. “If the target was the Hindu faith, that’s religious hostility. If the target was India’s leadership, that’s diplomatic recklessness. Either way, it’s a serious violation.”
Navarro’s language empowers the worst elements of public discourse. Caste slurs and attacks on Hindu symbols don’t stay in policy papers. They show up in classrooms, in hiring panels, in temple vandalism.
“When someone like Navarro uses caste to shame India, it lands on Hindus here,” said Deepa Karthik, General Secretary of HinduPACT. “Kids get bullied. Workers get profiled. We get treated like we owe the world an apology for our heritage.”
AHAD calls on the President to fire Peter Navarro immediately. His language encourages division. His symbolism targets religion. His politics poison one of America’s most natural global partnerships.
If Hindu hate and Hindu ridicule are tolerated inside US policy circles, it tells over five million Hindus in this country, and over a billion in India, that their identity is negotiable. This is not who we are. And it cannot be allowed to stand. (Press release issued by American Hindus Against Defamation)
