New York: ‘Muslims for Peace’ participated in the India Day Parade in New York City with the organization’s float joining those of Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians, negating another group’s claim of an Islamic boycott of the annual event. Members of Muslims for Peace marched ahead of their float on August 18 with a banner reading ‘Love for all, hatred for none’ across Madison Avenue.

Another organisation, ‘Indian Muslims of North America’, had announced that they were withdrawing from the parade in protest against the inclusion of a float depicting the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The announcement of boycott by the group’s president Imtiaz Siamwalla featured prominently in a news story on CNN’s website, which ignored the participation by Muslims for Peace.

Ironically, while Siamwalla was quoted as saying the Mandir float was a “symbol of bias against Muslims”, the Muslims for Peace included members of the Ahmadiyya community who are themselves victims of Islamic persecution. The Indian American Muslim Council that led a campaign against the Ayodhya float criticised its inclusion as “Muslim hate, bigotry” and tried unsuccessfully to ban it.

But Ahmadiyyas are victims of Islamic hate and bigotry. For example, they are forbidden from “practicing aspects of their faith under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws” and face persecution, according to Amnesty International, which documented the deaths of three persons in an attack on the community in July.

In contrast, in India, Ahmaddiyas are free to practice their religion. Besides the Mandir and Muslims for Peace floats, a tableau honoring Guru Teg Bahadur and another one from the National Association of Indian Christians in the USA also joined the parade.

The International Organisation of Bene Israel-USA representing the Jews of India and a group of Buddhists proclaiming ‘Om Shanti’ also marched in the parade, showcasing India’s religious diversity, as the Indian diaspora joyously celebrated their homeland’s cultural richness and religious diversity.

Men and women, in a cascade of colours, beat traditional drums from Maharashtra heralding the Ram Mandir float, as people rushed spontaneously past barriers to greet it along the route. The parade with thousands marching, and many more watching, wended along Madison Avenue in a kaleidoscope of color.