Islamic rights body denounces Indian citizenship bill

A boy holds a placard during a protest against a new citizenship law, outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi, India, December 22, 2019. (REUTERS)

• The commission urged the international community and the UN to pressure the Indian government to repeal the discriminatory clauses of CAB

JEDDAH: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Tuesday strongly condemned the violence and loss of life in the wake of peaceful protests against the Indian government’s discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 (CAB).
The commission said that Muslims and non-Muslims alike across India have categorically rejected CAB, charging it as a biased, discriminatory and diversionary act, which goes against the Indian constitution.
The IPHRC welcomed the assertions of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that CAB is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature.”
It added that the law is incompatible with international human rights covenants.
The citizenship law comes amid recent waves of discriminatory actions by the Indian government, including revoking the special status of the Muslim-majority state of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, discriminatory screening of Muslims from the National Register of Citizens in Assam and plans to build a Hindu temple at the site of centuries-old Babri Mosque.
The IPHRC said that these actions reflect a consistent pattern of the bigoted far-right Hindutva policies that aim to subjugate Muslims in India.
The commission urged the international community and the UN to pressure the Indian government to repeal the discriminatory clauses of CAB, abide by international standards in dealing with peaceful protests and ensure protection of all human rights and freedoms.