From 'model minority' to target, anti-Indian hate on the rise

A massacre allegedly targeting Hindu Americans was recently thwarted, but researchers say it helps to illustrate a growing and increasingly mainstream hate directed at South Asians in the U.S.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3942x2628+0+0/resize/3942x2628!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F14%2F5f%2F246b184240aa9244985d7f05de20%2Fap26288643348734.jpg' alt='A security vehicle is parked outside of Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Ill., on Oct. 15, 2026.'/><p>A massacre allegedly targeting Hindu Americans was recently thwarted, but researchers say it helps to illustrate a growing and increasingly mainstream hate directed at South Asians in the U.S.</p><p>(Image credit: Laura Bargfeld)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6026418' />