New York: Though Delhi is pushing at the UN the need to recognize Hinduphobia as a crime, facts on the ground in the US indicate that it is the Sikh community which is facing the increasing brunt of hate crimes.
From around 60 incidents of hate crimes against Sikhs reported to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2018, the number increased to 89 in 2020 and jumped to a whopping 214 incidents in 2021.
From being the third most commonly targeted religious group after Jews and Muslims in the US in 2018, Sikhs became the second most targeted group four years later. Jews remain the biggest victims of hate crimes in the US.
According to the FBI, 91 hate crimes were reported against other religions, including 12 against Hindus and ten anti-Buddhist crimes.
