New Delhi: Indian Muslims need not worry as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not impact their citizenship and has nothing to do with the community which enjoys equal rights as their Hindu counterparts, the Home Ministry asserted on Tuesday.
The ministry sought to allay the fears of a section of Muslims and students regarding the CAA, making it clear that "no Indian citizen would be asked to produce any document to prove his citizenship after this Act." The Centre on Monday notified the ruled for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.
In its statement, the Home Ministry said, "Due to the persecution of minorities in those three Muslim countries, the name of Islam was badly tarnished all around the world. However, Islam, being a peaceful religion, never preaches or suggests hatred/violence/any persecution on religious ground." This Act "protects Islam from being tarnished in the name of persecution," it said.
Explaining the need of the law, the ministry said India does not have any pact or agreement with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to repatriate migrants back to these countries. "This Citizenship Act doesn't deal with the deportation of illegal immigrants and therefore the concern of a section of the people including Muslims and students that CAA is against Muslim minorities is unjustifiable," it said.
The ministry said there is no bar on Muslims from anywhere in the world to seek Indian citizenship under Section 6 of the Citizenship Act, which deals with the citizenship by naturalisation. "Without curtailing the freedom and opportunity of Indian Muslims to enjoy their rights as they have been usually practising and entertaining since Independence like other Indian citizens belonging to other religions, CAA 2019 has reduced the qualification period of application for citizenship from 11 to 5 years for the beneficiaries who had been persecuted on religious grounds in Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan and who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014 with an aim to show a generous treatment to them," it said.
