US President Donald Trump’s party leader, Alexander Duncan, has stirred controversy over remarks he made about a 90-foot statue of Lord Hanuman, known as the ‘Statue of Union’, which stands on the premises of the Shri Ashtalakshmi Temple and is one of the tallest Hindu monuments in the US at Sugar Land, Texas.
Duncan, a Republican figure in Texas and reportedly affiliated with the party of President Donald Trump, took to the social media platform X to voice his objection to the statue.
“Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation,” Duncan wrote.
In a follow-up post, Duncan cited the Bible’s Exodus 20:3-4, writing: “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.”
Duncan’s comments sparked strong backlash on social media and among religious freedom advocates. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) condemned the remarks as “anti-Hindu and inflammatory” and urged the Texas Republican Party to take disciplinary action.
In a public statement directed at the state party, HAF wrote: “Hello @TexasGOP, will you be disciplining your senate candidate from your party who openly contravenes your own guidelines against discrimination—displaying some pretty sordid anti-Hindu hate—not to mention disrespect for the 1st Amendment’s Establishment Clause?”
One X user, Jordan Crowder, a supporter of religious freedom, said that just because someone isn’t Hindu doesn’t make it false.
“Just because you’re not Hindu, doesn’t make it false. The Vedas were written almost 2000 years before Jesus walked the earth and are extraordinary texts. And there’s obvious influences on Christianity…so it would be wise to honor and research the ‘religion’ that predates and influences yours,” users said.
Bureau Report
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