The CAA, a key element of the BJP’s electoral manifesto in 2019, is designed to facilitate Indian citizenship for persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis, who sought refuge in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in neighboring countries
In a significant development, Hindu organizations spanning across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have voiced their support for the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India, labeling it as a substantial victory for human rights.
The CAA, a key element of the BJP’s electoral manifesto in 2019, is designed to facilitate Indian citizenship for persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis, who sought refuge in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in neighboring countries.
Hindu Forum Canada, in a recent statement, lauded the Indian government’s decision, asserting it as a commendable step towards upholding human rights. The organization emphasized India’s obligation, as a signatory to various international conventions including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to provide asylum to persecuted individuals irrespective of their religion. Expressing hope for similar initiatives in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the forum highlighted the importance of fostering brotherhood among Indian nationals.
The support extended by Hindu diaspora groups in North America and Canada underscores the global resonance of India’s efforts to provide refuge and protection to persecuted communities, reaffirming its commitment to upholding human rights principles on an international stage
Similarly, the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) hailed the CAA as a significant advancement in human rights, particularly for persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Emphasizing that the act doesn’t affect existing Indian citizens of any faith, CoHNA clarified that it expedites the citizenship process for nearly 31,000 religious minorities who fled to neighboring nations due to severe and systematic persecution. The group shed light on the dire situation in Pakistan, where minorities, especially minor girls, face abduction, forced conversion, and coerced marriages with tacit support from authorities, compelling terrified families to seek refuge in India for basic safety.
Echoing similar sentiments, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) emphasized the long-overdue and essential nature of the CAA. The foundation underscored the protection it offers to some of the most vulnerable refugees in India, affording them the human rights denied to them in their home countries.
The enactment of the CAA in December 2019 was met with widespread protests from the Muslim community, backed by opposition parties, who deemed the law discriminatory. Despite the opposition, Hindu organizations abroad have rallied behind the CAA, recognizing its significance in safeguarding the rights of persecuted minorities and fostering a spirit of inclusivity in India.
The support extended by Hindu diaspora groups in North America and Canada underscores the global resonance of India’s efforts to provide refuge and protection to persecuted communities, reaffirming its commitment to upholding human rights principles on an international stage.
**********************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com