NYC’s India Parade Sparks Backlash Over Anti-Muslim Float
Controversy erupted ahead of New York City’s India Day Parade on Sunday over a carnival float featuring a Hindu temple, which several groups considered anti-Muslim and demanded its removal.
The float depicted a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Ram, recently consecrated in Ayodhya, India—a site with a long history of tension between Hindus and Muslims. The location is believed by Hindus to be Ram’s birthplace, but a mosque stood there until it was demolished by a Hindu mob in the early 1990s, leading to nationwide riots and ongoing disputes.
Organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Indian American Muslim Council, and Hindus for Human Rights wrote to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, criticizing the float for glorifying the mosque’s destruction and pushing Hindu nationalist ideology.
“This float’s presence seeks to merge Hindu nationalist ideology with Indian identity, ignoring India’s secular nature,” the letter asserted.
In response, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, which organized the float, argued that it honors a significant Hindu place of worship and celebrates Indian and Hindu heritage. The Hindu American Foundation defended the float as an exercise of free speech.
The Federation of Indian Associations, the parade’s organizer, emphasized that the event celebrated India’s cultural diversity and included floats from various communities.
Mayor Adams stated earlier this week that “there’s no room for hate” in the parade, and any float promoting hate should be excluded. However, his office later noted that the city cannot deny a permit or alter a float’s message simply because of content disagreement, citing the First Amendment.
The parade took place on Sunday, just days after India’s Independence Day.
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