Pajeet

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Pajeet is an ethnic slur directed at Indians, particularly Hindus and Sikhs. [1] [2] [3] [4] The term first appeared on 4chan in 2015 and it came to be used more widely since the early 2020s. [5]

Contents

Etymology

The term Pajeet is an imitation of common names in northwestern India that end with the suffix "jeet", the Hindi word जित (jīt, IPA: [d͡ʒiːt̪.t̪ɐ] ) meaning "victory"; ultimately derived from Sanskrit जित (jitá, IPA: [d͡ʑi.t̪ɐ] ) meaning "won, conquered". [6] Names such as Amarjeet and Ranjeet are typical examples. [5]

History

The term Pajeet originated from the "Pajeet my son" meme created on the 4chan message board /int/ in July 2015 mocking open defecation by Indians. This was itself inspired by the "Mehmet, my son" meme, popularized on /int/ in late 2014, which mocked Turkish people. [7]

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

In the months preceding 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) investigated the online trends between 2019 and 2022, noting a wide dispersion of Hinduphobic and anti-Indian slurs and tropes during this period. The NCRI report concluded that the word "Pajeet" is often used, "with the majority of derogatory characterizations towards Hindus", alongside a depiction of Hindu religious symbols. [9]

The 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse due to a collision MV Dali, which carried Indians in the crew, resulted in large anti-Indian racist attacks on social media platforms including usage of the term pajeet. [2]

The slur has also been used against politicians of Indian origin. British prime minister Rishi Sunak and American presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were targeted with the slur. [4]

References

  1. ↑ "Rising Hinduphobia: Global Surge in Anti-Hindu Violence Raises Alarms". DD News . Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Baltimore bridge collapse: Racist online attacks on Indian crew of MV Dali". The New Indian Express. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Surge in hate slurs against Indian-origin people in Canada, reveals report". India Today. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Online Racism Targeting South Asians Skyrockets". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 Chopra, Rohit (24 September 2024). "The Politics of Anti-Indian Hate and Racism on Elon Musk's X". Center for the Study of Organized Hate. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  6. ↑ ""जित", in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary". www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de (new ed.). Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1899. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Rana, Aayushi (13 March 2024). "Cow Worshippers to Pajeets: Analysing the Lexicon of Hate speech". DFRAC . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media" (PDF). Rutgers University . 7 July 2022.
  9. ↑

Bibliography

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