Independent US Watchdog Tells Congress India’s CAA Is Alarming

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India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC – On March 25, the independent United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed its apprehension regarding the Indian government’s implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Enacted in 2019, the CAA aims to provide citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before 2014. USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck criticized the act, labeling it as “problematic” due to its explicit exclusion of Muslims.

During a congressional hearing, Schneck highlighted the act’s preferential treatment saying, “While it expedites citizenship for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians, it explicitly discriminates against Muslims.” If the law genuinely aimed to safeguard persecuted religious minorities, he said, it would encompass Rohingya Muslims from Burma, Ahmadiyya Muslims from Pakistan, Hazara Shi’a from Afghanistan, and others.

“USCIRF urges members of Congress to continue to publicly call out religious freedom issues in India, and to include religious freedom in discussions with government counterparts and importantly, during congressional delegations,” he said.

“The CAA was initially passed in 2019; however, the Indian government delayed its implementation following large-scale, months-long protests across the country. The protests provoked a harsh and deadly crackdown by Indian police forces, including the mass arrest of human rights activists from all faiths,” USCIRF said in a statement.

The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government body established by the U.S. Congress. It provides foreign policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress aimed at deterring religious persecution.

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