Indian Muslim NGOs oppose India’s controversial citizenship act
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Indian Muslim NGOs has handed over a memorandum opposing India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) to the Indian High Commission in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.
The group demanded an annulment of India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 which is seen discriminatory towards minority communities of the country’s citizens and around the world.
Voicing their dissatisfaction, around 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from the group presented a memorandum to the Indian High Commission in Mont Kiara here at 11 am today.
To mention a few, Malaysian Indian Muslim Chamber of Commerce (MIMCOIN) president Datuk Syed Jamarulkhan MS Kadir, Federation of Malaysia Indian-Muslim Associations (Permim) president Dhajudeen Shahul Hameed and Penang Muslim League president Datuk Raja Najmudeen Kader were also present.
The memorandum was received by Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia Archana Nair.
Jamarulkhan said they are concerned that the CAA 2019 will have repercussions not only to the citizens of India and this will also have a negative impact on minority communities all over the world.
“While we do acknowledge India has every right to enact its own legislation, we are concerned that the bill is exclusionary and violate the secular principals enshrined on its own constitution.
“Enacting a Bill that excludes refugees based on the religion will set similar precedents against minorities all over the world,” he said.
He also added the Indian government to refrain from enforcing any legislation that seeks to discriminate against people based on religion.
“We urged the Indian government to introduce a new bill or make an amendment to this current bill that will correct the flaw that discriminates people based on religion,” he said.
He said the Indian government should be more open to help people of all backgrounds from all countries based on humanitarian grounds and not religious beliefs.
The NGO’s also expressed their gratitude to the Indian High Commission for lending their listening ears and to accommodate to the plight of the Indian Muslim community.
Earlier this month, the protestors objected to the CAA which aims to fast-track citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who arrived in India before Dec 31, 2014, from Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
By Irman Hashim and Uqbah Soperi
