India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu Nationalist party (BJP)-controlled parliament recently passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which provided a path to Indian citizenship for illegal migrants of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities-- but glaringly excluded Muslims. The act was the first time religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under Indian law.
The amendment has been widely criticized as discriminating on the basis of religion, in particular for excluding Muslims. Many believe that the bill would be used, along with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), to render many Muslim citizens stateless.
Understandably, the passage of the legislation caused large-scale protests across India. Protesters say the bill discriminates against Muslims and they demand that Indian citizenship to be granted to Muslim refugees and immigrants. Opponents of the CAA have also raised concerns over Modi's authoritarianism tendencies, the police crackdown on universities, and suppression of protests.
The protests have led to the deaths of several protesters, injuries to protesters and police personnel, damage to public and private property, the detention of hundreds of people, and suspensions of local internet mobile phone connectivity in certain areas.
Two weeks ago, BJP leader Kapil Mishra gave a provocative speech, urging the police to clear protesters blocking roads in North East Delhi, but also making it clear that he
wanted his followers to take the law in their own hands if the police failed to act. Shortly after his statement, violent clashes started across North East Delhi. Mobs carrying saffron flags vandalized and torched mosques and properties of Muslims. In the
ensuing violence that went on for several days, properties of both
Muslims and Hindus were destroyed, with the majority of properties
affected belonging to Muslims.
Many in India (including Shivam Vij) are characterizing the BJP-sponsored campaign against Muslims (and the ensuing violence) as nothing short of a state-sponsored pogrom. In numerous accounts, videos and photos, Delhi Police seem to be aiding and abetting the violence, either by looking away or actually participating in it. Anti-Muslim government policies and associated police action against protesters are seemingly designed to force defensive actions by Muslims and their supporters-- which is then used by the government to characterize the situation as an "equal fight" between both sides. This is the same tactic used by the Chinese government against Hong Kong protesters and the Trump administration again white nationalist protesters.
But make no mistake-- Modi's Hindu nationalism is cut from the same cloth as Trump's white nationalism and we will all be paying the price until we get leaders that don't traffic in hate.
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