South Asians are major contributors to society in the United States and the rest of the world. There is no dispute to this fact. However, there have been many cases of discrimination against them in recent times. Discrimination against South Asians is a serious problem, especially since they are one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States. Cases of racism against South Asians are serious issues that need to be faced.

South Asians constantly face discrimination. Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people. Cases of discrimination directed towards South Asians spiked up after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, even if the perpetrators of the attacks were not connected to South Asia, they were Middle Eastern. This was because many South Asians and Middle Eastern people have similar skin colors, and they wear similar types of clothing such as headscarves. To add, there are 3.5 million South Asians currently in the US, and they are the fastest-growing population among major ethnic groups. Many of these immigrants are moving for education and career opportunities, for themselves and their children.

Discrimination against South Asians results in horrid effects. Numerous victims even get assaulted. There have been multiple instances of people getting attacked during hateful exchanges. An instance of this was in Texas, where a woman was caught on video verbally and physically assaulting a group of South Asians. During the incident, she punched someone in the group and threatened to shoot another. She was eventually arrested for charges of assault and hate crimes.

A real-world example of discrimination against South Asians occurred to my father. My dad was at a store with a friend, speaking to the store clerk about a customer service complaint. My dad and his friend were being entirely respectful to the employee, and nothing aggressive ensued. However, another customer came up to them and exclaimed to my father and his friend that they should, “Go back to India and fix things there!” The employee responded to the customer, telling him to mind his own business. This is an example of South Asian discrimination because the man had no right to say that to my father. My father was being respectful to the worker, and for no reason, the man came up to my father, verbally assaulted him, and showed the terrible reality of discrimination and racism against South Asians. 

So, what can be done to combat these issues of discrimination and racism? The solution to this is uniting South Asians together. Metropolitan areas are the main areas where cultural institutions are formed since these places are the main pathways where immigrants can easily find employment. However, people living outside these metropolitan areas, in the rest of the country, do not have the resources and support like those living in them. To do this, South Asian cultural organizations' reach should be widened to include areas where there are not as many resources. This does not just include big, influential organizations. Organizations on the school or local levels would work just as well. Educating young minds on the importance of inclusiveness and acceptance removes this malice of racial hatred directly from the root.

Discrimination against South Asians is a serious issue. Since 9/11, hate crimes and cases of discrimination have risen tremendously. People even get assaulted just because of their race. To solve and prevent these issues, we should continue to bring South Asians together with social organizations regardless of where they live. So why are crimes against South Asians not taken seriously?

Works Cited

Kooragayala, Shiva. "Many South Asians lack local resources to withstand rise in hate crimes." Urban Institute, 19 May 2017, www.urban.org/urban-wire/many-south-asians-lack-local-resources-withstand-rise-hate-crimes. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.

Singh, Simrin, editor. "'Go back to India': Woman arrested after racist rant, assault caught on video in Texas." CBS News, 26 Aug. 2022, www.cbsnews.com/news/racist-rant-assault-plano-texas-esmeralda-upton-woman-arrested/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

Unni, Asha K., et al. "'No, but where are you really from?' Experiences of perceived discrimination and identity development among Asian Indian adolescents." Frontiers, Oct. 2022, Link:frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.955011/full. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.