A Texas man who criticised a Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Dallas has been removed from his church. Daniel Keene, despite a wave of backlash, insists he will not apologise for his comments.
"We have to cancel the H-1Bs. I want my kids to grow up in America. Not India," his original post, now-deleted, read. The video went viral, allegedly leading to severe consequences for Keene and his family.
These included doxxing, threats, and what he described as an extortion attempt from someone claiming to represent millions of Indian-Americans demanding $20,000, as per Newsweek.
Following the controversy, Keene's cafe, Boundaries Coffee, was targeted with fake reviews, his gym cancelled his membership, and his church, The Trails Church, confronted him over the post. After a series of meetings, Keene said the church ultimately asked him to leave when he refused to repent of his actions.
Keene detailed his dispute with church leaders in a long post on X, saying he faced over seven hours of questioning, that his offers of character witnesses from Indian friends were declined, and that elders refused to specify his "sin" in writing.
"Some facts the elders don't bother disputing," Keene wrote, listing several points:
- That he was told his post amounted to church discipline.
- He was effectively asked to leave the church on September 24 after a two-hour meeting with seven elders and one staff member.
- That he wanted to remain a member, was willing to step down from leadership, and only wished to be "left alone."
- His attempts to provide evidence of anti-racist posts and witnesses were rejected.
- He repeatedly asked the elders to explain his alleged offence in writing but received no reply.
Some facts the elders don't bother disputing
— Daniel Keene (@Djkeene1) October 11, 2025
1. That when I asked on Sept. 10th if this would rise to the level of discipline Matt said “Brother this *is* discipline. If you're asking if you're barred from the table right now, no. But if you continue in this, yes.”
They then…
Keene said he was "hammered for hours" and pressured to apologise for his remarks about Indian immigration, but refused. "That's the policy position I stand behind," he said, adding that while he was open to clarifying his intent or speaking with those offended, he would not retract his words.
He said the elders told him he was on "the path of discipline," which could lead to removal from membership if he failed to repent. Keene added that church leaders implied he was "not a Christian anymore" because he would not confess to a sin he did not believe he committed.
Speaking to Newsweek, Keene said he did not regret what he posted. "It's not about skin colour or anything. It's about what kind of country do you want to leave your kids, and do you have the right to object to the policies that are seemingly affecting my children? That was kind of my concern," he said.
"I wanted to bring awareness to the policy effect on the ground. I did not want to get death threats," he added.
The Trails Church confirmed to Newsweek that it met with Keene and his family "to discuss the gospel mandate to love our neighbours as Christ has loved his church" and said it had asked them to consider whether they could "joyfully continue as members." The church added that it later received a request from the Keenes to remove them from membership.
