Indian American Muslim group cancels parade participation amid float controversy

Gloria Pazmino and Sabrina Souza, CNN

(CNN) — A group representing Indian American Muslims has withdrawn its float from New York City’s yearly India Day Parade connected Sunday pursuing contention complete nan inclusion of a float they opportunity shows anti-Muslim bias.

Imtiaz Siamwalla, nan president of Indian Muslims of North America sent a missive to parade organizers Saturday, notifying them of nan decision.

“It is pinch a dense bosom that we find ourselves compelled to retreat our float since nan integrity of nan parade has been called into nan question,” nan group wrote.

Siamwalla told CNN nan group intended to subordinate nan yearly ceremony on Madison Avenue successful Manhattan but decided to rescind its information aft failing to person parade organizers to not see nan arguable float.

The float successful mobility was announced respective days anterior to nan parade and depicts a replica of Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir – a Hindu temple built connected apical of nan ruins of a 16th period Babri mosque, which was destroyed by Hindu nationalists successful 1992. The demolition of nan mosque triggered riots crossed nan state successful which much than 2,000 group were killed, CNN antecedently reported.

“We were very overmuch looking guardant to participating but learning that location is going to beryllium a float that has a replica of nan Ram temple, we deliberation that this is simply a awesome of bias against Muslims,” Siamwalla said.

“The authorities that return spot successful India should enactment successful India,” he added. “Once you travel to this region you go an American and America is nan onshore of tolerance of inclusion. So, this float should person ne'er been a portion of nan parade.”

“When nan mob collapsed down nan mosque backmost successful 1992, group mislaid their lives, their belongings, that was not thing that Muslims took lightly,” Siamwalla said.

It’s not conscionable Indian Muslims who are speaking retired against nan inclusion of nan float. Ajit Sahi, defense head for nan Indian American Muslim Council, said parade organizers are allowing Hindu extremist ideology to taint what is expected to beryllium a ceremony of independency and secularism.

“I americium a Hindu and from nan bottommost of my heart, I cull Hindu fundamentalism and Hindu extremism,” Sahi said.

“There are Hindus successful nan United States and successful India who reason this temple and nan authorities that it brings this temple is politics. This temple is not culture, this temple is not faith,” Sahi added.

The Indian Muslims of North America float had been primitively designed to showcase “the accomplishments of Muslims,” according to Siamwalla, who said nan group planned connected displaying photos of salient Muslims successful India’s history and placards reference slogans specified arsenic “Proud to beryllium Indian, Proud to beryllium Muslim,” and “Inclusion, Equality, Unity: Muslims make India stronger.”

Siamwalla said nan Ram Mandir float is governmental symbolism meant to intimidate Muslims successful attendance astatine Sunday’s parade.

“They want to show nan minorities – look what we did successful our state we tin do it present too, this is each for intimidation,” Siamwalla said.

Parade organizers person rejected calls to region nan float, saying it celebrates nan inauguration of a ineffable landmark that is important to hundreds of millions of Hindus, nan Associated Press antecedently reported.

Other groups person called connected parade organizers to not let nan float successful Sunday’s parade, saying it’s an overt politicization of an arena meant to observe Indian people, not their politics.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has marched successful nan parade successful erstwhile years is expected to beryllium retired this year’s celebration. Adams was captious of nan float’s inclusion successful nan parade during an unrelated property convention past week.

“No 1 should beryllium utilizing immoderate anti conversations successful marching successful these parades,” Adams said. “If location is simply a float aliases a personification successful nan parade that is promoting hate, they should not.”

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