As anti-Hindu rhetoric grows, Texas Hindus rethink public celebrations

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DALLAS (RNS) — For close to 15 years, Seema Ashar has hosted a celebration for Ganesh Chaturthi, a Hindu festival celebrating its namesake deity, inviting about 100 friends into her Irving, Texas, home.

“It’s a very good thing to bring Lord Ganesh to your house, it gives you a lot of positive, strong vibes,” said Ashar, who has lived in Texas since 2003.

Hindus around the world celebrate the god known for removing obstacles in their homes, neighborhoods and temples every August or September.

But for some in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this year’s celebrations felt different.

In recent months, a wave of anti-Hindu and anti-Indian sentiment has swept across Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, home to the second-largest Indian American community in the United States, has emerged as one of the major flashpoints, with much of the backlash targeting immigrants. The climate caused some local Indian Americans to call on others to celebrate Ganesh more discreetly out of fear of attracting unwanted attention.

Others said that as celebrations have become increasingly large and loud amid…