US rights groups slam NYC parade’s Ram Temple float as symbol of hate
New York: A diverse coalition of human rights and interfaith organizations in the United States has sharply criticized the inclusion of a controversial float featuring the Ram Temple in the upcoming India Day Parade in New York City, scheduled for August 18, 2024.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the coalition, which includes groups such as the Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), held a press conference outside New York City Hall to express their concerns. They welcomed NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s initial condemnation of the float but urged him to take further action by removing it from the parade.
“The city’s open to everyone and there’s no room for hate,” Mayor Adams said. “If there is a float or a person in the parade that is promoting hate, they should not be part of it.” The planned float, co-sponsored by the Indian Consulate of New York and the far-right Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), a US offshoot of the Hindutva organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), is set to feature a replica of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Ram Temple in Ayodhya is widely considered a symbol glorifying the demolition of mosques and violence against Muslims.
“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 right-wing Hindu militants. The demolition sparked widespread riots across northern India, resulting in the deaths of thousands, predominantly Muslims. In 2024, during and after the Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony, Hindu nationalist mobs unleashed waves of anti-Muslim violence throughout India, including the desecration of mosques,” read the press release by Hindus for Human Rights, an advocacy organisation in the United States.
Critics argue that the float represents a broader trend of rising Hindu nationalism and intolerance. “The Ram Temple float is not a celebration of cultural pride but a glorification of violence and divisiveness,” said David Kalal, Director of Communications for Hindus for Human Rights.
Representatives from various organizations, including Black Lives Matter Greater NY and the Sikh Coalition, also joined the press conference. They condemned the float as a symbol of exclusion and violence, urging Mayor Adams to take a stand against the rising tide of Hindu nationalism and intolerance.
“The float celebrating the Ram Temple is a blatant attempt to erase the Muslim community from India’s history and identity,” said Afshan Khwaja, Board President of CAIR-NY.
