Heinous Terror Attack in Kashmir: Latest Evidence of Rising Anti-Hindu Hate
Bloodbath in Pahalgam follows a disturbing historical and global trend
April 22, 2025: It is estimated that at least 26 Hindus have been murdered by Islamist terrorists in the scenic hill town of Pahalgam in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. While the exact numbers are not yet confirmed, it is clear that this was a religiously motivated incident, driven by anti-Hindu hate. Survivor accounts state that some killers selected victims after their religious identity was confirmed—by checking ID cards, having the men drop their pants to check for circumcision, and more.
CoHNA is horrified at this mindless slaughter and condemns it in the strongest terms. We pray for the departed atmas and the terrorized families left behind. “Today’s terror attacks have once again brought to the fore the darkest, most visceral face of anti-Hindu hate. We call upon leaders in DC, Ottawa, Delhi and around the world to fight back against this rising wave of Hinduphobia,” said CoHNA president Nikunj Trivedi.
Part of an ongoing wave of anti-Hindu violence
Horrific as it is, this attack is not an isolated case but linked to broader global and historical trends of anti-Hindu violence. In Kashmir, the indigenous Hindu community has faced multiple waves of persecution over the centuries; and had long been reduced to a minority when it was ethnically cleansed from its homeland in 1990. In this, the Kashmiri Hindu community mirrors the fate suffered by multiple other Hindu communities across the Indian subcontinent — most notably in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
In Pakistan, the Hindu population has declined from about 15 percent in 1947, when the Islamic state was established, to just about two percent today. Anti-Hindu violence and religious persecution remains rampant, Pakistan’s human rights commission has acknowledged. In a report based on a fact-finding mission report, released earlier this year, the commission noted decades of religious intolerance has driven out the country’s Sindhi-Hindu community.
Across the subcontinent, in Bangladesh, the Bengali Hindu community has not fared any better. In fact, since August 2024, the government of Muhammad Yunus has only accelerated the institutional persecution of Hindus while pandering to violent Islamists.
Even in the Indian state of West Bengal, Islamists have been on the rampage in recent weeks in the district of Murshidabad. Ostensibly mobilized to protest a piece of government legislation—the new Waqf (Amendment) Act, passed in early April—Islamist mobs have instead used the opportunity to hunt and kill their neighbours in the streets of Jangipur, Dhuliyan, Suti and Samserganj, simply for being Hindu.
Denying Hinduphobia
What makes matters worse is the institutional consensus to downplay or explain away violence when the victims are Hindu. There is a reluctance to even recognize anti-Hindu hate. Human rights groups are either slow to react or almost never respond with vigor when Hindus are attacked for their religion or their mandirs and murtis are desecrated. Academics routinely ridicule ‘Hinduphobia’ as a politically-motivated term or a manufactured grievance. Western media innocuously referred to the perpetrators of today’s attacks as “gunmen”.
Ask from the North American Hindu Community
CoHNA urges lawmakers at all levels in the US and Canada to publicly condemn this incident in the strongest terms. Further we ask for them to
- Designate Pakistan as a State Sponsor of terrorism with immediate sanctions
- Hold a congressional hearing about plight of Kashmiri Hindus
- Call to recognize the plight of Hindus and other minorities targeted by Islamists
- Ask for a UN inquiry into the state of Kashmiri Hindus and their persecution at the hands of Islamic terrorists
CoHNA urges lawmakers in India to enhance security for Hindus across the country, to track Hinduphobia and to ensure the Indian security, judicial and legislative apparatus undertakes a holistic review of the problem.
About CoHNA:
CoHNA is a grassroots level advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and by educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition. For more information, please visit https://cohna.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on Instagram.