Citizenship Amendment Act: Advocacy Toolkit

What is our goal?
Ask legislators to sponsor a resolution condemning the Citizenship Amendment Act (Ex. Seattle Res. 31926 2020)
Ask legislators to put out a statement condemning Prime Minister Modi’s language identifying Indian Muslims as infiltrators

Passing a Resolution

Cities

  1. Find a city council member

  2. Find a list of city council meetings and sign up for a public comment section 

  3. Request a meeting with a city council member with you, their constituency, and affected community members to discuss what it might look like to sponsor a resolution 

    1. How would it be best to approach the other councilmembers? 

  4. Send messages to state, district, county representatives 

  5. Continue to attend town hall, council, and school board meetings 

  6. A resolution is introduced

  7. The city council votes on the resolution 


To pass a resolution at any level and/or meet with representatives, refer to these toolkits:
https://www.codepink.org/ceasefiretoolkit
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/CeasfireToolkit.pdf


Releasing a Statement

Sample Statement Language

  • I condemn the divisive and inflammatory language used by Prime Minister Modi to describe India’s Muslim population as “infiltrators” during his 2024 campaign speech. India’s religious communities have long, rich histories of coexistence and to target any one community in this way is a clear sign of an oppressive and authoritarian government seeking to facilitate further violence on that community. Furthermore, the open use of Islamophobic stereotypes in a campaign rally is unacceptable in a nation that identifies itself as democratic. The United States must call out India’s human rights abuses or we seek to face one of the largest migration crises the world has ever seen.  

  • Prime Minister Modi’s speech calling Muslims “infiltrators” is an example of the erosion of civil liberties and democratic values in a country that is known to the world as the world’s largest democracy. I condemn this hateful rhetoric and stand by a democratic India that values equality for its Muslim, Dalit, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, and Indigenous communities. 

  • Prime Minister Modi’s speech targeting India’s minority Muslim community is an example of how Islamophobia is currently being weaponized in Muslim-minority countries due to a global climate of hostility against Muslims. The longstanding presence of Hindu nationalism in United States politics is a stepping stone to achieve Prime Minister Modi’s Hindu supremacist vision. I condemn Prime Minister Modi’s statements, as well as his use of Islamophobic stereotypes, and will continue to advocate for an India that maintains equality for all of its communities.

Op-Eds & Letters to the Editor 

Op-eds & letters to the editor can be a powerful tool to change the narrative and educate the public about this event. We have attached an op-ed template with key talking points. Please also refer to the “Language & Background” section below for more points about Hindutva in the USA. This is essential to draw local readers in.

Template

The Indian government’s discriminatory Citizenship Act (CAA) is a religion-based citizenship test. It would expedite citizenship for religious minorities seeking asylum from religious persecution–while excluding Muslims. It is an actively Islamophobic policy that implies that Muslim immigrants, such as Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees who have fled genocide, are not worthy of Indian citizenship.

The Indian government is seeking to implement this dangerous and violent policy and must be stopped. One of the single best ways to get this message through to Congress is by writing a letter-to-the-editor in your local paper. Use the resources below to write an LTE. We'll connect you directly to your local paper and provide you with talking points.

  • Only submit your LTE to ONE OR TWO PAPERS, even if more are listed. Submitting to more papers does not increase the likelihood of you being published.

  • Take a few minutes to personalize your LTE, this is what increases the likelihood of being published.

  • Talking Points
    Use the below talking points to craft your letter. We encourage you to include some information about who you are and why you are concerned about this issue.

    • India is seeking to implement the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a law that was passed by the fascist, Hindu nationalist BJP in an attempt to introduce a religious litmus test for citizenship and render Muslim refugees stateless.

    • The Indian government pretends that this law is a humanitarian asylum law but it is actually a vehicle of Islamophobic violence and persecution.

    • The law creates a pathway to citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim refugees from other countries–but excludes Muslims, such as members of the Rohingya Muslim, Sri Lankan Tamil and Ahmadiyya Muslims–from citizenship.

    • In combination with the Indian government’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), the law will likely be used to strip citizenship from undocumented Muslims, rendering them stateless.

    • Half a billion people may be impacted by implemented by the CAA–rendered stateless, excluded from citizenship and subject to violence.

Helpful Op-Ed Toolkit references 

LANGUAGE & BACKGROUND 

What is the Citizenship Amendment Act? 

  • The Citizenship Act was introduced in 1955. 

  • The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was mandated as a 2003 amendment to the Act but was only implemented in Assam. It required people to submit documentation to prove their residency in India for 11 years prior. If people did not have their documents, the Foreigners Tribunals would send them to detention camps

  • 1985 - Assam Accords were signed due to anti-immigrant concerns about the rise in migration from neighboring Bangladesh. The Accords mandated that migrants must prove they entered before March 24, 1971 (the year Bangladesh established independence) or they cannot vote and will be deported. The NRC was planned to be updated in accordance with this. 

  • When the National Registry was updated in 2019, 1.9 million people were unable to be registered. Many poor families did not have access to documents or were intentionally excluded due to excuses like spelling errors. Both Bengali Hindus and Muslims were left off, and many were sent to detention camps. Hindutva officials were displeased at the exclusion of Bengali Hindus and introduced the CAB

  • The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was introduced to amend the 1955 Citizenship Act. This allows migrants to become citizens only if they 

    • 1) are Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and/or Christian

    • 2) are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

    • 3) are exempted under the Passport Act of 1920 

    • 4) came before December 31, 2014  

  • In January 2019, Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) became the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but stalled because the BJP’s first term was ending. They were re-elected in the same year. 

  • On December 2, 2019, the CAB was passed as the CAA. It excluded Muslims & ignored Eelam Tamils (which are India’s largest existing refugee group), Rohingyas, & other persecuted groups from neighboring countries. This made it unconstitutional since Article 14 of the Constitution stated that every single person in Indian territory would receive equal protection under Indian law and allows classification on reasonable grounds. The countries and religious classifications named in the CAA follow no explicit rationale. 

    • It also expanded criteria for the Government of India to cancel Overseas Citizen of India registrations. According to Amnesty International, 102 OCI cards have been canceled between 2014 and 2023 for dissent. 

  • It stalled in 2019 because there were massive protests which killed many. According to the USCIRF report, multiple Indian chief ministers refused to implement the law and challenged it in the Supreme Court. 

  • This was followed by a brutal pogrom in 2020 in Delhi 

As of 2024

Hinduphobia Resolutions

With the increase in Hinduphobia resolutions across the United States, it is extremely important to inform legislators that these need to be opposed as they as a tool of Hindu fascism

Why does this matter to the United States?

  • Hindu nationalism has been influencing American foreign policy for over twenty years and is only growing stronger at the expense of vulnerable communities in America and around the world. All legislators who speak up against Hindutva are making a tangible impact against India’s virulent anti-Muslim & anti-Dalit bigotry, including any legislation that is passed in India

    • South Asia Civil Watch: A Report on the Infrastructure of Hindutva Influence Peddling, Mobilizing and Fund Raising in the US, 2014-2021

  • Hindutva has made its way into local industries, workplaces, and schools affecting not only caste-oppressed South Asians but other ethnic minorities as well. Caste oppression has a strong link with anti-Black violence and anti-poor legislation

    • Governor Gavin Newsom caved to Hindutva money and vetoed SB403, which would have protected hundreds of vulnerable workers

    • Thirty Dalit employees in Silicon Valley released a statement to the Washington Post citing that jokes about Dalit and Muslim women are common amongst upper-caste Hindus in their workplaces and that pro-Hindutva sentiment was rife

    • A recent Maryland handbook on cultural competency in health was just released. It was created by a prior member of right-wing, pro-Hindutva organization Hindu American Foundation

    • A high-level, pro-Hindutva Facebook employee was found to have been preventing the platform from removing pro-hate speech content

    • Hindutva groups are heavily active in American elections and partner with Zionist groups

    • One of the groups involved in the lawsuit against Thomas Jefferson High School’s Affirmative Action policies to enroll more Black & Hispanic students was the American Hindu Coalition, which is pro-Hindutva. Its Policy Director, Suparna Dutta, was heavily involved in this lawsuit and was removed from the Board of Education after she made comments that slavery was not enshrined in the Constitution and was found to have ties to right-wing groups. The fight against affirmative action is a common fight for Hindutva groups back in India where right-wing groups wanted to stop caste-oppressed students from advancing. This has been exported to the United States at the intersections of anti-Black racism and casteism.

    • Many white supremacists and Hindutva groups take inspiration from each other.

  • India has one of the largest and oldest Muslim communities in the world at 250 million, 90% of which are caste-oppressed and face caste-based violence. Caste-oppressed communities in general, particularly Dalit communities, number over 300 million and many of these community members don’t have access to the documentation the CAA requires. With Hindutva persecution reaching its apex, further violence could lead to one of the largest refugee crises the world has ever seen. 

  • The United States must speak up against India even though the country is an ally. India has branded itself as the world’s largest democracy, a status which has been eroding as journalists and opposition parties are jailed and the government resorts to scapegoating minorities in order to get votes