This article discusses recent concerns raised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019, issued by the Indian government. This has provoked uneasy international reactions due to its controversial clause granting citizenship based primarily on religion.
The USCIRF’s role in monitoring religious freedom
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan commission established by the US federal government under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), 1998. The USCIRF’s crucial task is to oversee universal rights to freedom of religion and belief abroad. By using international standards, the commission assesses religious freedom violations worldwide and formulates policy recommendations for the US President, Congress, and Secretary of State. Although separate from the State Department, the USCIRF works closely with the Department’s Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, who serves as a non-voting, ex-officio Commissioner. Despite its influential status, the USCIRF’s recommendations are not binding and are merely advisory for the legislative and executive branches of the US government.
Concerns over the CAB, 2019
In 2016, a bill was launched to revise the Citizenship Act, 1955, but was left unresolved with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. Consequently, the CAB, 2019 was introduced into Parliament in December 2019. This amendment seeks to specifically exempt Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan from meeting standard requirements for Indian citizenship. This proposed change has drawn attention and criticism, particularly from the USCIRF, which had previously voiced disapproval over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and a mob lynching incident in Jharkhand in August 2019.
USCIRF’s International Religious Freedom report, 2019
| Country | Status |
|---|---|
| India | Tier 2 – Engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations |
Each year, the USCIRF releases the International Religious Freedom report, consisting of detailed analysis on the status of religious freedom in countries around the globe. The 2019 report discussed mob-related violence, religious conversion regulations, the legal status of minorities, and government policies in India. It placed India into its Tier 2 category, reserved for countries engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations that meet at least one element of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious” criteria for designation as a “country of particular concern”, or CPC, under the IRFA.
The international reaction to CAB, 2019
The introduction of the CAB, 2019 has garnered global attention due to its clause providing preferential treatment to certain religious groups. The USCIRF’s concerns highlight the potential ramifications this bill could have on the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. As international entities continue to monitor the situation closely, the outcomes and implications of the CAB, 2019 will undoubtedly reverberate far beyond India’s borders.
