'Pagan blasphemer': Indian-American Harmeet Dhillon slammed for offering 'Ardas' at RNC

Sikh Republican leader Harmeet Dhillon was on Tuesday trolled on social media for reciting ‘Ardas,’ a Sikh prayer, at the Republican National Convention, with Christian fundamentalists and ultra-conservatives saying she was offering prayers to a ‘foreign god’.

However, many, including the Republican leaders, also hailed it as a notable moment of cultural and religious representation by a party that’s seen as predominantly white, conservative, and Christian.

Dhillon recited the opening part of the ‘Ardas’ in Gurmukhi before praying in English for America, the American voters, and thanking God for protecting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from an attempted assassination.

After Dhillon came under fire from a section of those who deemed the prayer as “anti-Christian” and “blasphemous”, the Republican leader took to X, saying that she was blocking a few people.

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Blocking quite a few people…

— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) July 16, 2024

Calling her act blasphemous, an X user named George said, “ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!! I have nothing but respect for Harmeet Dhillon but fire whoever invited her to pray to a foreign god, there is only one true God we pray to and his name is not whatever she said. His name is YAHWEH and his only begotten Son is Jesus Christ.”

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ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!! I have nothing but respect for Harmeet Dhillon but fire whoever invited her to pray to a foreign god, there is only one true God we pray to and his name is not whatever she said. His name is YAHWEH and his only begotten Son is Jesus Christ pic.twitter.com/Vxiq4NSZdi

— George (@BehizyTweets) July 16, 2024

Others accused Dhillon of being a pagan and termed the Sikh blessing “witchcraft”.

How about you get deported instead, you pagan blasphemer.

God saves our president and the RNC mocks him with this witchcraft. pic.twitter.com/pAa0S6tQeV

— Lauren Witzke (@LaurenWitzkeDE) July 16, 2024

“How about you get deported instead, you pagan blasphemer. God saves our president and the RNC mocks him with this witchcraft,” far-right political activist Lauren Witzke posted on X.

One of the X users said it’s okay to worship freely, but one should refrain from promoting non-Christian religion at the GOP convention.

Another X user said reciting a Sikh prayer at the RNC was “embarrassing.”

Meanwhile, several people also came out in support of Dhillon saying that the hatred directed towards Dhillon “is totally misplaced.”

The hatred directed toward @pnjaban is totally misplaced. America has always respected minority faith groups, provided that they acquit themselves as good citizens and respect the religion of the majority. You can read George Washington's letter to the Jews from 1790. pic.twitter.com/DIukur3JeS

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) July 16, 2024

“America has always respected minority faith groups, provided that they acquit themselves as good citizens and respect the religion of the majority,” X user Christopher F Rufo said.

In an interview to the New York Post, Dhillon expressed gratitude towards the positive response she received saying, “Overall, while the voices of haters can be amplified artificially online, I would say the vast majority of the response to my prayer by mainstream Republicans has been positive, and I’m grateful for that.”

Dhillon further said that the RNC delegates had approved her of offering the prayer.

“Do not portray me as a victim. Yes, there are definitely some negative comments online, but members of the RNC, delegates at the RNC in the Trump campaign approved of me doing this prayer,” Dhillon said.

“We ran the script by them, and no one has expressed regret for that,” she added.

With inputs from agencies