THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Something troubling is happening to Indians living abroad, especially in the United States and Australia. More and more people are showing hatred and discrimination towards Indians. This isn’t just a few bad incidents – it’s becoming a bigger problem that affects the safety and wellbeing of Indian families living in these countries. To understand why this is happening, I have looked at the real reasons behind this growing hatred. I have looked at US and Australia situation.
How Bad is the Problem?
In America, hate speech against South Asians (which includes Indians) has doubled in just one year – from 23,000 cases in January 2023 to over 46,000 by August 2024. Most anti-Asian slurs now target Indians and other South Asians. This means the problem is getting worse very quickly.
In Australia, Indians have become the second-largest immigrant group after the British. In just five years, the Indian population grew from 449,000 to 721,000 people. As Indians became more visible, some Australians started organizing protests against immigration, specifically targeting Indian immigrants.
Reason 1: Fear of Job Competition
The biggest reason for anti-Indian hatred is simple: many local people are afraid that Indians are taking their jobs. Indians have been very successful in good jobs like technology, medicine, hospitality and engineering. Instead of being happy about this success, some people see it as a threat.
In America, most H-1B visas (special work permits for skilled workers) go to Indians. When the economy gets tough or people lose jobs, politicians often blame immigrants. They say things like “Indians are stealing American jobs” or “We should hire Americans first.” This makes Indians an easy target for people’s anger about economic problems.
Recently, there was a big fight between tech company leaders like Elon Musk (who supports H-1B visas because he needs skilled workers) and Trump supporters (who want to stop these visas). Indians got caught in the middle of this political battle, with some people calling them “invaders” and using other hateful language.
Reason 2: Cultural Misunderstandings
Many people in Western countries don’t understand Indian culture, and this creates fear and dislike. Some people look at Indian festivals, food habits, religious practices, and family traditions and think they are “strange” or “wrong.” Instead of trying to learn about these differences, they use them as reasons to hate Indians.
When there are many Indians in one area, some local people start feeling like their own culture is being threatened. They worry that their neighbourhoods are changing too much, too fast. This fear of cultural change makes them angry at Indians, even though Indians are just trying to maintain their traditions while adapting to a new country.
The problem gets worse when Indian immigrants are very successful. Instead of seeing this as good for everyone, some people feel threatened. They think that if Indians are doing well, it means they themselves are doing badly.
Reason 3: Politicians and Social Media Making it Worse
Some politicians and internet influencers are deliberately making anti-Indian hatred worse because it helps them get attention and support. People like Laura Loomer (a far-right influencer) call Indians “third-world invaders”. Other political figures support her, which makes this kind of hate speech seem acceptable.
Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) make the problem worse by showing more hateful content to more people. Their computer programs are designed to show content that gets strong reactions, and unfortunately, hate speech often gets lots of attention. This means racist memes and anti-Indian posts spread very quickly online.
Some politicians use legitimate concerns (like “should we have more work visas?”) and turn them into ethnic hatred. Instead of having reasonable debates about immigration policy, they encourage people to blame and hate Indians specifically.
Why Indians Become Easy Targets
When countries face problems like economic troubles, rising prices, or social changes, people often look for someone to blame. Indians become easy targets because they are visible, successful, and different.
It’s easier to say “Indians are taking our jobs” than to understand complicated issues like globalization, technological change, or economic inequality. Politicians know this, so they encourage people to blame Indians instead of addressing real problems.
Sadly, the more successful Indians become, the more some people hate them. When Indians win awards, start companies, or become doctors and engineers, instead of celebrating these achievements, some people feel jealous and resentful.
This Has Happened Before
What’s happening to Indians today is not new. Throughout history, whenever a new group of immigrants becomes successful in America or other Western countries, some people react with hatred and discrimination. This happened to Chinese immigrants in the 1800s, Irish immigrants in the early 1900s, and Jewish immigrants at various times.
Each time, people said the same things: “They’re taking our jobs,” “They don’t fit in,” “They’re changing our culture.” But history shows that these immigrant groups eventually became accepted parts of society and contributed greatly to their new countries. The pattern is always similar – fear and hatred at first, then gradual acceptance over time.
Understanding this pattern helps us see that anti-Indian sentiment is not really about Indians specifically. It’s about how some people react to change and diversity in general.
What This Means for Indians and Everyone Else
This growing hatred hurts Indian families who just want to live peacefully and contribute to their new countries. Many Indians now worry about their safety and whether they really belong in places they’ve called home for years. Children may face bullying at school, and adults may face discrimination at work.
But this problem affects everyone, not just Indians. When hatred becomes normal in politics and society, it makes life worse for everyone. It discourages talented people from moving to these countries, which hurts the economy. It also makes society less peaceful and more divided.
References
1. https://www.newsweek.com/h1b-immigration-visas-india-elon-musk-vivek-trump-2006308
2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Indian_sentiment
3. https://www.newsweek.com/indian-immigrants-us-visas-social-media-hate-racism-2121568
4. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Indians_in_Australia_controversy
