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

NEW YORK (AP) — A float in Sunday’s upcoming India Day Parade in New York City that celebrates a Hindu temple built over a razed mosque in 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 float featuring 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 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,” 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 heat, 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.

“As we celebrate what we consider a vital aspect of our faith through the celebration of the landmark, we unequivocally reject violence and hate in any form, including any damage to any religious place of worship,” Ankur Vaidya, chairman of the Federation of Indian Associations, which is organizing the event, said in a statement. “We stand for peaceful coexistence and encourage everyone to embrace this value.”

The association bills the parade as a celebration of the “rich tapestry of India’s cultural diversity,” with floats representing not just Hindu but Muslim, Sikh