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15m ago

Hindu Group Seeks Discipline After Texas Senate Candidate Calls Hanuman Statue a 'False God'

His campaign frames the remarks as protected religious speech.

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The Statue of Union, set up at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas, is said to be North America’s tallest Hanuman statue at 90 feet.
Duncan holds a strong conservative ideology and accused Democrats of eroding fundamental liberties.

Overview

  • Alexander Duncan, a Republican Senate candidate from Texas, posted on X questioning a 90-foot Hanuman statue in Sugar Land and wrote, “We are a CHRISTIAN nation.”
  • He followed up by calling the statue an “IDOL” and cited Bible verses from Exodus 20:3-4 and Romans 1:25.
  • The Hindu American Foundation filed a formal complaint urging the Texas GOP to review and discipline Duncan over what it called anti-Hindu and inflammatory comments.
  • Campaign manager Derek Ayala said Duncan was expressing personal beliefs protected by free speech and had not advocated policies restricting Hindus’ religious practice.
  • The statue, known as the Statue of Union at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, was unveiled in August 2024 and is among the tallest Hanuman statues in North America, drawing both online backlash and defenses invoking the First Amendment.