Several South Asian American groups and lawmakers have condemned a float displayed in New York City’s India Day parade on Sunday as explicitly anti-Muslim.
The float, announced in a promotional video, will display a large model of the Ram temple, a Hindu shrine built on religiously contested land in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya. The temple was built on the ruins of the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque that was destroyed by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992.
In the 1990s, riots raged across India, killing thousands of people, mostly Muslims.
In 2019, India’s Supreme Court approved the construction of a Hindu temple at the site, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year.
Ayodhya is a holy site for Hindus, some of whom believe the temple site is the birthplace of Lord Rama, but for Muslims, the grand opening marks continued marginalization by Prime Minister Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist government.
Past India Day parades in New York City have drawn tens of thousands of people, and advocates worry this year’s Ram temple float may send the wrong message.
“The float celebrating the construction of the Ram temple is divisive and antithetical to New York City’s values,” said the letter to New York Mayor Eric Adams, signed by three South Asian lawmakers – New York City Council members Shekhar Krishnan and Shahana Hanif, and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
Mayor Adams responded to the outrage at a major press conference on Tuesday, saying there is no place for hate in the city.
“We want to send the right symbolic gesture that our city is open to everyone and that there is no place for hate,” he said. “If there are floats or people in the parade that incite hate, they shouldn’t be there.”
Adams said he has participated in the parade in the past but was not invited or even informed that there would be a parade this year, responding to a question about the concerns of Muslims in New York, adding that he has always supported them.
“I have a long track record of standing up for the Muslim community, probably a more impressive track record than any other elected official,” he said. “I will not be judged by man, God will be judge of me.”
Organizers of the event emphasized in a July news release that the parade is meant to celebrate all Indian communities.
“The celebrations are inclusive, proudly showcasing the rich fabric of India’s cultural diversity and will feature floats from various communities including Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian faiths, underlining the belief that we are all integral parts of this community, regardless of caste, creed or religion,” said Dr Avinash Gupta, president of the Federation of Indian Associations, which is organising the event.
But Muslim and progressive South Asian groups say the Ram temple float must be removed for the event to be truly inclusive.
“Allowing such a hateful and bigoted celebration in New York is an affront to American values and to harmony and peaceful coexistence among our diverse communities,” said a separate letter sent by a coalition of 22 organizations to Governor Adams and Governor Kathy Hawkle. “It helps Hindu extremists advance their chauvinist agenda in America and glorifies acts of violence, injustice and discrimination against Muslims.”
New York state should consider all South Asian communities, the lawmakers wrote.
“As Indian American, Bangladeshi American, Hindu and Muslim elected officials representing communities in New York City, we welcome the celebration of Indian culture and heritage in the streets of our great city. However, such public celebrations should not include symbols of division and bigotry,” they wrote.
