For decades, the United States has been the cultural and economic center of the global village. However, this influence is currently being leveraged to sow growing anti-India sentiment.
From online publications to religious priests, everyone in the country has jumped on the anti-India and anti-Hindu bandwagon for clout, raising societal and religious fears among the public. The latest flashpoint involves Reverend Joel Webon and provocateur Alex Stein, whose recent collaboration on the podcast “After Hours with Alex Stein” has been widely condemned as a masterclass in religious intolerance.Webbon and Stein, known for their controversial statements about Indians and Hindus, were discussing changing demographics in Texas as Indians allegedly took over jobs, housing, and communities in the state. In the clip that went viral on “Is Hinduism crazier than Scientology?” he asked. “Hinduism is insanely satanic,” Weibon replied, arguing that the religion is not monotheistic and has “millions of gods.” The controversial priest stuck to his rhetoric while also claiming that videos showed Hindus pouring a “blood-like liquid” on themselves, sacrificing animals and drinking their blood.
“It’s too pagan, too satanic, too polytheistic, too satanic,” he said, while claiming that religion sends people to hell. Stein added to the criticism when he said that Hinduism is incompatible with Western cultural values and that Indians are committing H-1B scams to turn North Texas into “a little Mumbai, India.”
Far-right conservatives have received widespread criticism online for criticizing Hinduism as “satanic.”Sridhar Vembu, founder of Zoho, took aim at the comments in the “Pagans.”
““It’s crazy that Hinduism is the only religion among the religions he mentioned that never says ‘follow this religion or you will rot in hell.’” “Definitely something Satan would say to instill fear and attract people to worship them, but somehow Hinduism is definitely Satanic here,” one X user wrote. “It’s a business for them. If they don’t classify Hinduism as pagan or Satanic, conversion won’t happen, and the church won’t make money.”
Another added: “They have always been deliberately short-sighted and narrow-minded about Hinduism.”
Joel Webon, a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist and controversial podcaster, was recently ridiculed for claiming that women need to “shut up.” In a podcast episode with co-host Wesley Todd, he said women should remain quiet in the public square, in civil positions of government, in church and at home. In November 2025, he asked FBI Director Kash Patel to return to India and worship “demons” with a simple Diwali greeting on social media.
Alex Stein, a YouTuber, recently went viral for his satirical speech at a Plano City Council meeting where he similarly mocked Hindu religious beliefs and practices while wearing a yellow kurta, black shorts, slippers, and a red tilak on his forehead. After rising H-1B visa fees led to a decline in the number of Indians arriving in America, far-right influencers and commentators turned attacks inward targeting Indians and Hindus within the country, especially in majority states like Texas. In 2022, research conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University documented this pattern where social media has been systematically weaponized to target Hindu communities often by bots and geopolitical players. She also warned Hindu communities to be careful as online hate often tends to slip into the physical world.
