Civil Rights Groups Demand Cancellation of Dallas Event Featuring Controversial Hindu Extremist Leader
The Indian American Muslim Council has called for the immediate cancellation of a Dallas event scheduled to feature Kajal Singhala, a Hindu extremist leader from Gujarat with an extensive record of delivering hate speeches against Muslims and Christians. The event, organized by two American Hindu nationalist groups, is set to take place on June 29, 2025, at Bhartiya Nivas, sparking widespread concern among civil rights organizations and interfaith communities.
Extremist Speaker With Documented History of Violence Incitement
Kajal Singhala, also known as Kajal Hindustani, has been identified by India Hate Lab as one of the most prolific hate speakers in India in recent years. According to research data, Singhala delivered 35 in-person hate speeches in 2023 alone, with nine of those including explicit calls for violence. The pattern continued in 2024, when she gave 23 hate speeches, including four with direct calls to violence and ten advocating for the economic boycott of Muslims.
The Indian news outlet The Quint has described Singhala as a symbol of "hate politics," highlighting her role in promoting religious division and hostility. Her speeches have consistently incited Hindus to pick up arms against Muslims and Christians while calling for their economic and social boycotts.
Singhala's inflammatory rhetoric has had real-world consequences. She has been arrested in India for speeches that directly led to sectarian violence, demonstrating the tangible danger her words pose to community safety. In one notable incident, following her alleged inflammatory speech during Ram Navami celebrations in Una town, Gujarat, communal clashes erupted, injuring two people. She was subsequently arrested and taken into judicial custody, although she was later granted bail with restrictions, including a ban on entering the Gir Somnath district until her trial concludes.
"We cannot allow the language of hate and violence to find a home in American communities. Inviting someone like Kajal, who has repeatedly incited violence and called for the exclusion of entire religious communities, is dangerous."
This statement from IAMC President Mohammad Jawad underscores the gravity of concerns surrounding Singhala's planned appearance.
Controversial Organizing Groups Under Scrutiny
The Dallas event is being organized by the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), both organizations with documented histories of promoting anti-Muslim and anti-Christian sentiment. These groups have faced significant scrutiny from civil rights organizations for their activities and affiliations.
GHHF, based in Frisco, Texas, has generated considerable controversy due to its fundraising activities. In December 2022, the organization hosted a fundraising event to support the demolition of churches in India. This disturbing revelation prompted a coalition of human rights organizations to file complaints with the Internal Revenue Service and the attorneys general of Texas and Mississippi, calling for investigations into GHHF's tax-exempt status.
The complaint filed by organizations, including the Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, and the Council on American Islamic Relations, revealed that GHHF has used U.S. dollars to fund multiple harmful activities. These include the closure of Muslim businesses in India, promotion of anti-Muslim and anti-Christian conspiracy theories, support for prominent anti-Muslim Indian politicians in the U.S., and the forcible conversion of Muslims and Christians in India.
VHPA has a troubling history of platforming extremist figures. In 2021, the organization planned to host Yati Narsinghanand, a Hindu monk who had publicly called for genocide against Muslims. That event was ultimately cancelled following widespread outcry from civil society and human rights organizations. Narsinghanand has made statements such as "Islam should be eradicated from Earth" and has been linked to inciting violence in India.
Pattern of Transnational Extremism Export
The planned Dallas event represents what civil rights advocates describe as a troubling pattern of transnational extremism export. IAMC President Mohammad Jawad characterized this as
"a textbook example of the transnational export of extremism, where ideologies rooted in hate and division are being brought into our neighborhoods under the guise of culture or community".
This phenomenon has gained increased attention as Hindu nationalist groups in the United States have been accused of providing financial and ideological support to extremist activities in India. The GHHF case exemplifies this concern, with the organization maintaining ties to the Bharatiya Janata Party, India's ruling Hindu nationalist political party, while organizing protests with militant groups like the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, both responsible for organizing violence against Muslims and Christians in India.
Recent data from India shows an alarming escalation in hate speech incidents. According to a 2024 report documenting verified instances of in-person hate speech events in India, the number of incidents targeting religious minorities surged from 668 in 2023 to 1,165 in 2024, marking a staggering 74.4% increase. These speeches frequently invoke narratives portraying Muslims as "infiltrators" and "outsiders" in Hindu India, reinforcing exclusionary ideologies that contribute to violence.
Rising Islamophobia in Texas and Nationwide
The controversy over Singhala's planned appearance occurs against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia across Texas and the United States. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations' 2024 Civil Rights Report, the organization received 8,658 complaints of Islamophobia in 2024—the highest number since it began tracking such cases in 1996, marking a 7.3% increase from the previous year.
Texas has been particularly affected by this trend. Recent incidents include the vandalism of three mosques in Austin in May 2025, where attackers spray-painted symbols including the Star of David on Islamic centers in what community leaders described as coordinated attacks meant to instill fear and division. According to CAIR-Austin, Nueces Mosque alone reported four hate incidents since late October 2024.
The state has also seen controversy surrounding the EPIC City development, a Muslim-centered housing project near Dallas that has faced extensive state-level investigations initiated by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. While the U.S. Department of Justice closed its civil rights investigation into the project without filing charges, concluding that the developers were committed to complying with federal fair housing regulations, state investigations continue.
"Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no place in Texas. Any breaches of federal law must be promptly prosecuted."
Senator John Cornyn's statement regarding the EPIC City investigation reflects the charged political climate surrounding Muslim communities in Texas.
Community Response and Calls for Action
Civil rights organizations have mobilized to oppose the Dallas event and similar manifestations of religious extremism. IAMC has called explicitly on event organizers to cancel the platforming of hate immediately and urged the broader Dallas community, including elected officials, interfaith leaders, and civil society organizations, to speak out against it.
The response builds on previous successful efforts to prevent extremist events. When the VHPA planned to host Yati Narsinghanand in 2021, widespread outcry from civil society and human rights organizations led to the cancellation of the event. Following that incident, Hindus for Human Rights called on VHPA leadership to "take full responsibility for organizing the event and to publicly disavow the statements" of extremist speakers.
Safa Ahmed, serving as media contact for IAMC, emphasized the broader implications of allowing such events to proceed unchallenged. The organization's stance reflects growing concern among civil rights advocates about the normalization of hate speech and religious extremism in American public discourse.
The Coalition Against Fascism has documented how hate incidents have increased significantly, particularly targeting Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, and other minority communities. National data shows that anti-Muslim hate crimes reported to police increased 18% across 28 major U.S. cities in 2024.
Legal and Political Implications
The controversy surrounding extremist speakers like Singhala raises essential questions about the intersection of free speech protections and public safety concerns. While the First Amendment provides broad protections for speech, legal experts note that incitement to violence falls outside these protections, particularly when such speech has a documented history of leading to actual violence.
Texas has recently passed legislation addressing hate speech in educational settings, with the House approving a bill requiring schools to use a specific definition of antisemitism in student disciplinary proceedings. However, critics have raised concerns about the potential for such measures to discourage legitimate political expression while potentially failing to address other forms of religious hatred.
The state's approach to addressing religious extremism has been inconsistent, with some officials taking strong stands against certain forms of hatred while appearing to overlook or even encourage others. This selective enforcement has contributed to a climate where some communities feel particularly vulnerable to harassment and discrimination.
Broader Context of Hate and Extremism
The planned Dallas event must be understood within the broader context of rising hate and extremism across the United States, according to The Leadership Conference Education Fund's 2024 report.
"Cause for Concern: The State of Hate," hate crimes have nearly doubled since 2015.
The report notes that "the Trump candidacy empowered white nationalists and provided them with a platform" and that "movements grounded in attempts to whitewash history and deny the rights of the LGBTQ+ community have turned hate into campaign platforms".
The current political climate has created conditions where extremist ideologies can flourish. Social media platforms have failed to consistently enforce policies against hate speech and disinformation, while well-funded organizations continue to promote divisive narratives. The result has been an environment where "the small number of well-funded and well-organized proponents of bigotry and hate are having an outsized effect relative to their actual numbers".
The transnational nature of contemporary extremism adds another layer of complexity. Groups like GHHF demonstrate how American-based organizations can fund and promote extremist activities abroad while simultaneously importing divisive ideologies into American communities. This creates challenges for law enforcement and civil rights organizations working to protect vulnerable communities.
Impact on Local Communities
The controversy has taken a significant toll on Muslim and other minority communities in the Dallas area. Community leaders report increased anxiety and fear among families, particularly given the documented history of violence following Singhala's speeches in India. The psychological impact extends beyond immediate safety concerns to broader questions about belonging and acceptance in American society.
Local interfaith leaders have emphasized the importance of standing together against hatred and division. These efforts reflect a recognition that attacks on any religious community ultimately threaten the pluralistic values that define American democracy. However, the persistence of such events suggests that more sustained and coordinated responses may be necessary.
The economic implications also cannot be ignored. Hate incidents and religious extremism can damage community cohesion and economic development, particularly in diverse metropolitan areas like Dallas that benefit from international investment and multicultural populations.
Looking Forward: Prevention and Community Resilience
As the June 29 event date approaches, civil rights organizations continue to advocate for its cancellation while building broader coalitions to address the root causes of religious extremism. The IAMC and its allies have called for sustained engagement from elected officials, law enforcement, and community leaders to send a clear message that hate speech and incitement to violence have no place in American communities.
The controversy underscores the need for more comprehensive strategies to prevent the spread of extremist ideologies. This includes better monitoring of transnational funding for hate groups, more vigorous enforcement of tax regulations for organizations that promote discrimination, and improved coordination between federal and state authorities in addressing religious extremism.
Educational initiatives and interfaith dialogue remain crucial components of long-term prevention strategies. Community leaders emphasize the importance of creating opportunities for meaningful interaction between different religious and ethnic groups, countering the isolation and misunderstanding that extremist groups exploit.
The response to Singhala's planned appearance will likely serve as a test case for how American communities address the growing challenge of imported religious extremism. The outcome may influence similar controversies in other cities while shaping the broader national conversation about religious freedom, public safety, and the responsibilities of organizations that claim tax-exempt status.
The Dallas controversy represents more than a single event—it embodies the broader struggle over what values will define American pluralism in an era of rising global extremism. As civil rights organizations have emphasized, the stakes extend far beyond one speaker or one evening, encompassing fundamental questions about the kind of communities Americans want to build and protect for future generations.