Muslim activists express support to CAA

New Delhi: Several noted Muslim activists and leaders have expressed their support for the Citizenship Amendment Act, which facilitates Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“One of the several objectives of the Citizenship Amendment Act is stoppage of further influx of illegal immigrants, who have been eating into the tax-payers money," Kashish Warsi, President, Bartiya Sufi Foundation, told PTI.

He said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) provides the persecuted minorities of the three Islamic countries a special status in the naturalisation process, adding it does not prevent other communities to avail the general asylum process.

“A number of Muslim leaders have understood the ramifications of the Act and have appealed to the Muslims from various platforms to maintain peace and brotherhood and keep away from divisive forces on the pretext of CAA,” he said.

Sufi Khanqah Association president Kausar Hasan Mazidi in a statement said there is a need among the Muslim community that they should not sway away by rumours and fake news spread by divisive forces and not indulge in any kind of violence.

Sufi Islamic Board national president Mansoor Khan said a new section 6 (b) of the CAA proposes that if the victims of religious persecution register themselves by adopting the specified conditions, they will be able to obtain citizenship of India.

“Moreover, if such migrants obtain citizenship after fulfilling the conditions of Section 5 or Third schedule of the Citizenship Act 1955, then they would be given citizenship from the date on which they arrived in India. Many refugees have come before 31 December of 2014, all of them will get citizenship from the date they have come,” he said.