Introduction
In response to the proposed display of Ram Janmabhoomi temple float during the August 18 India Day Parade planned by the Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT-NE, group of civil society organisations including Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) have sent a joint letter to New York Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul, urging them “take immediate and decisive measures to prevent the inclusion of a polarizing and divisive float in the parade” and demanded immediate removal of the float.
Notably, the Federation hosted a curtain-raising event in New York on July 8 at the Consulate General of India in the presence of Consul General Binaya S Pradhan, during which it announced that “This year, a grand replica of the newly inaugurated Ayodhya Ram Mandir will be featured, measuring 18x9x8 feet as a powerful symbol of cultural significance and a historic moment for the global Indian community.” It was also announced that acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi would serve as the Guest of Honour for the event, which passes through New York’s Madison Avenue.
In the letter, the civil society groups termed the tableau “anti-Muslim” and said “The proposed float for the parade is a blatant attempt to glorify the illegal demolition of the historical Babri Mosque and celebrate ongoing violence and terror against 200 million Indian Muslims. This is not merely a cultural display but a vulgar celebration of anti-Muslim hate, bigotry, and religious supremacy”.
The epistolary address further mentions the involvement of far-right elements in the event and said that the event is organised by “far-right Hindu group Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), in collaboration with the Indian consulate, alongside Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA)”. The letter emphasised that VHPA is an offshoot of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which is designated as a “militant religious organization” by the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) World Factbook. The civil society members also highlighted the FBI investigation against BAPS regarding its involvement in “forced labour and exploitation of low-caste labourers from India.”
The civil society organisations noted that the right-wing elements had in the past tried to foment the trouble and said that during India Day Parade in August 2022, the far-right Hindu groups transformed the parade into a “hate event” by displaying a bulldozer “alongside pictures of Prime Minister Modi and other Hindu supremacist leaders”, “symbolizing the demolition of Muslim homes in India”. The letter notes that allowing “such a hateful and bigoted celebration in NYC is an affront to American values and to harmony and peaceful coexistence among our diverse communities. It further said that the event emboldens Hindu extremists to glory acts of “violent injustice and discrimination against Muslims.”
The collective observed that the commemoration of Ram Temple was culmination of “decade-long hate campaign” and the destruction of Babri Masjid was a step towards reshaping India into Hindu-Rashtra or ethnoreligious state. The civil society groups demanded immediate removal of the float, maintaining that India is a secular state and its strength lies in diversity.
The letter was signed by the following groups: Indian American Muslim Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Council on American-Islamic Relations – New York, Hindus for Human Rights, The Federation of Indian American Churches of North America (FIACONA), New York State Council of Churches, Genocide Watch, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Association of Indian Muslims of America, Center for Pluralism, India’s Civil Watch International, American Muslim Institution, Crescent School, Islamic Circle of North America, The Sikh Coalition, Dalit Solidarity Forum, Great Truth, Justice For All, Asian Children’s Education Fellowship, CAIR-NJ, Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, and Ambedkar King Study Circle.
The letter can be found here:
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