# Failed Illinois Temple Attack Reveals Anti-Hindu Hate

> A failed Hindu temple attack in Illinois exposes rising anti-Hindu hate in the US.
- Title: Failed Illinois Temple Attack Reveals Anti-Hindu Hate
- Summary: A failed Hindu temple attack in Illinois exposes rising anti-Hindu hate in the US. A 19-year-old man's failed attack on an Illinois Hindu temple revealed…
- Keywords: breaking, sri venkateswara swami temple, illinois, hindu americans, anti-hindu hate, navaratri, white supremacist, christian nationalism, hate crime, indian americans, religious intolerance, online hate
- Source: The Conversation — https://theconversation.com/what-the-failed-attack-on-an-illinois-temple-reveals-about-anti-hindu-hate-in-the-united-states-294688
- Author: Arun Brahmbhatt
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: breaking, sri venkateswara swami temple, illinois, hindu americans, anti-hindu hate, navaratri, white supremacist, christian nationalism, hate crime, indian americans, religious intolerance, online hate
## Failed Temple Attack
A 19-year-old man planned a mass shooting at the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Aurora, Illinois, armed with a rifle and body armor.
## Hate Crime Investigation
Lawmakers called for the failed attack to be investigated as a hate crime due to the suspect's white supremacist manifesto.
## Rising Anti-Hindu Hostility
A 2026 Carnegie Endowment survey found 1 in 4 Indian American adults reported being called a slur since early 2025.
## Online Hate Incitement
Texas Republican candidate Bo French claimed Indian American students were a 'problem' in a viral post viewed 54 million times.
## Christian Nationalism Rhetoric
Pastor Dale Partridge called the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple a 'demon temple' that would be leveled in 24 hours.
## Hindu Temple Targeted
The suspect's manifesto described Indians, Jews, Black people and other minorities as 'sub-human' but targeted Hindu temples.
## Historical Prejudice
Nineteenth-century American schoolbooks labeled Hindu worship as 'false idolatry' to prove moral degradation.
## Modern Temple Attacks
In 1983, attackers desecrated a Pittsburgh temple, smashing sacred images and scrawling 'Leave' on the altar.
## Racialization of Religion
Scholars call the blending of racial and religious hatred the 'racialization of religion' where brown skin stands for 'other' faith.
## Online Threats
Stop AAPI Hate found 71% of online threats against Asian groups targeted South Asians with 'Indian invasion' rhetoric.
## Converged Hate
On the first day of Navaratri, racial and religious hate converged in a parking lot in Aurora, Illinois.
## Key takeaway

A 19-year-old man's failed attack on an Illinois Hindu temple revealed anti-Hindu hate in the US, with racial and religious hostility converging.