Several South Asian American organizations and lawmakers are condemning a float that will be on display Sunday at the India Day Parade in New York City, saying it’s overtly anti-Muslim.
The float, announced in a promotional video, will feature a large model of the Ram Mandir, a Hindu temple built on contested religious ground in the north Indian city of Ayodhya. The temple was built on the ruins of a 16th-century mosque, Babri Masjid, which was demolished by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992.
Widespread riots across India followed in the ‘90s, and thousands of people, primarily Muslims, were killed.
In 2019, India’s Supreme Court greenlit the construction of the Hindu temple on the site, and it was inaugurated earlier this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ayodhya is a holy city for Hindus, and some believe the site of the temple was the birthplace of the deity Ram. But for Muslims, the grand opening represents continued marginalization by Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist government.
Previous India Day Parades in New York City have drawn tens of thousands of people. Advocates worry a Ram Mandir float this year will send the wrong message.
“A float celebrating the construction of the Ram Temple would be divisive, and runs counter to the values of New York City,” said a letter to NYC Mayor Eric Adams signed by three South Asian lawmakers in New York: councilmembers Shekar Krishnan and Shahana Hanif, and state assembly member Zohran Mamdani.
Adams responded to the outrage as he took part in a larger news conference on Tuesday, saying there’s no place for hate in the city.
“I want to send the right symbolic gesture that the city’s open to everyone and there’s no room for hate,” he said. “If there is a float or a person in the parade that’s promoting hate, they should not.”
Adams has marched in the parade in previous years, he said, but this year he wasn’t invited or made aware of it happening. Responding to questions about Muslim New Yorkers’ concerns, he added that he’s always supported them.
“I have a long record on standing up on behalf of the Muslim community, probably a record that’s more impressive than any other elected officials,” he said. “I’m not going to be judged by man, God judges me.”
Organizers of the event emphasized in a July news release that the parade aims to celebrate all of India’s communities.
“This celebration is an inclusive event that proudly represents the rich tapestry of India’s cultural diversity and will feature floats from various communities, including Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian faiths, underscoring 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 runs the event.
But Muslim and progressive South Asian groups say the Ram Mandir float has to go for the event to be truly inclusive.
“Allowing such a hateful and bigoted celebration in NYC is an affront to American values and to harmony and peaceful coexistence among our diverse communities,” said another letter to Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul sent by a coalition of 22 organizations. “It emboldens Hindu extremists to advance their supremacist agenda in the United States and glorifies acts of violence injustice and discrimination against Muslims.”
New York should consider all of its South Asian communities, the lawmakers wrote.
“As proud Indian-American and Bangladeshi-American, Hindu and Muslim elected officials representing New York City communities, we welcome the celebration of Indian culture and heritage on the streets of our great city. However, such public celebrations should not include symbols of division or bigotry,” they wrote.
