Anti-Hindu sentiment

Anti-Hindu sentiment is a negative perception or any sentiment against the practice and practitioners of Hinduism, stemming from religious intolerance.

Individuals in the Indian diaspora have begun to protest that Western scholars "distort their religion and perpetuate negative stereotypes", which began with Macaulayism in India. Historically, such stereotypes were promulgated during the British Raj by several Indophobes in South Asia as a means to aggrandize sectarian divisions in Indian society, part of the divide and rule strategy employed by the British. Such allegations have seen a rise with the Hindu right using them for politics.

The Indian Caste System, a social stratification system in South Asia which has been criticized for its discriminatory problems, is often seen as a uniquely 'Hindu' issue rather than a cultural one. This is a common stereotype, as adherents of other religions such as Islam, Sikhism and Christianity have kept the practice of caste segregation in India (for details, see Caste system among South Asian Muslims).

Christian missionaries denigrate selected features of Hindu practice—most notably image worship, suttee, and child marriage (the first two were also criticized by Muslims).

According to the religious dialogue activist P. N. Benjamin, some christian evangelists denigrate Hindu gods and abuse Hindu rituals as barbaric, and such attitudes have caused tensions between religious communities.

Akbaruddin Owaisi, a leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party in Hyderabad has been charged several times for hate speeches denigrating Hindu gods and inciting violence against Hindus. Owaisi had mocked Hindu cremation by saying "when you (Hindus) die, you become air after burning and go astray." Owaisi had talked in derogatory terms about heritage places of India including Ayodhya, Ajanta caves and Ellora caves.

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