Pajeet is an ethnic slur directed at Indians, particularly the adherents of Hinduism.[1][2][3][4] The term first appeared on 4chan in 2015, originating on the site’s /int/ (International) board, and was later popularized by white separatists and Islamists.[5][6][7]

Etymology

Pajeet is an invented name, created as an imitation of common indian names in Northwestern India that end with the suffix "jeet", which means "victory" in Sanskrit. Names such as Harjeet and Manjeet are typical examples. When it first appeared on 4chan, the term was used to represent a stereotypical Indian identity and later developed into an ethnic slur.[4][8][9][10]

History

The term Pajeet originated from the "Pajeet my son" meme created on the 4chan message board /int/ in July 2015 mocking open defecation of Indians.[5] This was itself inspired by the "Mehmet, my son" meme, popularized on /int/ in late 2014, which mocked Turkish people.[11][12]

Prior to 2019, Pajeet was mainly limited to a small number of social media platforms such as 4chan, Gab and Telegram.[8] However, pajeet was then popularized by Islamist extremists, and white supremacists activists to target Hindus.[13][14] John Earnest, the perpetrator of the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting, referenced "pajeets" in his manifesto.[14]

In the aftermath of the 2022 Leicester unrest between Hindus and Muslims, anti-Hindu memes were accompanied by "pajeet" depicting Hindus as barbaric and dirty. Rutgers University's Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), which has investigated the online trends between 2019 and 2022, noted a wide dispersion of anti-Hindu and anti-Indian slurs and tropes during this period.[15]

The 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, which was incorrectly blamed by many on indians, resulted in large racist attacks on social media platforms, in which the term pajeet was widely used by anti-indian internet users.[10]

Politicians of Indian origin have been applied with the Pajeet slur. British prime minister Rishi Sunak was targeted with the term in 2023, so was American presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during his campaigns.[4]

Criticism

In late 2022, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) criticized and denounced the term Pajeet as "Hinduphobic".[5]

References

  1. ^ "Rising Hinduphobia: Global Surge in Anti-Hindu Violence Raises Alarms". ddnews.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  2. ^ ""Pajeet" And Its Origin As An Anti-Hindu Slur". Baaz. 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  3. ^ Desk, India Today World (2025-07-02). "Surge in hate slurs against Indian-origin people in Canada, reveals report". India Today. Retrieved 2025-08-22. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ a b c Extremism, Global Project Against Hate & (2024-05-09). "Online Racism Targeting South Asians Skyrockets". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  5. ^ a b c Baaz. ""Pajeet" And Its Origin As An Anti-Hindu Slur". www.baaznews.org. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  6. ^ Chopra, Rohit (2024-09-24). "The Politics of Anti-Indian Hate and Racism on Elon Musk's X". Center for the Study of Organized Hate. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  7. ^ "Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media". 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  8. ^ a b "Racial slurs against Hindus have genocidal impact, says report – Hindu Times Canada". hindutimescanada.ca. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  9. ^ Staff, India Currents (2024-04-01). "Racist Cartoons Mock Indian Crew Of Cargo Ship Dali". India Currents. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  10. ^ a b Desk, Online (2024-03-27). "Baltimore bridge collapse: Racist online attacks on Indian crew of MV Dali". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-08-22. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ "Mehmet My Son". Know Your Meme. 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  12. ^ "Pajeet". Know Your Meme. 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  13. ^ "Iranian Trolls And White Supremacists Used Social Media Platforms To Fuel Hinduphobia - The Commune". 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  14. ^ a b "Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media" (PDF). Rutgers University. 7 July 2022.
  15. ^ NCRI, Cyber Social Swarming (2022), p. 3.

Bibliography