NYC Interfaith Leaders Unite Against Hate Symbol in India Day Parade
Press Release
At NYC City Hall Press Conference, Interfaith Coalition Denounces Anti-Muslim Hate Symbol Planned for NYC India Day Parade
The coalition the City Hall Steps, August 14, 2024
(NEW YORK, August 14, 2024) – Hindus for Human Rights today joined a multiracial coalition of human rights and interfaith organizations at a press conference outside New York City Hall. The coalition gathered to welcome NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s decision to condemn an anti-Muslim float planned for this year’s upcoming NYC India day parade and encouraged him to take the next step by canceling it in the parade. “The city’s open to everyone and there’s no room for hate. And if there is a float or a person in the parade that is promoting hate, they should not,” Adams said. Concerningly, the planned float is co-sponsored by the Indian Consulate of New York and the far-right Hindu nationalist group the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), a U.S. offshoot of the CIA-designated “militant religious organization” Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
The planned float is set to include a recreation of India’s Ram Temple, which is widely considered a symbol glorifying the demolition of Indian 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.
The consulate-sponsored Indian Independence Day Ram Temple display is also set to feature participation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), an organization that is under active FBI investigation for luring oppressed-caste workers from India to build a New Jersey Hindu temple for $1.20/hour wages. The event will also feature Manoj Tiwari, a politician from India’s ruling far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as Guest of Honor
New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and two members of the New York City Council, Shekar Krishnan and Shahina Hanif, had already signed a joint letter to Mayor Eric Adams, stating that this temple symbolizes bigotry against the Muslim minority in India and that public celebrations should not include symbols of division or hatred.
HfHR and its allies gathered at City Hall to explain why the Ram Temple’s disturbing history should preclude any display of the Ram Temple in a public setting in New York. Representatives from the Indian American Muslim Council, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Hindus for Human Rights, Black Lives Matter Greater, The Federation of Indian American Churches of North America (FIACONA), Muslims for Progressive Values, Muslim Public Affairs Council, New York State Council of Churches, the Sikh Coalition, Jews and Muslims and Allies Acting Together, and Sadhana all spoke at the conference. A recorded livestream of the press conference is available here and photos of the event are included below.
“Public celebrations should not include symbols of divisiveness or bigotry. A float celebrating the construction of the Ram Temple would be divisive and runs counter to the values of NYC,” said Husnaa Vhora, of the Indian American Muslim Council.
David Kalal from HfHR full speech
“Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, is not a benign cultural movement—it is a political project designed to legitimize a vision of India that is fundamentally at odds with the Indian Constitution and the principles of pluralistic democracy. The inclusion of the Ram Mandir float in this year’s parade is not a celebration of cultural pride, but a glorification of both a violent history and a violent ambition,” said David Kalal, Director of Communications for Hindus for Human Rights.
“The mission of Dalit Solidarity Forum includes condemning such a public display of hatred against Muslims in the form of a float in the streets of New York… In a city where global communities exist together, we all need to feel safe,” said Eklan Singh, representing Dalit Solidarity Forum USA.
“CAIR-NY condemns in the strongest possible terms the presence of an anti-Muslim float at the upcoming India Day parade. It sends a message to Indian Muslims that religious violence and intolerance can even reach our society,” said Afshan Khwaja, Board President of the Council on American Islamic Relations New York.
“This float is another example of the rising contempt towards Muslims across the world. The Ram Mandir is part of a larger project to erase Muslims from India,” said Dr. Zainab Tanvir, Co-Director of Muslims for Progressive Values NY.
“As the Sikh community marks the 40th anniversary of India’s genocide of Sikhs in 1984 and sees the connections between that violence and continued repressive and violent behavior today, the Sikh Coalition… calls on Mayor Adams to show up for his diverse Indian-American constituents by preventing the Ram Mandir float’s inclusion in this year’s India Day Parade, making clear that violent nationalist ideologies have no place in our city,” said Harmeet Kaur Kamboj, Senior State Policy Manager for the Sikh Coalition.
“People of color in this city are tired of being disrespected by this city. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are being persecuted across the world. If anything, they should be centered and listened to now more than anyone else on these particular issues [of Hindu supremacy],” said Hawk Newsome, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Greater NY.
“Jewish New Yorkers and South Asian New Yorkers reject the politics of exclusion, Islamophobia, and supremacy that this float represents. JFREJ stands with our neighbors and friends in our commitment to pluralism and equality,” said Dania Rajendra, a member of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), in a statement submitted for the press conference.
“Today, Hindu supremacy calls for the subjugation of minority faiths and aims to transform India into a purely Hindu nation. We are profoundly alarmed by the inclusion of an anti-Muslim float in the parade. Symbols of hate can never be disguised as symbols of celebration,” said Neal Christie, Executive Director of the Federation of Indian American Christians of North America.
“India’s diversity and inclusion is its beauty and strength. I want to challenge the float that is elevating and celebrating the Ram Temple constructed on the Babri Masjid as a victory. There is no victory to be taken from a supremacist attitude that should have never happened in the world’s largest democracy,” said Shivani Parikh, Executive Board Member of Sadhana.
“We strongly the denounce the decision by a group of far-right pro-Hindutva organizations, with the support of the Indian consulate in NY, to feature… a replica of the controversial and divisive Ram Temple,” said Jews and Muslims and Allies Acting Together (JAMAAT) in a statement submitted for the press conference.
“We are in solidarity with our Muslim and Christian friends who have experienced much violence in India. We object to a float that celebrates the construction of the Ram Temple on top of a destroyed mosque. It aims to intimidate and diminish our Indian Muslim friends,” said Reverend Peter Cook, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches.
For those interested in speaking with HfHR experts on the impact of Hindu supremacy in the US and India, contact: david@hindusforhumanrights.org
FULL TEXT OF THE HfHR SPEECH
Good Morning
Thank you all for being here today. My name is David Dasharath Kalal, and I am the Director of Communications for Hindus for Human Rights, an organization founded in 2019 to mobilize progressive Hindus and their allies and to provide a Hindu voice of resistance to caste, Islamophobia, and Hindu supremacy.
As we stand on the threshold of New York City's 42nd annual India Day Parade, it is imperative that we revisit and foreground the values of decolonization and secularism that fueled the Indian independence movement. Unfortunately, the Indian Consulate of New York, in collaboration with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America—or VHP-A—has chosen a different path. They plan to feature a recreation of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir as the centerpiece float in this year’s parade.
Let us be clear: this Mandir, a temple erected over the ruins of the Babri Masjid—a centuries-old mosque destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992—has been long weaponized as a symbol of power by global forces of Hindu nationalism. It is a symbol that should not, and cannot, be conflated with Indian identity.
The VHP-A, the American wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, is an organization with deep ties to Hindu supremacism. The VHP has been directly implicated in numerous cases of deadly violence against Indian minorities. Together, these organizations form part of a transnational network whose explicit goal is to extend a right-wing, Brahminical vision of Hinduism—one that relies on the subjugation of religious minorities, Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalized groups.
Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, is not a benign cultural movement—it is a political project designed to legitimize a vision of India that is fundamentally at odds with the Indian Constitution and the principles of pluralistic democracy. The inclusion of the Ram Mandir float in this year's parade is not a celebration of cultural pride, but a glorification of both a violent history and a violent ambition. It is a display that should be condemned by all who value justice and human dignity.
This is a disturbing trend, one that concerns not only New Yorkers but all Americans. The Hindu supremacist movement in the United States, represented by groups like the VHP-A, is increasingly converging with other segments of the American far-right. Given the growing political activity and influence of Indian Americans, the debates within our community have broader implications for American society as a whole.
As members of the diaspora, and particularly as progressive Hindus, we have a responsibility. We must use our platform to advocate for a vision of India that is inclusive, tolerant, and reflective of the diversity that defines both India and the United States. The VHPA and similar organizations do not speak for all Hindus, nor do they speak for all Indian Americans. The vast majority of us, regardless of faith, seek peaceful and respectful relations between communities.
We reject the extremist views of those who would divide us, and instead, we embrace a vision of India and the Indian American Community that honors the bonds of friendship and family that have long united our diverse communities.
The political landscape in India is shifting, with the current regime facing increased opposition. Indian Americans have a unique opportunity to support the growing resistance to hate and division. By standing against the hateful displays planned for this year’s parade, we can offer an alternative vision.
To this end, Hindus for Human Rights demands the removal of the Ram Mandir float from the 2024 India Day Parade. We stand firmly against symbols of hate and division. The India Day Parade should be a celebration of the richness and diversity that defines our community, not a platform for a message that excludes and marginalizes.
We urge our elected officials and community leaders to join us in condemning this brazen display of far-right nationalism. Let us reclaim the spirit of the India Day Parade—one that honors our shared heritage, embraces our diversity, and stands as a beacon of unity.
Let us march together, not in the shadows of division, but in the light of hope, inclusivity, and mutual respect. Thank you.