India’s standing at 161 out of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index is not something worth bragging. A very comprehensive all-India survey conducted in 2022 by the Lokniti program of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies pointed that between 60% to 70% of the country’s news consumers cannot say that they trust their newspapers, private news channels and news websites. It cannot be denied that even today foreign media still wins over Indian media when it comes to the “trust factor”.
In the light of the above, it is important to evaluate what the foreign media has reported and commented about the government’s decision to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, just before the announcement of general election dates.
The BBC News in its story dated 12 March, by Nikhila Henry in Delhi and Kathryn Armstrong in London reports that the CAA faces criticism for being anti-Muslim. It allows non-Muslim religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to seek Indian citizenship, purportedly to help those facing persecution.
The report mentions that the government justifies the CAA as a humanitarian response to persecution, with the home ministry stating that eligible individuals can now apply online for Indian citizenship. It emphasizes that the law is for those who have suffered persecution and have no other shelter except in India.
Opposition parties and groups have criticized the timing of the law’s implementation, accusing the government of political motivations. Protests have erupted in states like Assam and Kerala, with concerns raised about the law’s exclusionary nature and its potential impact on India’s secular principles. Critics argue that the CAA violates secular principles enshrined in the constitution by excluding certain groups, such as Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar. There are concerns that when combined with a proposed national register of citizens, the CAA could be used to target Muslims and exacerbate communal tensions. Muslim leaders, such as Asaduddin Owaisi, have condemned the CAA, alleging that it targets Muslims and serves no other purpose.
Reporting for the Guardian, Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi (12 March 2024) wrote that the law was passed in December 2019, but its implementation was delayed due to widespread protests and violence, with concerns raised about its impact on India’s secular foundations and the legitimacy of discrimination against Muslims. Amnesty International criticized the law as discriminatory, stating that it goes against constitutional values of equality and international human rights law.
Talking about the centralization of the application process, the report says the new rules empower the central government to largely control the application process for citizenship, reducing the role of state governments, including those led by opposition parties who had pledged not to implement the CAA. The proposed changes also raised concerns in states like Assam, where residents fear an influx of Hindus from Bangladesh, potentially threatening their culture and identity. Indigenous rights and student groups in Assam protested against the CAA, burning copies of the legislation and expressing continued opposition. Leaders from organizations like the All Assam Students’ Union condemned the CAA, viewing it as a threat to Assamese identity and culture.
A detailed report about the CAA also appeared in The New York Times dated 12 March, written by Alex Travelli and Sameer Yasir reporting from New Delhi. The NY Times story talks about the political implications of the CAA and Modi’s leadership, saying this move underscores Modi’s power to redefine the Indian republic, emphasizing a Hindu-first state despite resistance. The report reminds its readers about the history of protests and riots that accompanied the CAA when it was first introduced saying the CAA sparked protests by hundreds of thousands of Muslims and other Indians, leading to deadly riots in February 2020 in Delhi, resulting in at least 50 deaths, mostly Muslims. The riots occurred during President Donald J. Trump’s state visit to India, drawing international attention to the issue.
The report filed by Al Jazeera dated 11 Mar 2024 under the section India Election 2024 was titled “India implements ‘anti-Muslim’ 2019 citizenship law weeks before election”. Emphasizing that “The law was declared “anti-Muslim” by several rights groups for keeping the community out of its ambit, raising questions over the secular character of the world’s largest democracy.”
Al Jazeera also highlighted the concerns of the Muslim community in India saying, “Muslim groups say the law, combined with a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), can discriminate against India’s 200 million Muslims – the world’s third-largest Muslim population. They fear the government might remove the citizenship of Muslims without documents in some border states.”
The report also talks about what it calls the “Rising Islamophobia” in the country saying, “Human rights groups have alleged that the mistreatment of Muslims has increased under Modi, who took over as prime minister in 2014. The country, since then, has seen a rising number of attacks against Muslims and their livelihoods, including the demolition of Muslim homes and properties. Cases of mob lynching under the pretext of protecting cows, considered holy by some Hindus, have also increased during Modi’s time in power. Critics believe the often-armed cow vigilantes, which used to operate on the fringes of society, became mainstream after the BJP took over. Reports of hate speech against Muslims have also increased in the country, averaging nearly two anti-Muslim hate speech events per day in 2023. A report revealed that three out of four hate speech incidents occurred in states ruled by the BJP.”
The foreign media coverage of the CAA has drawn the ire of the local right-wing media. In a story (dated 12 March) titled “Anti-Muslim, discriminatory, exclusionary: International media peddles false narrative against CAA to incite Indian Muslims”, OpIndia blames certain foreign media outlets, specifically those with liberal and Islamist sympathies, for their biased reporting. It suggests that these publications are adept at constructing false narratives, particularly regarding government actions and religious communities. OpIndia highlights how the foreign media portrayed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as discriminatory against Muslims, rather than focusing on its intended purpose of providing citizenship to persecuted minority groups from neighboring countries. This skewed reporting, according to OpIndia, fosters fear among Indian Muslims, portrays the Modi government as anti-Muslim, and may even incite protests and violence.