Actor Zeeshan Ayyub condemned the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at a press conference held at at Press Club of India in Delhi on Tuesday, 17 December. “My father is a Muslim, my mother is a Hindu. How can they divide us in the name of religion?” he said according to reports, and urged Indian citizens to take a stand against the CAA. He also expressed solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia university and Aligarh Muslim University, who were lathicharged and tear gassed by Delhi police during protests against the CAA that turned violent. Delhi University professor and writer Apoorvanand and activist Farah Naqvi also addressed the media at the event.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they fled their native country due to religious persecution. According to the proposed legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till 31 December 2014, after facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
Speaking to The Quint earlier Ayyub said, “CAB definitely has many problems. The biggest problem I’d say is that one needs to see if it’s a Citizenship Amendment Bill or Constitution Amendment Bill. Because the ‘We the people’ opening of the constitution itself, you have changed, and the fabric of that itself. The idea of secularism mentioned in our constitution has been hit directly. CAB also directly states that people of a particular religion will be treated differently.”
He added, “But my main point is that to force people to identify on the grounds of religion, to cause polarisation in the society, and to alter the basic fabric of our constitution, of our country, is wrong. I can’t think of any nation that has moved forward in the name of religion and has found success and progress, and benefited the people of its country. Every country (that tried to do this) has only suffered.”
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