A float in Sunday’s India Day Parade (August 18) in New York City that celebrates a Hindu temple built over a razed mosque in India has sparked controversy, with a number of groups calling it anti-Muslim and saying it should be removed from the event.

The float depicts a temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram, which was consecrated earlier this year on a site in Ayodhya, India, believed to be his birthplace. But the temple site has long been bitterly contested between Hindus and Muslims, and in the early 1990s a mosque that stood there was razed by a Hindu fundamentalist mob.

Some U.S.-based organizations have written a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, calling the float anti-Muslim and saying it glorified the mosque’s takedown.

Among groups who signed the letter were the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Indian American Muslim Council and Hindus for Human Rights.

The letter says the temple is considered a symbol glorifying the destruction of mosques and violence against Muslims in the South Asian nation.

Hindus make up about 80% of India’s population, but the country is also home to about 200 million Muslims who have frequently come under attack by Hindu nationalists.

“This float presence represents these groups’ desire to conflate Hindu nationalist ideology with Indian identity, but India is a secular country,” the letter said. “This is not merely a cultural display, but a vulgar celebration of anti-Muslim heat, bigotry, and religious supremacy.”

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, which is organizing the float, says it represents a Hindu place of worship and aims to glorify a deity seen as an important part of Indian and Hindu identity. The Hindu American Foundation said it was an exercise of free speech.

The Federation of Indian Associations, which runs Sunday’s event, said the parade represents India’s cultural diversity and will feature floats from a range of communities.

Spokespersons for Hochul didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Thursday, August 15. But when asked about the controversy on Tuesday, August 13, at City Hall, Adams said there’s “no room for hate” in New York, which his office said is home to the nation’s largest Indian American population, with more than 247,000 residents.

“I want to send the right symbolic gesture that the city’s open to everyone and there’s no room for hate,” the Democrat said. “If there is a float or a person in the parade that’s promoting hate, they should not.”

In a follow-up email late Thursday, Adams’ office said the mayor has no plans to attend Sunday’s parade, which he has attended in years past.

It also noted that the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech prevents the city from denying a permit or requiring that a float or parade’s message be changed simply because it does not agree with the content.

“From day one, the mayor has been clear that celebrations in our city should be welcoming and inclusive,” the office wrote. “The mayor has always centered communities first, emphasizing that when we come together as one, we practice respect and grace, set politics aside, and embrace the rich melting pot that is New York City.”

Hindus say the site in Ayodhya was holy to them long before Muslim Mughals razed a temple there to build the 1528 Babri mosque, which was destroyed in 1992. The mosque’s destruction was followed by nationwide riots that killed some 2,000 people, mainly Muslims. In 2019, the Indian Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus.

Human rights experts say India has seen a rise in attacks, including violence and discrimination, on minorities in recent years under Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusations that Modi denies.

The annual New York City parade takes place three days after India’s Independence Day.

Source: Reuters