The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) has condemned a series of offensive AI-generated social media posts by a Texas woman that mocked the Indian culture, disparaged the Hindu faith, and promoted the exclusionary notion that American identity is inherently Christian and Western.
In a statement, Operations Manager of CAIR-Austin, Shaimaa Zayan, said: “Kelly Smith, and any American Christian, can become Indian only if they move to India, live there, and follow the country’s immigration laws and procedures. They would remain free to practice their Christian faith and worship at one of India’s thousands of churches while gradually integrating into the culture of the host country.
“Conflating residency or citizenship with faith, ethnicity, or cultural heritage to exclude communities from civic life in Texas is both dangerous and deeply offensive. Texas is home to people of every culture, faith, and background. American Indians and other ethnically and religiously diverse communities in Texas do not need to be Christian, change their names, or dress in cowboy attire to belong.
Both India and the United States are multicultural nations, despite attempts by nationalist movements in both countries to erase that rich pluralism.”
