Kerala Muslim outfits oppose Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, call it unconstitutional

State president of Kerala Muslim Jamaath Kanthapuram has said that they will directly approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the Bill is dropped.

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With the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill scheduled to be tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday, Kerala Muslim leaders have expressed their resentment over the Bill, stating that it is unconstitutional.

General secretary of All-India Jamiyyathul Ulema and the state president of Kerala Muslim Jamaath, Kanthapuram AP Aboobackar Musaliyar on Sunday called the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill discriminatory and unconstitutional.

“The Bill is discriminatory against Muslims. The Prime Minister should review the Bill. People should not be discriminated against based on their caste or religion,” said Kanthapuram.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill aims to provide citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Specifically, it outlines refugees belonging to six religions — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. The proposed Bill has been opposed by minority communities in the country.

While addressing the media, Kanthapuram also said that they will directly approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to drop the Bill and if necessary, that they will take legal action. He also added that the proposed Bill was a direct blow on the minority communities of the country who are already facing attacks.

Kanthapuram reportedly said that the proposed Bill and the move to implement National Register of Citizens was aimed to target and destabilize the Muslim community in the country, reports the Times of India.

Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, another Sunni Muslim organisation, also expressed their dissent over the proposed Bill which will be tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday.

Syed Muhammed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal, president of Samastha said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was against Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution. The leaders also said that they hope that secular parties will come together in Parliament against the bill to protect the fundamental rights of minorities in the country.

The leaders have also called a meeting to be held at Kozhikode on Monday for all Muslim organisations in Kerala to discuss how to move forward in the issue.

Recently, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor came out against the proposed Bill saying that India will become a Hindutva version of Pakistan if the bill is passed.

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Explained: What the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is all about