Republican Senate candidate Alexander Duncan wants to be seen as a defender of faith. In reality, he has shown himself to be nothing more than a crusader of hate. His tweet dismissing the 90-foot Hanuman statue in Sugar Land as a “false statue of a false Hindu god” is not just ignorant, it is dangerous. It is the kind of rhetoric that turns neighbours into suspects, citizens into outsiders, and politics into a pulpit for bigotry.
This is not about religion. This is about power. And Duncan’s words prove he is willing to trample the Constitution and fracture communities just to build a platform on division.
Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation!pic.twitter.com/uAPJegLie0
— Alexander Duncan (@AlexDuncanTX) September 20, 2025
The Statue He Despises
Let’s begin with the basics, the facts Duncan either does not know or refuses to acknowledge.
The statue he targeted is called the Statue of Union, and it depicts Hanuman, the Hindu god of strength, devotion, and loyalty. Unveiled in 2024, it stands 90 feet tall, making it the largest Hanuman statue outside India.
Where does it stand? On private land. Not on a city square. Not on a government park. It sits squarely on the grounds of the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple on Synott Road in Sugar Land, Texas. It was funded with private donations, built with community support, and blessed by devotees.
No public money. No violation of law. No forced imposition. Just a religious community exercising its constitutional right to practice and celebrate its faith.
So when Alexander Duncan tweets about “allowing” a statue of a “false god,” he isn’t defending taxpayers. He’s attacking Americans for daring to believe differently than he does.
The Statue Next Door
And here’s the irony that makes his bigotry even more absurd: just a few hundred feet down the same road, you’ll find another monumental figure the Quan Âm statue, a 72-foot monument to the bodhisattva of compassion at the Vietnam Buddhist Center.
The Quan Âm statue has stood there for years, gazing peacefully over a water garden, offering solace to thousands of Buddhist immigrants and American converts alike. Like the Hanuman statue, it is built on private land, maintained by its community, and perfectly legal.
So let’s put Duncan’s logic to the test:
- If Hanuman is a “false god,” is Quan Âm too?
- If Texas is only for “Christian symbols,” should the Buddhist community pack up and leave?
- Where does the exclusion end, with Hindus and Buddhists? With Muslims and Jews? With every faith that isn’t Duncan’s?
Pluralism isn’t a threat to Texas. It is what makes Texas what it is: a patchwork of cultures, histories, and beliefs. Duncan, however, cannot stomach that.
The Hypocrisy of “False Gods”
Duncan’s tweet deliberately uses the phrase “false god”, language steeped in centuries of intolerance. It echoes the rhetoric of the Crusades, when armies slaughtered in the name of one god by declaring others false. It echoes colonial missionaries who dismissed indigenous traditions as “pagan lies.” It echoes the worst instincts of religious supremacists who believe difference is not diversity, but danger.
But let’s strip away the sanctimony and call this what it is: hypocrisy.
Because while Duncan condemns the Hanuman statue as “false,” he happily ignores the fact that India, the supposed land of idols, is filled with Christian churches and monuments.
- In Goa, the Basilica of Bom Jesus houses the relics of St. Francis Xavier, and is revered by millions.
- In Kerala, massive churches dominate skylines in towns where Christians are a minority.
- In Kolkata, the St. Paul’s Cathedral stands as a colonial-era masterpiece, still active today.
- Across Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya, Christian churches are the beating heart of local communities, all in a Hindu-majority country.
India did not tear these down. It preserved them. It allowed them to thrive.
And yet Duncan, sitting in Texas, dares to claim that America, the land that prides itself on liberty, should not “allow” a Hindu statue. If that isn’t hypocrisy, nothing is.
His Pattern of Christian Nationalism
This tweet is not an isolated gaffe. It fits neatly into Duncan’s broader pattern of Christian nationalist rhetoric.
- On September 8, 2025, he declared on X: “America is, and always has been a Christian nation.”
- Later, he wrote: “ALL 13 original states had declarations of faith.” The implication? That America’s laws, policies, and public life must submit to Christian scripture.
- In interviews, he frames his entire candidacy around bringing “Christian morals” into politics.
This is not personal piety. This is supremacy- the idea that one faith should dominate a nation of many.
And now, by turning that supremacy into a direct insult against Hindus, Duncan has shown what his “Christian nation” really means: a country where only one religion is real, and all others are tolerated, at best, or erased, at worst.
America Is Not a Christian Country
Here is where Duncan’s ignorance collides with reality. The United States is not, and never has been, a Christian country. The Constitution says it plainly: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
The Treaty of Tripoli, signed in 1797 under President John Adams, leaves no wiggle room: “The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”
Yes, many of the Founders were Christians. But they were wise enough to understand that for freedom to thrive, religion must remain personal, not political. Duncan’s America, where statues of one faith are exalted and others condemned, is not the America the Founders envisioned. It is the America they feared.
Why This Matters Beyond Words
Some will say: it’s just a tweet, just words. But history teaches us that words like this are never “just” words.
- When politicians declare another faith “false,” it gives permission to mock, to exclude, to harass.
- When leaders insist America is only for Christians, they plant the seed of violence against anyone who prays differently.
- When bigotry is dressed up as policy, it doesn’t stay online, it shows up as bullying in schools, as slurs shouted on streets, as vandalism against temples and mosques.
And let’s not forget, Hindu temples in America have been vandalised before, with swastikas painted on walls and idols smashed. Duncan’s words pour gasoline on that fire.
The Smallness of His Vision
Here’s the truth: the Hanuman statue in Sugar Land is breathtaking. The Quan Âm statue next door is serene. Together, they are proof that America is vast enough to hold every faith, every culture, every devotion. Alexander Duncan, by contrast, has revealed himself to be small.
Small in vision: unable to see beyond his own theology.
Small in courage: too afraid of difference to embrace diversity.
Small in faith: for if your god is so threatened by a statue, perhaps it is your faith, not Hanuman, that is false.
Apology Is The Start
Alexander Duncan has exposed his real platform: not jobs, not education, not healthcare, not governance. His platform is fear. Fear of Hindus. Fear of Buddhists. Fear of Muslims. Fear of anyone who doesn’t kneel before his god.
That fear makes him unfit to represent Texas. Because Texas is not a monolith. It is a mosaic. Its people deserve leaders who defend their freedoms, not degrade their beliefs. So let’s be clear: if Duncan cannot stomach the sight of Hanuman, if he cannot respect the prayer of a Buddhist, if he cannot uphold the First Amendment, then he cannot sit in the U.S. Senate.
Until he apologies sincerely, unequivocally, his words will stand as proof of what he is: a man who confuses prejudice for patriotism, and who shrinks his country down to the size of his own narrow fear.
