Digital Hinduphobia on the Rise: Social Media Fuels Violence Against Hindus

• Social media platforms are witnessing a disturbing global pattern of 'Hinduphobia' that is increasingly manifesting in violence against Hindus.
• Two significant studies, "HP-BERT" (2023) by Singh and Chandra, and a Rutgers University study (2022), highlight the extent of this digital Hinduphobia.
• The HP-BERT study analyzed Hinduphobic tweets from April 2020 to January 2024, linking pandemic-related terms like 'Hindu superspreaders' and hashtags such as #HindusSpreadCorona to blame Hindus for Covid-19.
• The Rutgers University study, "Anti-Hindu Disinformation," found an alarming rise in anti-Hindu slurs and genocidal memes across platforms like X, TikTok, and Telegram, often mistakenly categorized as anti-Indian xenophobia.
• Both studies emphasize that these online hate messages are cycling from the cyber sphere to real-world violence, underscoring the urgent need to document and address digital Hinduphobia.

Why It Matters: Digital Hinduphobia is escalating on social media, leading to real-world violence and requiring urgent attention.