In the wake of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) UN High Commissioner, Michele Bachelet, has filed an intervention in the Supreme Court petition challenging the constitutionality of the Citizenship Amendment Act, as she is critical of CAA. Responding to her, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jai Shanker strongly rebutted her criticism, saying that the body (UNHCR) has been wrong and is blind to the problem of cross border terrorism. The issue on hand is the possibility of scores of people, mainly Muslims, being declared as stateless. The problem at hand is the massive exercise of going through the responses/documents from over 120 crore of Indian population and screening documents, which as seen in Assam, yield result which are far from truthful or necessary.
The issue of CAA has been extensively debated and despite heavy critique of the same by large number of groups and despite the biggest mass opposition ever to any move in Independent India, the Government is determined on going ahead with an exercise which is reminiscent of the dreaded regimes which are sectarian and heartless to its citizens, which have indulged in extinction of large mass of people on grounds of citizenship, race etc. The Foreign minister’s assertion is that it is a matter internal to India, where India’s sovereignty is all that matters! As far as sovereignty is concerned we should be clear that in current times any sovereign power has to consider the need to uphold the citizenship as per the principle of non-discrimination which is stipulated in Art.26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political (ICCPR) rights.
Can such policies, which affect large number of people and are likely to affect their citizenship be purely regarded as ‘internal’? With the World turning into a global village, some global norms have been formulated during last few decades. The norms relate to Human rights and migrations have been codified. India is also signatory to many such covenants in including ICCPR, which deals with the norms for dealing with refugees from other countries. One is not talking of Chicago speech of Swami Vivekanand, which said that India’s greatness has been in giving shelter to people from different parts of the World; one is also not talking of the Tattariaya Upanishad’s ‘Atithi Devovhav’ or ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’ from Mahaupanishad today.
What are being talked about are the values and opinions of organizations which want to ensure to preserve of Human rights of all people Worldwide. In this matter India is calling United Nations body as ‘foreign party’; having no locus standi in the case as it pertains to India’s sovereignty. The truth is that since various countries are signatories to UN covenants, UN bodies have been monitoring the moves of different states and intervening at legal level as Amicus (Friend of the Court) to the courts in different countries and different global bodies. Just to mention some of these, UN and High Commissioner for Human Rights has often submitted amicus briefs in different judicial platforms. Some examples are their intervention in US Supreme Court, European Court of Human Rights, International Criminal Court, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. These are meant to help the Courts in areas where UN bodies have expertise.
Expertise on this has been jointly formulated by various nations. These interventions also remind the nations as to what global norms have been evolved and what are the obligations of individual states to the values which have evolved over a period of time. Arvind Narrain draws our attention to the fact that, “commission has intervened in the European Court of Human Rights in cases involving Spain and Italy to underscore the principle of non-refoulement, which bars compulsory expulsion of illegal migrants… Similarly, the UN has intervened in the International Criminal Court in a case against the Central African Republic to explicate on the international jurisprudence on rape as a war crime.”
From time to time organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have been monitoring the status of Human rights of different countries. This puts those countries in uncomfortable situation and is not welcome by those establishments. How should this contradiction between ‘internal matter’, ‘sovereignty’ and the norms for Human rights be resolved? This is a tough question at the time when the freedom indices and democratic ethos are sliding downwards all over the world. In India too has slid down on the scale of these norms.
In India we can look at the intervention of UN body from the angle of equality and non discrimination. Democratic spirit should encourage us to have a rethink on the matters which have been decided by the state. In the face of the greatest mass movement of Shaheen bagh, the state does need to look inwards and give a thought to international morality, the spirit of global family to state the least.
The popular perception is that when Christians were being persecuted in Kandhmal the global Christian community’s voice was not strong enough. Currently in the face of Delhi carnage many a Muslim majority countries have spoken. While Mr. Modi claims that his good relations with Muslim countries are a matter of heartburn to the parties like Congress, he needs to relook at his self gloating. Currently Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia and many Muslim majority countries have spoken against what Modi regime is unleashing in India. Bangladesh, our neighbor, has also seen various protests against the plight of Muslims in India. More than the ‘internal matter’ etc. what needs to be thought out is the moral aspect of the whole issue. We pride ourselves in treading the path of morality. What does that say in present context when while large section of local media is servile to the state, section of global media has strongly brought forward what is happening to minorities in India.
The hope is that Indian Government wakes up to its International obligations, to the worsening of India’s image in the World due to CAA and the horrific violence witnessed in Delhi.
Comments
\Hindutva activists raid Thomas School...\" is wrong caption
It should be, \"Hindutva Goondas Attack Thomas school ....."
Why you call these raid, Raid can only be done by government servants.
This is called Gondagiri, what the hell police is doing, arrest them.
I think as per this English should be banned as the language belongs to England.
If learning or teaching was illegal they would've spoke to the head master, or filed a case against the school.
For muslims ARABIC is first language, its the mother of all language.
hahaha look at their face and their dressing style! Their presence itself shows they are uneducated goons.. Hardly one or two guys may be passed 7th standard. All poor hindu guys are running up and down in search of arabic classes and gowmootra.. Upper class are enjoying every position in all indutries.. Poor guys.. Lage Raho..
Hi all the people of Mangalore,
Who r these people who haven't seen the steps of school and wanna dictate what is to be taught and what not? There are education boards set up for all these purposes. Where is Mangalore heading? Who has brainwashed these people? First those people should be acted as per law who leads such goons irrespective of religion? How can U expect a place to develop when U don't have a mindset for broader vision and tolerance? Anyone who speaks against some party becomes Anti national!!!
V r giving more important to Cows than Humans. If people of Mangalore unite at such circumstances, then law cannot be taken into hands by any groups, irrespective of religion. It's high time that we unite against such shameful acts.
Expats including non-muslims in gulf countries would have craved for knowing Arabic in their childhood because they know that they can have edge over others and would have got better pay in gulf. These people do not understand this. They are struck with some bad mindset which makes them to oppose anything associated with Muslims. It is difficult to learn a language later in life especially Arabic.
Uneducated goons don't know the value of languages..... moreover why sanskritbis taught in school....
Go maataas are in need of these sons in Gujarat where dalits stopped work.....go and serve the Go.......let's see how many patriots nationals from chaddi Canara sena will go....
Saffron TERRORISTS, not activists.
Many non muslim working in ARAB AND ISLAM Country for job purpose they have to learn ARABIC language and also english is foreign language are going to stop english language in school or in colleges this SRS are un educated so they fight ....
Arabic is an international laungage spoke widely in many countries. There are many million Christians , jews and other non Muslims for whom Arabic is mother tongue. In every gulf countries lakhs of non Muslim join Arabic language courses to get promotion in their jobs. In Kerala there are non Muslim Arabic teachers. These narrow minded uneducated ravan sena are defaming our district and country by their criminal acts. Law should take stern action against these anti social elements
Nayig yenchina gottu Limbeda uppad
These SRS goondas should know that, it was not compulsory.... Those who do not want to learn, they are free to keep away.... so, what is the issue ????? Look at the Words , that are taught, which are useful in daily life... like bank, airport, box, gooda angadi.... these are useful to those work in Gulf.... Bopanna KSA can throw some light on this issue.... Those who are interested , let them learn, others can SHUT UP...
RSS IS ONLY GOOD FOR THESE TYPES OF THINGS...
LET THEM SAVE THEIR MATHA COW IN ROAD FIRST...
should have banged arabic preacher :
these teachers dont have any other work, small children hardly study their 6 subject... in between arabic and other language to their head.
this unpaid shiva sena activists dont know the value of learning new things.
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