Washington, D.C.: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), the largest advocacy organization representing diaspora Indian Muslims in the United States, strongly condemns and expresses deep concern over the planned inclusion of an anti-Muslim float at a parade in New York City on August 18.
A group of organizations led by far-right Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) plan to use the 42nd Annual India Day Parade on August 18 to propagate hate and instill fear among American Muslims by featuring a divisive float of the Ram Temple, a symbol of violence, historical injustice and religious intolerance.
VHPA is an offshoot of India’s Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and has been designated as a “militant religious organization” by the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) World Factbook. Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative identifies VHPA as an Islamophobic group.
Along with VHPA, the event is organized in collaboration with the Indian consulate, Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), which is under active FBI investigation for forced labor and exploitation of low-caste laborers from India and the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).
“It is deeply troubling to see far-right groups turning our nation’s independence into a circus of hate and religious supremacy. The proposed float for the parade is a brazen attempt to glorify the demolition of the Babri Mosque and celebrate violence and terror against 200 million Indian Muslims.
This is not a cultural or religious display but a vile celebration of anti-Muslim hate and bigotry,” said IAMC President Mohammed Jawad.
“Such an event threatens the values of inclusivity and tolerance that New York City and the state of New York proudly uphold,” Jawad added.
The Ram Temple stands on the ruins of the historic Babri Mosque, which was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a mob of over 150,000 Hindu zealots. The demolition sparked widespread riots across India, resulting in the deaths of thousands, predominantly Muslims.
In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India controversially awarded the site to Hindus for the construction of the temple, thereby legitimizing an egregious act of violence against a Muslim place of worship. Despite this, the court acknowledged the criminality of the mosque’s destruction, noting it as an “egregious violation of the rule of law.”
The inauguration of the Ram Temple in January 2024 by India’s Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has further exacerbated religious tensions in the country, resulting in widespread violence at the hands of what the Washington Post called “triumphant Hindu mobs” and attacks on multiple other places of worship.
In August 2022, similar far-right Hindu groups transformed the India Day parade in Edison, New Jersey, into a hate event by displaying a bulldozer, symbolizing the demolition of Muslim homes in India, alongside pictures of Prime Minister Modi and other Hindu supremacist leaders.
This incident was condemned by U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez and investigated by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and Edison Police Department as a “bias incident.”
IAMC calls on Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams to take urgent and decisive measures to prevent the inclusion of a polarizing and divisive float in the parade.
It is imperative to protect our diverse communities from such divisive and inflammatory actions and ensure that New York remains a safe and welcoming place for all its residents.
