In Edison, New Jersey, a bulldozer, which has become a symbol of oppression of Indias Muslim minority, rolled down the street during a parade marking that countrys Independence Day. At an event in Anaheim, California, a shouting match erupted between people celebrating the holiday and those who showed up to protest violence against Muslims in India.

Indian Americans from diverse faith backgrounds have peacefully co-existed stateside for several decades. But these recent events in the U.S. and violent confrontations between some Hindus and Muslims last month in Leicester, England have heightened concerns that stark political and religious polarization in India is seeping into diaspora communities.

In India, Hindu nationalism has surged under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, which rose to power in 2014 and won a landslide election in 2019. The ruling party has faced fierce criticism over rising attacks against Muslims in recent years, from the Muslim community and other religious minorities as well as some Hindus who say Modis silence emboldens right-wing groups and threatens national unity.

Hindu nationalism has split the Indian expatriate community just as Donald Trump s presidency polarized the U.S., said Varun Soni, dean of religious life at the University of Southern California. It has about 2,000 students from India, among the highest in the country.

Soni has not seen these tensions surface yet on campus. But he said USC received blowback for being one of more than 50 U.S. universities that co-sponsored an online conference called Dismantling Global Hindutva.

The 2021 event aimed to spread awareness of Hindutva, Sanskrit for the essence of being Hindu, a political ideology that claims India as a predominantly Hindu nation plus some minority faiths with roots in the country such as Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Critics say that excludes other minority religious groups such as Muslims and Christians. Hindutva is different from Hinduism, an ancient religion practiced by about 1 billion people worldwide that emphasizes the oneness and divine nature of all creation.

Soni said its important that universities remain places where we are able to talk about issues that are grounded in facts in a civil manner, But, as USCs head chaplain, Soni worries how polarization over Hindu nationalism will affect students spiritual health.

If someone is being attacked for their identity, ridiculed or scapegoated because they are Hindu or Muslim, Im most concerned about their well-being not about who is right or wrong, he said.

Anantanand Rambachan, a retired college religion professor and a practicing Hindu who was born in Trinidad and Tobago to a family of Indian origin, said his opposition to Hindu nationalism and association with groups against the ideology sparked complaints from some at a Minnesota temple where he has taught religion classes. He said opposing Hindu nationalism sometimes results in charges of being anti-Hindu, or anti-India, labels that he rejects.

On the other hand, many Hindu Americans feel vilified and targeted for their views, said Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation in Washington, D.C.

The space to freely express themselves is shrinking for Hindus, he said, adding that even agreeing with the Indian governments policies unrelated to religion can result in being branded a Hindu nationalist.

Pushpita Prasad, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Hindus of North America, said her group has been counseling young Hindu Americans who have lost friends because they refuse to take sides on these battles emanating from India.

If they dont take sides or dont have an opinion, its automatically assumed that they are Hindu nationalist, she said. Their country of origin and their religion is held against them.

Both organizations opposed the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference criticizing it as Hinduphobic and failing to present diverse perspectives. Conference supporters say they reject equating calling out Hindutva with being anti-Hindu.