India passes law excluding Muslim migrants from citizenship

[essentialsaltes]

Lawmakers in India on Wednesday passed a fundamental change to its citizenship law to include religion as a criterion for nationality for the first time, deepening concerns that a country founded on secular ideals is becoming a Hindu state that treats Muslims as second-class citizens.

The new legislation creates a path to citizenship for migrants who belong to several South Asian religions but pointedly excludes Islam, the faith practiced by 200 million Indian citizens.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was passed by both houses of Parliament this week, is another priority. It is effectively an amnesty for all Hindus, Buddhists and Christians (as well as adherents of three smaller religions) who illegally entered the country before 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

 

[Occams Barber]

Your post provides an excellent practical example which applies directly to this current thread:
Why try to disprove something you don't believe?

At least there's an amnesty for the pre 2014 arrivals.
OB

 

[timothyu]

Yet 72 years ago India divided itself and created Pakistan so Muslims could have their own nation and home. Guess some gestures are never good enough.

 

[ananda]

Lawmakers in India on Wednesday passed a fundamental change to its citizenship law to include religion as a criterion for nationality for the first time, deepening concerns that a country founded on secular ideals is becoming a Hindu state that treats Muslims as second-class citizens.

The new legislation creates a path to citizenship for migrants who belong to several South Asian religions but pointedly excludes Islam, the faith practiced by 200 million Indian citizens.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was passed by both houses of Parliament this week, is another priority. It is effectively an amnesty for all Hindus, Buddhists and Christians (as well as adherents of three smaller religions) who illegally entered the country before 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The earlier partition of India in the 1940's was meant to address this very issue.

 

[timothyu]

The earlier partition of India in the 1940's was meant to address this very issue.

But Muslims could leave by choice or stay. Of course they were slaughtered by the thousands by Hindus and Sikhs who wanted them gone. It has been repeated over the years.

 

[keith99]

Aren't all 3 of those countries Muslim dominated? Doesn't that raise the possibility that India is in effect offering sanctuary to those displaced by Muslim oppression? If so why include the oppressors?

 

[straykat]

But Muslims could leave by choice or stay. Of course they were slaughtered by the thousands by Hindus and Sikhs who wanted them gone. It has been repeated over the years.

It's all tit for tat really. The Mughals ruled the whole population for centuries too.

 

[FireDragon76]

Incredibly ugly. Hindus don't have a natural monopoly on Indian religion. The flag of India has the wheel of Ashoka, who was a Buddhist ruler who proclaimed his rule on the basis of benevolence.