There has been a controversy regarding the upcoming India Day Parade in New York, America. In this parade, a tableau has shown the Ram temple of Ayodhya, which many groups have opposed by calling it anti-Muslim. Protesting against this, some organizations and people have written a letter to the Mayor of New York.
Some American organizations have written a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, calling the tableau anti-Muslim and saying that it glorifies the demolition of the mosque. The groups that signed the letter include the Council on American Islamic Relations and the Indian American Muslim Council. Apart from this, Hindu for Human Rights is also included among the signatories.
“The existence of this tableau reflects a desire to link Hindu nationalist ideology to Indian identity, even though India is a secular country,” the letter said.
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cleanliness of organizers
The Vishva Hindu Parishad of America, which organized the tableau, says it represents a Hindu place of worship and is intended to glorify a deity seen as an important part of Indian and Hindu identity.
Hindu American Foundation said that this is a matter of freedom of expression. The Federation of Indian Associations, which is organizing Sunday’s event, said the parade represents India’s cultural diversity and will include tableaux from different communities.
Mayor’s statement
At a press conference earlier this week, Mayor Adams said that “There is no room for hate. If there is a float or a person in the parade who is promoting hate, they should not be doing that.” Adams’ office later told The Associated Press that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents a city from denying a permit or seeking to change a float or the message of a parade simply because it disagrees with the content.
His office also said late Thursday that Mayor Adams has no plans to attend Sunday’s parade, although he has attended in past years.