Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel on Monday called Diwali festival a powerful symbol of the victory of good over evil after which he faced a wave of online backlash in the United States.
“Happy Diwali – celebrating the Festival of Lights around the world, as good triumphs over evil. A very Happy Diwali to all,” Patel wrote on X.
MAGA-aligned Christians have hit out at Patel for celebrating Diwali- even though President Donald Trump also wished on the occasion.
Trump will also host the traditional White House Diwali that former President Barack Obama had started on November 22.
“Sir, please don't promote the festivals of foreign gods in America,” one user wrote.
Another said, “This is not a thing here. Stop trying to make it a thing.”
“How about no. In America we are Christian,” read one post.
“I want to live in America, not India,” another commented. One user wrote, “We need to deport all Hindus.”
'Well we didn't get the Epstein files but we got goofy foreign holidays,' a user chimed in.
An X user who boasted that he was 'right wing before it was cool' even declared that Patel's post is 'not compatible with American tradition,' and another conservative asked why Patel was 'betraying Charlie Kirk,' a devout Christian.
"Rest now, brother. We have the watch, and I’ll see you in Valhalla," Patel said at a news conference on September 12 announcing the arrest of Charlie Kirk’s shooter Tyler Robinson. The reference to Valhalla, a Norse mythological hall of warriors, drew criticism online given Patel’s Hindu upbringing and Kirk’s Christian faith.
Kirk, 22, was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Navjot Pal Kaur, a Sikh American from NYC, posts a screenshot on X of far-right pastor Joel Webbon's reply to Kash Patel's Diwali greeting, where Webbon wrote "go back home and worship your sand demons."
The indignation directed at Patel isn’t new. Last week, a leaked Young Republicans telegram group chat was exposed by Politico, revealing white supremacist slurs and Hitler admiration among party youth.
The chats exposed racist, antisemitic, and violent exchanges among several state-level leaders who frequently invoked Nazi references, racial slurs, and threats to political rivals.
"Never trust a chinaman or Indian (sic)," was one of the texts sent by Paul Ingrassia, Donald Trump's pick to lead the White House Office of the Special Counsel, in 2024 in an apparent reference to then-Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
The 2,900 pages of chats often discussed Trump’s influence as the MAGA chief.
Despite the online vile at Patel, some also showed support for Patel, with one X user wishing him a happy Diwali.
'There's enough things to get mad at you for, but you sending Diwali greetings isn't one of them,' he wrote.
Diwali has been growing in popularity across the United States with three states now recognizing it as an official holiday - California, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill earlier this month officially adopting the holiday in the state.
Patel, whose appointment earlier this year was a milestone for the Indian-American community, took his oath of office with his hand on the Bhagavad Gita.
