India’s parliament has approved a controversial bill which fast-tracks the citizenship process for the country’s non-Muslim minorities. Opposition politicians and Muslims have criticized the legislation as discriminatory.
Once signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind, the Citizenship Amendment Bill will apply to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis who arrived from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh before 2015. The legislation was passed by India’s lower house on Monday before being approved by the parliament on Wednesday, 125 votes to 105.
Protests continue against the bill, which some say is prejudiced against Muslims and others accuse of undermining India’s secular constitution. A number of opposition MPs have also questioned why the bill excludes Tamil Hindus who fled to India from neighboring Sri Lanka during its violent civil war.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi tore up a copy of the bill during Monday’s heated debate on the proposal, describing it as “worse than Hitler’s laws and a conspiracy to make Muslims stateless.” He also said it posed a serious threat to national security by dividing the nation.
Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah has said the law aims to protect persecuted people from countries where Muslims are in the majority, adding that the bill is not directed against Muslims and they “have no reason to fear.”
Around 20 people have been injured in a series of ongoing protests against the bill in northeastern Indian states. The protesters say they’re worried that illegal migrants will move into the region, diluting the indigenous culture and political landscape.
Overseas, the state-run US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called on the US government to introduce sanctions against Indian officials if the bill becomes law, saying its exclusion of Muslims is discriminatory.
Responding to the accusation, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the USCIRF’s criticism is “neither accurate nor warranted.”
