The USCIRF expressed concern over the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying it could result in the “wide-scale disenfranchisement” of Muslims in the country.
New Delhi| Hindu American Foundation (HAF), one of the leading Hindu body in America has accused the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) of conducting hearings that perpetuate misinformation about the intent and impact of India’s amended Citizenship laws.
The USCIRF had on Wednesday, expressed concern over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying it could result in the “wide-scale disenfranchisement” of Muslims in the country.
Members of the commission along with an invited panel of experts convened a hearing with a focus on the issue of CAA in India and the Rohingya Muslims’ issue in Myanmar to help develop policy recommendations for the US government in response to the issues.
The new citizenship law passed by the parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. After the enactment of the law, protests erupted across the country over fears that the CAA may marginalise the minority Muslim community.
The government has maintained that the CAA is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries.
“It’s deeply troubling to see US governmental bodies, such as the USCIRF hold hearings that perpetuate misinformation about the intent and impact of India’s Citizenship Amendment Act,” Hindu American Foundation (HAF) Managing Director Samir Kalra said.
“This (USCIRF hearing) only serves to further compound the irresponsible statements that have come from the media and some US lawmakers, which has only fuelled more tension and violence in India,” Mr Kalra said.
“Tragically, lost in all the false and misleading propaganda are the real victims that the CAA intended to help – the religiously persecuted refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who are stuck in legal limbo and living on the margins of Indian society,” he said.
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HAF also recommended that the government reconsider the definition of religious and ethnic refugees as “members of a religious or ethnic minority community who are unable to return to their home countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, or Pakistan, and unable to obtain protection in those countries due to past or well-founded fear of future persecution on account of religion or ethnicity.”
In its statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said, “the Citizenship Amendment Act is an internal matter of India and concerns the sovereign right of the Indian Parliament to make laws. We strongly believe that no foreign party has any locus standi on issues pertaining to India’s sovereignty.”
The government has clarified its position on the matter as it says, “the CAA is constitutionally valid and complies with all requirements of our constitutional values. It is reflective of our long-standing national commitment with respect to human rights issues arising from the tragedy of the Partition of India.”
Earlier, on the visit to India US President Donald Trump on February 25 had said, “he discussed about Citizenship law protests and religious freedom with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Modi wants people to have religious freedom”.
(With Inputs from NDTV)
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