Sikh lawyer and Trump supporter Harmeet Kaur Dhillon has come under attack from far-right trolls on the internet after she recited Ardas, a Sikh prayer at the Republican National Convention on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Reports suggest that the trolls took offense to her reciting a prayer to a non-Christian God on stage.
“We recite the Ardas prayer before any new endeavor, giving thanks to God and asking for his protection and help, to uphold the values of humility, truth, courage, service, and justice for all,” said Dhillon on stage before covering her head and reciting the prayer. She then proceeded to thank Waheguru – the term used to signify God in Sikhism – for making America a “haven” where people of all faiths can worship their different deities.
However, the response from far-right trolls suggested otherwise. “This woman cursed our nation by hosting a prayer to a demon,” wrote Melonie Mac, an X user with over 255,000 followers. Another X user called her recital of the prayer “blasphemy” and another referred to her as a “pagan blasphemer” and called for her deportation.
Dhillon heads her own law firm called Dhillon Law, which has represented Donald Trump and his aides in many legal cases. She is also the chief executive at Center for American Liberty, a non-profit organization “dedicated to defending the civil liberties of Americans left behind by civil rights legacy organizations.”
The organization Stop AAPI Hate condemned the racist trolling directed towards Dhillon, as well as Usha Chilukuri Vance – wife of Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance – who was also subjected to racist online attacks because of her Indian ethnicity.
“We call on @GOPconvention organizers and @GOP leaders to condemn the racist and bigoted attacks against Harmeet Dhillon and Usha Vance,” the organization said on X. “ “All this vile racism, xenophobia & bigotry against South Asians, Sikhs & immigrants amid the RNC illustrates the severity of intolerance threatening the safety of so many communities today.”
This series was made possible in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program.