Posted on August 23, 2024

Huge Half-Monkey Half-Human Statue in Texas Sparks Conservative Backlash

Alia Slisco, Newsweek, August 21, 2024

Conservatives are raging over the arrival of a 90-foot tall statue of Hanuman, a Hindu deity that is half-human and half-monkey, in Texas.

The massive statue was raised on August 15 at Sugar Land’s Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, according to local NBC affiliate KCEN. Hindus consider Hanuman an immortal being known for his devotion to the Hindu god Rama and virtues like self-control.

The Texas Hanuman figure, officially titled the “Statue of Union,” is now reportedly the third tallest statue in the continental U.S., trailing only the 151-foot tall Statue of Liberty in New York and the 110-foot tall Pegasus and Dragon statue in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Conservatives, particularly those identifying themselves as Christians, quickly lashed out at images and videos of the statue, with some claiming that the figure was “demonic.”

“This is a Hindu statue they just built in TX. I rebuke this demonic filth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ,” @itsmorganariel, a self-described “Christian activist,” wrote while sharing a video on X, formerly Twitter.

{snip}

“90-foot statue of Hindu demon Hanuman erected in Houston, Texas. It is now the third tallest statue in America,” wrote @AFpost, an account that purports to share news “from an America First perspective.”

“In Texas there is a 90 ft statue of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey god. What is the United States anymore? A nation with no culture, now that the enrichers are prominent in the census,” self-described “Christian nationalist” @JuanValder72733 wrote.

{snip}