The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): A senator from the United States has voiced apprehensions regarding the Indian government’s formal announcement of regulations for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), emphasizing the significance of upholding the shared principles of human rights protection for everyone, irrespective of their religious beliefs, as the partnership between the US and India strengthens. The Indian administration, last week, facilitated the application of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, creating a path for citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.
Following this, the Indian government reassured its Muslim citizens through a press release that the CAA would not affect their citizenship status, highlighting the equal rights enjoyed by the Muslim community alongside Hindus.
Senator Ben Cardin, who chairs the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed his deep concerns over the enactment of the CAA, especially noting its potential adverse effects on India’s Muslim population. He remarked on the timing of the law’s implementation during the sacred month of Ramadan as particularly troubling.
Senator Cardin stated, “As the relationship between the US and India grows deeper, it’s of utmost importance that our cooperation reflects our mutual commitment to safeguarding the human rights of all individuals, without discrimination based on religion.” His comments come in the wake of the US State Department’s expressions of concern over the CAA, advocating for religious freedom and equal legal treatment for all communities as essential democratic ideals.
India responded sharply to the US State Department’s critique of the CAA, labeling it as “misinformed and unwarranted.” Support for the CAA came from organizations like the Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective (HinduPACT) and the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, which argue that the law offers expedited citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from neighboring countries, aligning with international humanitarian standards.
HinduPACT’s Ajay Shah criticized the US government’s stance against the CAA, defending the legislation as a humanitarian effort that does not affect any Indian citizen and wrongly characterized as non-secular. Deepti Mahajan of HinduPACT expressed dismay over the disregard for the suffering of minority girls in Pakistan, citing reports of abductions and forced conversions. V S Naipaul from the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation highlighted the CAA’s role in addressing the atrocities faced by minorities in Islamic countries, advocating for secularism, peace, and humanity.
