Join WhatsApp Channel
The Las Vegas chapter of the Coalition of Hindus of North America hosted an interfaith community gathering in support of the Right to Worship Act on September 16, 2026, at the Sahara West Library in Las Vegas.
The bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeks to protect worshippers from “intimidation and disruption” by establishing a 100-foot, protest-free buffer zone around houses of worship during religious services. Peaceful expression protected under the First Amendment would not be included among the activities prohibited by the bill, according to a statement from CoHNA.
Organized under CoHNA’s Building Bridges and Connecting Communities initiative, the event brought together religious and civic leaders to discuss shared concerns and values. It was one of two engagements held by CoHNA across the country that day in support of the legislation.
While the Las Vegas chapter convened community leaders in Nevada, CoHNA representatives also participated in a Capitol Hill press conference organized by the bill’s congressional sponsors.
The Las Vegas gathering began with an introduction to CoHNA and its government affairs activities, followed by a brief presentation on the Right to Worship Act by Sudha Jaganathan, the organization’s director of government relations.
Several elected officials and congressional staff members attended the event, according to CoHNA. Nevada Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama addressed the interfaith gathering. Martin Hernandez, a Las Vegas staff assistant for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, and Nethmini Happawana, Las Vegas regional director for Sen. Jacky Rosen, also attended.
Representatives from across Las Vegas’ religious and civic communities delivered brief remarks.
Vin Manjing, a nun with the Nevada Buddhist Association, emphasized the importance of religious communities standing together to protect their faiths.
B. Bhatti of Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash spoke on behalf of the Sikh community. He said Sikhism teaches respect for all people and human values, while emphasizing that religious freedom is important for everyone.
Byron Brooks, representing the Jewish Federation and StandWithUs Nevada, said harmful actors had become emboldened and that conditions had worsened for many faith-based organizations. He also pointed to the sharp increase in antisemitism experienced by Jewish Americans since October 7.
Corey Wozniak, speaking on behalf of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, described the legislation as a wise measure and said he felt it would protect him as a person of faith.
Farrah Acheson of the Nevada Muslim Caucus discussed the rise in Islamophobic attacks and other forms of religious hostility. She urged minority communities to stand together and affirm that they are an integral part of the United States. Acheson cited her friendships within the Jewish and Hindu communities as examples of what people can accomplish through unity.
Pushpita Prasad, CoHNA’s chief communications officer, spoke on behalf of the Hindu and Jain communities. Representatives from the Las Vegas Hindu-Jain Temple and the Fiji temple also attended the gathering.
José Melendrez, vice provost at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, discussed the university’s role in community engagement. He said students from diverse backgrounds share the campus and noted that national divisions following October 7 required sustained efforts at UNLV to maintain peace during a period of intense debate.
Melendrez reaffirmed that everyone has the right to express their views, underscoring the importance of finding peaceful ways to work together.
Swadeep Nigam of VegasDesi, a community news platform that helped bring together many of the event’s participants, also delivered remarks.
“The range of voices in the room mirrored the coalition behind the bill nationally: more than 30 national organizations have endorsed the Right to Worship Act, among them the Anti-Defamation League, the Islamic Society of North America, United Sikhs, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and CoHNA,” the statement said.
According to CoHNA, Southern Nevada’s three House members and both of the state’s U.S. senators have acknowledged the legislation and are reviewing it. Supporters of the bill said they hope Nevada’s congressional delegation will vote to protect religious freedom and allow worshippers to enter houses of worship without intimidation.
“Nevada showed today that protecting places of worship is not an issue for any one faith,” Jaganathan said. “Multiple faith communities came together to endorse a simple principle: we should be able to worship freely and without fear, and that does not weaken the right to peaceful expression.”
In Washington, D.C., CoHNA Chief Operating Officer and New Jersey Chapter Director Hitesh Trivedi joined a press conference organized by Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Brad Knott, R-N.C., the bill’s House co-leads. Representatives from more than a dozen national religious organizations also attended and urged both chambers of Congress to advance the legislation.
A companion measure in the Senate has been introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
Trivedi highlighted incidents involving 12 Hindu temples that have been desecrated, vandalized or threatened since 2022, including one that was reportedly targeted by gunfire. He said such incidents of Hinduphobia have sent a chilling message to the broader Hindu community.
The legislation, Trivedi said, would help ensure that “devotees of every faith can visit their places of worship and pray without fear, amid a time of rising Hinduphobia.”
Related posts:
CoHNA Capitol Hill Advocacy Draws Bipartisan Support
CoHNA Hosts 4th Annual Hindu Day of Advocacy at U.S. Capitol, Highlights Rising Hindu American Voice
The Unfinished Promise of America at 250: The Hindu Diaspora and the Price of Silence
Minnesota Resolution Condemning Hinduphobia Gains Support as CoHNA Highlights Community Concerns
