Amidst the ongoing attacks on Hindu temples and a general rise in Hinduphobia in the United States, American broadcaster NBC demonised Hindu Gods in a “comic” Satanic cult skit aired on its popular Saturday Night Live (SNL) show.
A snippet from the show mocking satanic cults has been doing the rounds on the internet. Popular American singer Lady Gaga debuted on the show meant to mock satanist rituals but ended up outraging several sections of society, most notably the Hindus for unwarranted references to Hindu Gods and the religious incantation “Om Namah Shivaay”—held sacred by millions of Hindus around the world.
Hinduphobia has gone to different level in US today with SNL doing this Satanic cults skit today with Lady Gaga and using plenty of hindu imagery gods and chants
— Swathi Bellam (@BellamSwathi) March 10, 2025
They also use lot of dead religious symbols but how can they use hinduism followed by 100 Crore people and they… pic.twitter.com/aYK9aMRCCY
The controversy erupted on March 8 when Lady Gaga made her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live, sparking controversy with a skit titled Friendly’s Birthday Gone Wrong. In the sketch, she staged a mock satanic ritual over a fabricated birthday claim, featuring red-cloaked staff, fake blood, and a heart-ripping scene reminiscent of Indiana Jones.
Meant as a campy satire to promote her new album Mayhem, the skit included a character named ‘Mola Ram’ who tried to scare the protagonist. Subsequently, the skit featured another character chanting “Om Namah Shivaay”.
The skit backfired dramatically, with a section of social media blasting SNL for its brazen Hinduphobia at a time when Hindus and Hindu iconography has come under the attack of racist bigots bent on painting the entire world with the same brush as the potent mix of Khalistanis and Islamists seek to shape American society by their whims and the exclusivist idea of religious absolutism.
The American social media was also up in arms against Lady Gaga and SNL, accusing it of furthering hidden Satanic messaging, drawing on her history of provocative artistry, including the meat dress and the Judas music video.
Lady Gaga openly performs a satanic ritual in an SNL skit, where a demonic entity named "Lamashtu" is summoned.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) March 9, 2025
One person drinks its blood, signifying a chilling rebaptism by the so-called "mother of beasts."
The mainstream media is celebrating Lady Gaga's appearance in this… pic.twitter.com/nh7OOwff7f
Attack on BAPS temple in California
Notably, on Saturday (8th March), extremists carried out vandalism at the BAPS Hindu Temple in Chino Hills in California State of the US. The temple walls were defaced with slogans such as ‘F*ck Modi, Modi Murdabad, Hindustan Murdabad.’
BAPS confirmed the incident through a post on the social media platform X and drew attention to the hateful messages that were written on the temple walls.
In the post on X, BAPS stated, “In the face of another Mandir desecration, this time in Chino Hills, CA, the Hindu community stands steadfast against hate. Together with the community in Chino Hills and Southern California, we will never let hate take root. Our common humanity and faith will ensure that peace and compassion prevail.”
Series of attacks on Hindu temples
This is not the first time a Hindu place of worship has been targeted.
On 3rd August and 16th August 2022, the Shri Tulsi Mandir in Queens, New York, was vandalised. On 30th October 2023, the Hari Om Radha Krishna Mandir in Sacramento was attacked. On 23rd December 2023, the SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Newark, California, was desecrated.
At the beginning of 2024, there was a series of such incidents. On 1st January, the Shiv Durga Temple in Santa Clara was defaced. Four days later, on 5th January, both the Shree Ashta Lakshmi Temple in Fremont and Vijay’s Sherawali Temple in Hayward were targeted.
