US Christian nation: Texas leader objects to 90-foot Hanuman idol

A Republican leader in Texas has sparked a controversy by publicly opposing the installation of a 90-foot idol of Lord Hanuman, describing the Hindu deity as a “false god” and declaring that the “United States is a Christian nation”.

Alexander Duncan, a prominent state Republican figure and senate candidate, took to social media to criticise the “Statue of Union” in Sugar Land, Texas. The idol is the fourth-tallest in the US and the tallest depiction of Hanuman outside India.

“Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation!” Duncan wrote in one post. In another post, he quoted biblical verses from Exodus and Romans, calling the statue an “idol” and urging Americans to remain “one nation under God… Jesus Christ, the King of Kings”.

While asserting that he did not “hate anyone”, Duncan said his intention was to “speak boldly” about faith, adding that silence on the matter would be “real hate”.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) condemned Duncan’s remarks, calling them discriminatory and demanding accountability from the Republican Party of Texas.

“Will you (Republican Party) be disciplining your senate candidate who openly contravenes your own guidelines against discrimination — displaying some pretty sordid anti-Hindu hate — not to mention disrespect for the 1st Amendment’s Establishment Clause?” the group asked in a statement on social media.

The “Statue of Union", located at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, stands 90-ft tall and depicts Lord Hanuman, a revered figure in the Ramayana. It symbolises Hanuman’s role in reuniting Lord Rama with Sita. It is the fourth-tallest statue in the US, after the Birth of the New World in Puerto Rico, the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Pegasus and Dragon in Florida.

The project has drawn praise from the local Hindu community as a marker of cultural pride and religious freedom, but Duncan’s comments have ignited a debate on pluralism, faith and the limits of political expression in the US.