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US remark on CAA draws varied opinions from organizations
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller had expressed concerns over the implementation of CAA
The Narendra Modi-led Indian government has implemented CAA / Representative image: Wikipedia
The Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective (Hindu PACT), one of the prominent Hindu organizations in America, has strongly condemned the remark made by the US State Department and the US Ambassador to India following the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller had raised concerns on rules announced by India for CAA, noting that it will be keeping a close watch on its implementation. Miller’s remarks were also backed by US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
Hailing India for bringing CAA, Hindu PACT expressed, “The legislation provides expedited citizenship to persecuted Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsi minorities from India’s neighboring countries. It underscores India’s dedication to safeguarding individuals and families against religious persecution, resonating with global humanitarian principles.”
“We are astonished that the US State Department and the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, are ignorant of similar US laws. India’s CAA is modeled after the Lautenberg Amendment to the Jackson–Vanik amendment to the Trade Act of 1974,” added an official statement issued by the organization.
The amendment specifically provides refugee status in the United States for nationals from the Soviet Union and later the former Soviet Union, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania who are Jews, Evangelical Christians, Ukrainian Catholics or Ukrainian Orthodox as well as nationals of Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia; and Jews, Christians, Baha’i, and other religious minorities from Iran, it underlined.
“CAA does not impact any citizen of India. The characterization of this law as being non-secular is unfounded. Hindu minority is discriminated against and decimated in India’s neighborhood. As Americans, we are disappointed that instead of standing for American values and the human rights of the persecuted, our government has chosen to oppose this humanitarian effort,” Ajay Shah, founder and co-convenor of HinduPACT, said.
Meanwhile, the American Sikh Caucus Committee has unequivocally supported Eric Garcetti for his comment on CAA. Garcetti said that the US cannot give up on principles and emphasized on the principles of religious freedom and equality as the cornerstone of democracy.
“The US has consistently championed ‘Unalienable rights,’ from the first amendment through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Our objection to the CAA is a testament to America’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding freedom of belief and fostering diversity,” a statement issued by the committee read.
Calling the CAA of a discriminatory nature, the committee further expressed, “By focusing on religious criteria for citizenship, the CAA sharply diverges from the principles of equality and impartial governance. It highlights the risks that nationalist ideologies present to democracies in a world that is increasingly becoming authoritarian.”
The Citizenship Amendment Act which was implemented by the government on March 11 grants citizenship to persecuted minorities belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who have entered the country on or before December 31, 2014.
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