Kajal Hindustani, a prominent Hindutva figure from Gujarat, has drawn widespread condemnation for making inflammatory anti-Muslim remarks during a speech at the Hindu Unity Conference in New York.
In her address, Kajal referred to Muslims as “zombies” and “enemies of Hindus,” likening them to the demon Mahishasura from Hindu mythology. “If we have to fight the zombies, we must do it together,” she said, explicitly targeting the Muslim community.
Her speech, laced with derogatory language and conspiracy theories, included claims that Muslim population growth poses a threat to Hindus. She warned that “Abduls will occupy the bungalows you build,” invoking a communal stereotype to incite fear among the Hindu diaspora.
Kajal went on to accuse Muslims of having large families as part of a plan to form an “army,” and alleged that Muslim actors like Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan are engaged in efforts to “trap” Hindu women. Referring to Saif’s children, she said, “Taimur and Jehangir, Sara and Ibrahim – they are part of a conspiracy to convert Hindu girls.”
In response to protests against her U.S. visit, Kajal said, “It’s everyone’s America. It doesn’t belong to the fathers of Mullahs,” using the term “Mullah” in a derogatory manner.
Her comments sparked backlash from a broad coalition of religious and civil rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Indian American Muslim Council, and the Sikh Coalition. Leaders from various communities, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus. criticized her remarks as divisive and hateful.
Kajal also repeated common Hindutva narratives, claiming Muslim men receive funding from oil-rich nations and domestic sources to target Hindu women. She cited her previous arrest in India, saying it was the result of her advocacy for Hindutva causes such as “love jihad” and “land jihad”, terms widely discredited as Islamophobic conspiracy theories.
Though some attendees at the event applauded her remarks, many within the Indian-American community denounced them as hate speech. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who had initially been expected to attend the conference, reportedly withdrew after learning of the controversy surrounding Kajal’s visit.
Concluding her speech, Kajal claimed that only the ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji could protect Hindus and make India a true Hindu nation, warning that Hindus are not safe in the country without it.
