A planned float in NYC’s India Day Parade is anti-Muslim and should be removed, opponents say

A float in Sundays upcoming India Day Parade in New York City that celebrates a Hindu templebuilt over a razed mosquein India is being criticized as anti-Muslim.. ..

The Indian American Muslim Council and other faith-based groups have called on parade organizers to remove a floatfeaturing the Ram Mandir, saying 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 Indias 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, the organization and others wrote in a letter earlier this month addressed to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams..

This is not merely a cultural display, but a vulgar celebration of anti-Muslim hate, bigotry, and religious supremacy.. . . Parade organizers have rejected calls to remove the float, saying it celebrates the inauguration of a sacred landmark that is significant to hundreds of millions of Hindus.. ..

The association bills the parade as a celebration of the rich tapestry of Indias cultural diversity, with floats representing not just Hindu but Muslim, Sikh and Christian faiths participating over the years.. . Vaidya also noted in his statement that the theme for this years parade is Vasudev Kutumbakam, a Sanskrit phrase that translates to the world is one family.. ..

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