NEW DELHI: A top Saudi linguistic institution, the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, launched special training sessions for instructors teaching Arabic at Indian universities.
Some 50 lecturers are taking part in the four-day course held in New Delhi at Jawaharlal Nehru University, which is the main host of the KSGAAL’s ongoing Arabic Language Month.
The event is aimed at developing and improving the teaching of Arabic for non-native speakers in the world’s most populous nation, and kicked off online in late June, running until July 26.
It includes both online and offline competitions and sessions for students and lecturers.
“The teaching of the Arabic language has transformed significantly. There are a number of institutions which teach pedagogy of Arabic according to the latest trends,” Prof. Mujeebur Rahman, head of the Centre of Arabic and African Studies at JNU, told Arab News.
“There is lots of research in the Arab world, published materials also, which Arabic teachers in the (Indian) universities are not aware of and not equipped with ... So, the purpose of this training is to apprise the teachers of the latest pedagogy of Arabic teaching as a foreign language ... and also tell them about the technological tools that are available.”
Nine Saudi experts in different domains of language teaching were conducting the course under the supervision of Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Washmi, the academy’s secretary-general.
All aspects of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers are covered in the training to help teachers step up their skills.
“This would be beneficial to them when they go to classrooms and teach students. How to communicate and how to improve their own performance in the classroom, how to derive better outcomes from their teaching,” Rahman said.
Dr. Mohammad Eisha, Arabic translator and lector, said the training was helpful for keeping up with the newest teaching practices.
“There is a method to learn a foreign language and there is some technique ... training like this helps us,” he told Arab News.
“This is a good initiative by the King Salman Academy and it will boost career opportunities, and it will also stimulate learners to learn in a better way.”
Mohammad Ajmal, assistant professor at the Centre of Arabic and African Studies at the JNU, is also taking the training and said the course would help readers refine their skills.
“We are non-native speakers of the language. We will learn how to use technology in imparting language learning skills, and what can be the easy way of learning the language,” he said.
“I feel that the training will help me to be a better educator of the Arabic language.”
Will Muslim American voters prove a critical constituency in the US election?
With Gaza and Middle East policy in focus, Muslim American voters could play a decisive role in key battleground states
Biden’s unwavering support for Israel cast a pall over the Democrats, forcing Harris strategists to consider a change of tack
Updated 26 min 21 sec ago
GABRIELE MALVISI
LONDON: With fewer than 80 days left until what could be one of the tightest US presidential elections of recent decades, the battle for votes is intensifying, with campaign strategies being deployed to appeal to every demographic.
Among the target groups are Muslim Americans, whose influence has grown considerably in recent years owing to events and foreign policy decisions in the Middle East and their potential impact on voter attitudes.
The conflict in Gaza, in particular, has sharpened the focus on Muslim Americans, as political strategists question how President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Israel might affect the Democrats’ performance among this broadly pro-Palestinian demographic.
With little chance of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza before election day, the Democrats have been left wondering whether they can afford to alienate Muslim Americans, who were critical to Biden’s 2020 victory in key battleground states, such as Michigan.“
When it came to Israel and Gaza, then you saw the true colors of many of these politicians, and that they never really respected us to begin with,” Salam Al-Marayati, president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, told Arab News.
“Now there’s that sense of betrayal, since there’s so much investment made into the Democratic Party, especially after the first Trump presidency.”
According to the nonpartisan advocacy group Emgage, about 65 percent of Muslim American voters across the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia supported Biden in the 2020 election, contributing to his narrow victory.
However, a similar survey taken in July, shortly before Biden exited the 2024 race, revealed that just 18 percent of Muslim Americans who had voted for him in 2020 planned to do so again.
Although attitudes may have changed since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee, questions remain as to whether she can reestablish the support of Muslim American voters.
Questions remain as to whether Kamala Harris can reestablish the support of Muslim American voters that President Joe Biden has lost for his unwavering support for Israel in its war on Palestinians in Gaza. (AFP)
“There’s more sympathy coming from her than Biden,” said Al-Marayti. “The rhetoric is definitely different, but that doesn’t translate into a change of policy.”
Historically, minorities, including Muslim Americans, have played a relatively marginal role in US elections, often due to exclusion from voting or limited political representation. However, the past few decades have witnessed a significant shift.
Pioneers such as Dalip Singh Saund, the first Indian American elected to Congress in 1957, and Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman in Congress, symbolize the increasing political representation of minorities.
This growing representation has translated into greater political engagement among minorities, including Muslim Americans.
US Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan state, is the first Palestinian American woman in Congress. (AFP/File)
According to Pew Research Center, the current Congress is the most ethnically diverse in US history, with 25 percent of voting members identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white.
As a result, Muslim Americans and other minorities have become increasingly influential in elections, earning them greater recognition from political parties.
“Our involvement started, in numbers and in significant ways, in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s,” Abed Hammoud, a lawyer of Lebanese origin and founder of the Arab American Political Action Committee, told Arab News.
“(But) naturally, that process takes time and you have to do it right, too, as a community.”
Abed Hammoud, founder of the Arab American Political Action Committee. (Supplied)
Hammoud says that internal conflicts, divisions over identity, disinformation, and the “natural fear people have when you’re not part of the mainstream” have historically undermined the unity of Muslim American voters and a political force.
Nevertheless, Muslim Americans have historically aligned with the Democratic Party, beginning with their involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, led by figures such as Malcolm X.
This alignment deepened in the 1970s with the relaxation of immigration laws, which saw Muslim communities in the US rapidly expand.
In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton solidified this relationship by appointing Muslims to key positions, including M. Osman Siddique as the first Muslim American chief of mission, and by hosting Eid celebrations at the White House.
However, the post-9/11 era, and subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan launched by President George W. Bush led to disenchantment among some Muslim voters.
Despite this, President Barack Obama’s election in 2008 renewed hope within the community, heartened to see the first African American from a diverse background win the presidency.
But the situation has grown more complex in recent years.
In 2016, many experts predicted a record turnout of Muslim voters motivated by what American political scientist Youssef Chouhoud described as a “combination of fear and heightened civic duty” to avoid a Donald Trump presidency.
Despite the anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies during Donald Trump's administration, he still has supporters among Muslim Americans. (AFP)
Despite Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton receiving almost 76 percent of the Muslim American vote, a post-election survey by Emgage revealed a more nuanced picture.
Many Muslim voters felt disengaged, driven primarily by the need for better economic stability, improved national security, and more accessible healthcare and education rather than appeals to prevent a Trump victory.
In response, Emgage launched the “1 Million Muslim Votes” campaign in 2020, successfully mobilizing more than a million Muslim voters.
Of these, 86 percent supported Biden, who was viewed favorably for his stance on jobs, the economy, healthcare, and civil rights, particularly in light of the surge in hate crimes and Islamophobia during Trump’s presidency.
This goodwill, however, has since eroded.
“A lot of people are hurt because they felt that the Democratic Party was supposed to represent their values and their ways and their voice,” explained Al-Marayti.
Salam Al-Marayati, president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. (Supplied)
A 2021 post-election report by Emgage, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and Change Research showed that many Muslim voters had high expectations for Biden to focus on Palestine.
These hopes were dashed as the US leader maintained a strongly pro-Israel stance against the backdrop of war in Gaza, leading many voters to mark themselves as “uncommitted” in this year Democratic primaries.
While support for the Democratic Party among Muslim Americans is more precarious than ever, the Republican Party has struggled to gain significant traction among the community.
Before 9/11, many Muslim Americans found common ground with the Republicans on issues such as family values, entrepreneurship, and social conservatism.
However, the Bush-era wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and domestic policies perceived as targeting Muslims led to a sharp decline in support. Trump’s presidency, marked by anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies, further alienated Muslim American voters.
In May, a group of prominent Arab Americans that included Bishara Bahbah, founder of Arab Americans for Trump, established a political action committee called Arab Americans for a Better America.
Bahbah has said that he and other members of the community have been offered assurances that a second Trump presidency would “put an immediate end to the war in Gaza,” though he offered no evidence.
Bishara Bahbah, founder of Arab Americans for Trump group. (AP/File)
He has also said that he is confident having Trump back in the White House would result in a quick end to the hostilities in Gaza.
“(Republicans) were making headway using the idea of: ‘Yeah, we are conservative like you,’” said Hammoud. “And they did make some headway this way in the community, but not significantly — nothing nearly as much as the situation in Gaza produced.”
As the Nov. 5 election looms, many Muslim Americans are looking to third-party candidates who might better represent their views, with Green Party hopeful Jill Stein seeking to capitalize on this sentiment.
However, the change in Democratic leadership, with Harris as the presidential candidate and Tim Walz as her running mate, could reshuffle the deck.
Indeed, Harris’ decision to enlist Afghan-American lawyer Nasrina Bargzie to help build support among Muslim voters, along with her willingness to meet with leaders of the “uncommitted” campaign to discuss the Gaza war, has been cautiously welcomed by the community.
US President Joe Biden's unwavering support for Israe in its genocidal war against Gazans has disillussioned many Muslim Americans. (AFP/File)
Hammoud expressed skepticism about Bargzie’s appointment, however, arguing that “it’s not enough to appoint someone just because they’re Muslim or Arab” to heal the divide.
“It’s an issue that has always been important — for us to have people, our own people, in positions. But we need to see action,” he said.
Some analysts suggest that Muslim Americans, who account for as little as 1 percent of the voting population, are unlikely to have significant sway over the outcome of November’s election.
“It’s all down to numbers. Numbers in the right states, too. And the Democrats may not need us to win,” said Hammoud.
However, as the fastest-growing religious group in the US, their influence on the nation’s policy direction cannot be taken for granted.
Pakistani singles defy tradition, search for spouses in person
Muzz, launched in 2015 in the Britain, which also has a sizeable Muslim population, has over 1.5 million users in Pakistan, its second-largest market after Morocco
Updated 24 August 2024
Reuters
LAHORE, Pakistan: Dozens of young singles gathered this week to meet potential marriage partners in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, the first attempt by a UK-based matrimonial app to help people find spouses in person in the conservative Islamic country.
Typically, marriages in Pakistan are arranged by parents who look for suitable matches for their children from within their communities or the extended family. Dating apps are generally stigmatized and gender segregation socially and at work remains common in the country of 240 million people.
The Lahore event was organized by Muzz, formerly Muzzmatch, which says its app is based on Islamic etiquette. The app is restricted to Muslim users, and, in a nod to traditional values, gives the option of blurring pictures except for specific matches and allows for chaperones to oversee meetings.
Other smaller events are also emerging in the country to challenge traditional matchmaking norms.
Despite criticism online in the past for the app, the Muzz event was attended by about 100 people.
Aimen, a 31-year-old woman who did not want to be further identified, said she used the app on the recommendation of her US-based brother.
“I used the app for two weeks, but then I saw an ad for this event and thought, why not meet people in person?” she told Reuters.
She said that her mother would have accompanied her as a chaperone but couldn’t attend because of ill-health.
Muzz, launched in 2015 in the Britain, which also has a sizeable Muslim population, has over 1.5 million users in Pakistan, its second-largest market after Morocco.
Moaz, a 27-year-old man, said he has been using Muzz for a year and that he was hopeful of finding a wife through the app.
“I do get matches, but they have different priorities,” he said adding that girls on the app expect him to involve his parents from the beginning.
“That is not (immediately) possible,” he said, stressing the need of getting to know someone before taking the next big step.
Annie’s Matchmaking Party, another Lahore event last week, used an algorithm to match 20 young professionals after a selection process and invited them to the meet.
Noor ul Ain Choudhary, the 30-year-old organizer, faced criticism online that her event promoted a “hookup culture.” She countered that it aimed to provide a safe space for singles to meet and connect.
“In Pakistan, we’ve had two options: biased arranged marriages or time-consuming dating apps with no guarantees. Safety during meetings is also a concern,” she said.
Abdullah Ahmed, 22, was bullish about in person events and said he was convinced he may have found his perfect match at the Muzz gathering.
“The highlight was meeting an amazing girl,” he said, beaming with excitement, adding that they instantly clicked and swapped social media handles.
“We’re both Marvel fans! We’re already planning to catch the new Deadpool & Wolverine together,” he said.
Italian prosecutors open shipwreck and manslaughter investigation into superyacht sinking
Superyacht capsized during storm off coast of Sicily, killing seven people onboard
British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter among the dead
Updated 24 August 2024
AP
ROME: Prosecutors in Italy said Saturday they have opened an investigation into culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter after a superyacht capsized during a storm off the coast of Sicily, killing seven people onboard. They included British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter. Termini Imerese prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed the investigation has been launched, but hasn’t identified a suspect. “We are only in the initial phase of the investigation. We can’t exclude any sort of development at present,” he told reporters at a news conference. Cartosio said his team will carefully consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the Bayesian’s captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, the yacht’s manufacturer and others. “For me, it is probable that offenses were committed, that it could be a case of manslaughter, but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate,” he said. The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed. Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” — localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground. Initially, civil protection officials said they believe the yacht, which featured a distinctive 75-meter (246-feet) aluminum mast, was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout. Investigators were also asked why the crew was almost entirely saved, except for the chef, while six passengers remained trapped in the hull. Local official confirmed that most of the bodies recovered were found in the same part of the yacht — on the left side and closer to the surface — suggesting that passengers had sought safety in the cabins where the last air bubbles had formed. Deputy Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said it was likely that the passengers were asleep, adding that one of the main focus of the investigation is to ascertain whether they were alerted by someone. Cammarano confirmed that one person was on watch in the cockpit. Rescuers on Friday brought ashore the last of seven bodies from the sinking of the Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged luxury yacht that went down in a storm near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy early Monday. The sailboat was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers. The seventh victim was Hannah Lynch, 18, the daughter of Mike Lynch., whose body was recovered Thursday. He had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial in the United States. His wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors. Rescuers struggled for four days to find all the bodies, making only slow headway through the interior of the wreck lying on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) below the surface. Prosecutors said the recovery of the Bayesian will be crucial for the investigation, but noted it will be a long and complex process, which will be paid for by the owners. The other five victims are Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s US lawyers, and his wife, Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife, Judy; and Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef.
NEW DELHI: Top lawyers are sounding the alarm over the consequences of Indian arms exports to Israel, which they say violate international conventions and the country’s own domestic law in the wake of the war on Gaza.
Indian arms sales to Israel came into the spotlight in May, when two cargo ships were prevented from docking in the Spanish port of Cartagena after reports that they were loaded with weapons.
The first vessel was en route from Chennai in southeast India to the Israeli port of Ashdod — some 30 km from Gaza — and was blocked by Spanish activists. The second was on the way from Chennai to Haifa, and was officially denied entry, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares confirming to the media that the vessel was carrying a shipment of arms to Israel.
In June, after Israel’s deadly bombing of a UN-run school sheltering thousands of displaced people in central Gaza, Palestinian reporters released a video showing the remains of a missile found in the rubble after the attack. A label on it read: “Made in India.”
The reports have triggered an uproar among Indian civil society and opposition politicians, who have requested clarification from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of External Affairs over the military cooperation in the wake of Israel’s deadly onslaught on Gaza and a genocide case against the country in the International Court of Justice.
A recent petition signed by Supreme Court lawyers, judges and retired foreign service officials called on Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to halt the issuance of licenses to companies supplying military equipment to Israel and cancel the existing ones, as the exports are not only “morally objectionable” and “abominable,” but also constitute a “serious violation” of law.
“It’s very clear that genocide is being committed in Palestine by Israel; the International Court of Justice has virtually said so,” Prashant Bhushan, a public interest lawyer in the Supreme Court of India, told Arab News.
“India is clearly aiding that genocide.”
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Arab News on Saturday that “it is the Indian government’s policy not to sell weapons to countries in conflict” and that the government “has not authorized the supply of any weapons to Israel during the last several months.”
The spokesperson did not comment on canceling existing licenses.
At least 40,334 people — most of them children and women — have been killed and more than 93,300 wounded in Israeli military attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian enclave’s Health Ministry estimates.
The real toll, however, is believed to be much higher as the ministry’s data does not include people buried under rubble, those who died of their injuries or who starved to death, as Israeli forces have been blocking international aid. One of the world’s leading medical journals, the Lancet, estimated last month that the actual death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza could exceed 186,000 — or almost 10 percent of the territory’s population.
The substantial evidence of Israel breaking international humanitarian law, the genocide and war crime proceedings against its leadership in the ICJ and International Criminal Court, as well as a new case brought by Nicaragua against Germany over its support for Tel Aviv, create legal circumstances in which India can be charged with violating its own constitution and international law.
Dr. Anwar Sadat of the Indian Society of International Law said that the violations are on “several” levels, starting with international humanitarian law.
“Israel is targeting civilian population consistently. Israel is targeting hospitals, Israel is targeting supply lines, Israel is targeting the supply of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian people,” he told Arab News. “Israel is in serious violation of international humanitarian law, so you cannot support and supply, or in any way assist it.”
Sadat said that by providing military assistance to Israel, India also risks being charged with breaching the Genocide Convention and may face a similar case to the one recently initiated against Germany. Genocide and ancillary crimes of genocide, such as complicity, are subject to universal jurisdiction.
In late March, Nicaragua instituted proceedings against Germany at the ICJ under, inter alia, the Genocide Convention, concerning “alleged breaches of certain international obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory” arising from Germany’s support and military supplies for Israel.
“If you are a party to this convention, and India is a party to the Genocide Convention, you have international legal responsibility to prevent the commission of genocide,” Sadat said.
“Any breach of international legal obligations requires reparations, compensation.”
India would not be able to absolve itself, as it is not safeguarding any essential interests by breaching the law.
“There is no such situation before India,” Sadat said. “Not providing the arms to Israel does not make India unsafe in any way, so it has no plea of necessity.”
Advocate Chander Uday Singh, a Supreme Court lawyer who was also among the petitioners demanding that India immediately stop all exports of military material to Israel, warned that India is also acting against its own domestic law.
Article 51C of the Indian Constitution says that is the state’s duty to “foster respect for international law and treaty obligations.” This includes the Genocide Convention, of which provisions are directly binding for India also on the domestic level, as it has not framed its own.
“India was the signatory to the Genocide Convention in 1949 and then thereafter it has ratified the convention in 1959, so under international law we are completely bound by the Genocide Convention, meaning we are contracting party to it,” Singh said.
“The Genocide Convention also requires contracting parties to frame national laws and give effect to the convention within the country ... the fact that we have not framed the domestic law means that that the convention itself can be looked at, and the principles of the convention can be applied by Indian courts.”
NEW DELHI: Top lawyers are sounding the alarm over the consequences of Indian arms exports to Israel, which they say violate international conventions and the country’s own domestic law in the wake of the war on Gaza.
Indian arms sales to Israel came into the spotlight in May, when two cargo ships were prevented from docking in the Spanish port of Cartagena after reports that they were loaded with weapons.
The first vessel was en route from Chennai in southeast India to the Israeli port of Ashdod — some 30 km from Gaza — and was blocked by Spanish activists. The second was on the way from Chennai to Haifa, and was officially denied entry, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares confirming to the media that the vessel was carrying a shipment of arms to Israel.
In June, after Israel’s deadly bombing of a UN-run school sheltering thousands of displaced people in central Gaza, Palestinian reporters released a video showing the remains of a missile found in the rubble after the attack. A label on it read: “Made in India.”
The reports have triggered an uproar among Indian civil society and opposition politicians, who have requested clarification from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of External Affairs over the military cooperation in the wake of Israel’s deadly onslaught on Gaza and a genocide case against the country in the International Court of Justice.
A recent petition signed by Supreme Court lawyers, judges and retired foreign service officials called on Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to halt the issuance of licenses to companies supplying military equipment to Israel and cancel the existing ones, as the exports are not only “morally objectionable” and “abominable,” but also constitute a “serious violation” of law.
“It’s very clear that genocide is being committed in Palestine by Israel; the International Court of Justice has virtually said so,” Prashant Bhushan, a public interest lawyer in the Supreme Court of India, told Arab News.
“India is clearly aiding that genocide.”
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Arab News on Saturday that “it is the Indian government’s policy not to sell weapons to countries in conflict” and that the government “has not authorized the supply of any weapons to Israel during the last several months.”
The spokesperson did not comment on canceling existing licenses.
At least 40,334 people — most of them children and women — have been killed and more than 93,300 wounded in Israeli military attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian enclave’s Health Ministry estimates.
The real toll, however, is believed to be much higher as the ministry’s data does not include people buried under rubble, those who died of their injuries or who starved to death, as Israeli forces have been blocking international aid. One of the world’s leading medical journals, the Lancet, estimated last month that the actual death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza could exceed 186,000 — or almost 10 percent of the territory’s population.
The substantial evidence of Israel breaking international humanitarian law, the genocide and war crime proceedings against its leadership in the ICJ and International Criminal Court, as well as a new case brought by Nicaragua against Germany over its support for Tel Aviv, create legal circumstances in which India can be charged with violating its own constitution and international law.
Dr. Anwar Sadat of the Indian Society of International Law said that the violations are on “several” levels, starting with international humanitarian law.
“Israel is targeting civilian population consistently. Israel is targeting hospitals, Israel is targeting supply lines, Israel is targeting the supply of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian people,” he told Arab News. “Israel is in serious violation of international humanitarian law, so you cannot support and supply, or in any way assist it.”
Sadat said that by providing military assistance to Israel, India also risks being charged with breaching the Genocide Convention and may face a similar case to the one recently initiated against Germany. Genocide and ancillary crimes of genocide, such as complicity, are subject to universal jurisdiction.
In late March, Nicaragua instituted proceedings against Germany at the ICJ under, inter alia, the Genocide Convention, concerning “alleged breaches of certain international obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory” arising from Germany’s support and military supplies for Israel.
“If you are a party to this convention, and India is a party to the Genocide Convention, you have international legal responsibility to prevent the commission of genocide,” Sadat said.
“Any breach of international legal obligations requires reparations, compensation.”
India would not be able to absolve itself, as it is not safeguarding any essential interests by breaching the law.
“There is no such situation before India,” Sadat said. “Not providing the arms to Israel does not make India unsafe in any way, so it has no plea of necessity.”
Advocate Chander Uday Singh, a Supreme Court lawyer who was also among the petitioners demanding that India immediately stop all exports of military material to Israel, warned that India is also acting against its own domestic law.
Article 51C of the Indian Constitution says that is the state’s duty to “foster respect for international law and treaty obligations.” This includes the Genocide Convention, of which provisions are directly binding for India also on the domestic level, as it has not framed its own.
“India was the signatory to the Genocide Convention in 1949 and then thereafter it has ratified the convention in 1959, so under international law we are completely bound by the Genocide Convention, meaning we are contracting party to it,” Singh said.
“The Genocide Convention also requires contracting parties to frame national laws and give effect to the convention within the country ... the fact that we have not framed the domestic law means that that the convention itself can be looked at, and the principles of the convention can be applied by Indian courts.”