Al Jazeera: Indian Bill That Excludes Muslims

India’s lower house of parliament approved a bill granting citizenship rights to non-Muslim immigrants. The legislation would require approval of the upper house – unlikely because it’s not under the control of the Bharatiya Janata Party that devised the plan. India is host to numerous refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Critics have called the proposal, contained in the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, blatantly anti-Muslim and an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to boost its Hindu voter base ahead of a general election due by May,” reports Al Jazeera. India stripped 4 million people of citizenship in 2018. The bill prompted protests and anger over granting citizenship to any undocumented migrants and migration from Bangladesh in general. Rights and risk-analysis advocates maintain the citizenship bill is unconstitutional for targeting specific groups. According to India’s census office, about 14 percent of the population practices Islam. – YaleGlobal