While New Yorkers kick off Indian Independence Day celebrations by raising the flag in Times Square on Thursday, next weekend’s parade will be marred by a float that some consider anti-Islamic.

The theme of this year’s 42nd India Day Parade is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” or “The World is One Family.” However, some members of interfaith and Muslim groups say the event is not inclusive because organizers approved a float depicting a large temple for one of Hinduism’s most revered deities, Lord Ram. The Gothamist first reported on the controversy.

The temple in India’s holy city of Ayodhya was partially opened earlier this year. For the Hindu majority, who make up about 80% of India’s population, the Ram Temple is a holy place, located on the very spot where they believe Ram was born.

For others, the temple represents hatred and bloodshed against Muslims.

The site once housed the 16th-century Babri Mosque before Hindu nationalists demolished it in 1992, sparking nationwide unrest that left thousands dead, according to the Indian American Muslim Council. The organization raised concerns about the Ram Temple float in a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul last week, Gothamist reported.

The letter said the organization that launched the float, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, is a far-right Hindu group and an offshoot of India’s “militant religious organization.” The letter cited Georgetown University research on Islamophobia, which found that VHPA leaders spread anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and stereotypes. According to the organization’s website, the VHPA recently organized a Ram Mandir Rath Yatra, visiting 851 temples in 48 states over 60 days.

Dr. Audrey Truschke, an associate professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University who has researched the Indian diaspora in the United States, said the addition of the float was a step backwards in the city’s development.

“It is a disgrace that New York City allows Hindu racists to display an anti-Islamic symbol. This is a step backwards for the city,” Dr. Truschke wrote in a post on X. “Law enforcement should be prepared for this. This symbolism has been used for decades to incite targeted violence against Muslims.”

When asked about the controversy this week, Adams said, “Nobody should be having any anti-conversations at these parades. I get criticized a lot for flying the flag.”

“I want to send a symbolic gesture that the city is open to everyone and there is no place for hate,” he added.

Hindus won a lengthy legal battle in 2019 and were allowed to build the temple. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who championed the construction, said on Thursday the country was on a path of rapid economic development. India aims to be a developed nation by 2047, when it will have achieved 100 years of independence from British colonialists, he added.

Modi’s Hindu nationalist party used the temple to gain influence over the country’s Hindu majority ahead of the 2024 elections. Modi was elected to a third five-year term.

When and where does the India Day Parade take place?

New York City’s Indian Day celebrations, organized by the Federation of Indian Associations, are the largest outside of India. The parade will march down Madison Avenue from East 38th Street to East 27th Street on Sunday, August 18.

The food festival will take place on East 26th Street from Madison to Park Avenue, and the cultural programs will take place on Madison Avenue from East 26th to East 25th Street.