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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed apprehension regarding recent notification of rules to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
“The problematic CAA establishes a religious requirement for asylum seekers in Bharat fleeing neighbouring countries,” USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck said in a statement.
He also said that while CAA provides a fast track to citizenship for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians, the law explicitly excludes Muslims.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which has been a subject of controversy, aims to grant citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, earlier emphasized that the law’s focus is on granting citizenship, not on revoking it.
“The CAA is about giving citizenship, not about taking away citizenship. It addresses the issue of statelessness, provides human dignity and supports human rights,” he said.
However, critics have questioned the exclusion of Muslims from the Act.
Schneck emphasized that if the law aimed to protect persecuted religious minorities, it should include various marginalized groups, such as Rohingya Muslims from Burma and Ahmadiyya Muslims from Pakistan.
The USCIRF urged members of the US Congress to continue addressing religious freedom issues in Bharat and to include religious freedom in discussions with Indian authorities.
Meanwhile, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) provided a factual analysis of the CAA, asserting that it aims to grant citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Bharat’s neighboring Islamic countries.
“Contrary to misconceptions, it does not involve depriving or revoking the citizenship of or deporting Muslims in Bharat. Therefore, it could aptly be called the “Act for Expedited Citizenship for Religious Minority Persecuted”,” FIIDS said.
“We trust that the USCIRF, other agencies and interested entities will find this information on CAA appropriate…”, it added.
