Concerned about CAA, closely monitoring its implementation: US
The United States (US) has voiced concerns over India's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and is closely monitoring its implementation. In a daily briefing on Thursday, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "We are closely monitoring how this act will be implemented. Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities are fundamental democratic principles." On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the implementation of the CAA, four year after it was passed in Parliament.
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The controversial law's implementation has sparked celebrations in certain segments of society, yet others are urging for a halt in the proceedings, denouncing it as a "communal law." Before the CAA, India's citizenship law did not include religion when determining eligibility for an Indian passport. All non-Indians seeking naturalization had to demonstrate that they were in India legally. This changes with the CAA, making it the first time in independent India's history that religion has become a determinant of citizenship.
Check out Miller's briefing here
UN expresses concern about CAA
On Tuesday, the United Nations (UN) also raised concerns about the contentious legislation, calling it "fundamentally discriminatory in nature." "We are concerned that India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) is fundamentally discriminatory in nature and in breach of India's international human rights obligations," a spokesperson of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said. He added that the office was looking into whether the CAA's implementation regulations were in accordance with international human rights law.
Shah says goal of CAA is to safeguard persecuted minorities
Amid protests from political groups and human rights organizations, Shah came forward to clarify that the law is meant to help persecuted minorities who were once part of undivided India. Refuting the claim that CAA is anti-Muslim, he said they are also free to apply for citizenship under the existing laws. The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to India on or before December 31, 2014.
CAA long overdue say Indian American groups
Meanwhile, Hindu American groups welcomed the notification of the CAA, saying it was long overdue. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said the CAA protects some of the most vulnerable refugees in India, providing them with human rights that were denied to them in their native country. "CAA mirrors the...Lautenberg Amendment in the US...in place since 1990, which has provided a clear immigration path for persons fleeing a select group of nations where religious persecution is rampant," HAF's Suhag Shukla said.
