THIS week, I asked the UK Government about the terrible sectarian situation that has erupted in India over the last two weeks. The Citizen Amendment Act is legislation that offers amnesty and a path to citizenship for non-Muslim religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says it will give sanctuary to people fleeing religious violence.
India is one of the world’s most diverse states – it has become a melting pot of religion, culture and language. The drafters of its constitution made conscious effort to define citizenship in secular non-religious terms.
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However, critics called the bill anti-Muslim and there have been large-scale protests. There is rightfully deep unease when that faith becomes a condition of citizenship. This is a deliberate policy of the Indian government and it undermines the inclusive values that modern democracies are built on.
On February 24, a recently unseated politician from the BJP demanded that either the police clear the streets blocked by protesters, or his followers would do it. This undoubtedly contributed to the shameful campaign of violence against the Muslim minority.
Reports coming from Delhi have been horrifying. Dozens have been killed. Muslim-owned businesses, homes and mosques have become focal points for violence. An eight-months pregnant woman was attacked, thrown to the floor and repeatedly kicked in the stomach.
A recent viral online video shows a distraught man explaining that his brother died at the hands of the police during the rioting. At the time of writing this column, Delhi police have yet to comment.
The police in the city have faced criticism for failing to stop the rioters, and for reportedly standing by as Muslim homes and mosques were attacked. The number of those killed in the violence has reached over 40, with 200 others injured.
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Scotland is a diverse country and has a close affinity with people from this region. This type of violence cannot be allowed to permeate through modern societies. Freedom of religion and worship are fundamental human rights and discrimination of people based on their faith is, and always will be, unacceptable.
This type of violence can be jarring. It is hard to understand how people in a position of power could let this happen, from Prime Minister Modi – who should be doing more to uphold freedom of religion and equality – to the politician who whipped up the frenzy that led to these awful events.
There are many points that can be taken from this situation. The first and most important is to reach out to the government of India to stop the violence and protect the rights of minorities in the country. Another is to see how the violence has spread, through what networks, and the effect that it has had.
I have urged the Foreign Office to do more in its dialogue with the Indian government, addressing what is an inflammatory policy over citizenship for Muslims. This is not a time for the world to look the other way, the tension and violence are real, and real, innocent people are in serious danger in their own homes.
I wrote about disinformation in my last column for The National, and the role the internet and disinformation have in distorting how individuals in a society think and behave. While in this case some of the fault can be laid at the policy that was put in place – which obviously disadvantages a minority – the violence was sparked, in large part, by a single speech from a single politician.
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The power that social media has is that, as a platform, it can bring people together and jump start revolutions, but it has also opened the door to foreign intervention in elections and the incitement of violence. It has been and will be used by actors, both domestic and foreign, to try to shape outcomes of decisions in this country.
Disinformation is one of the most powerful concepts that we still haven’t caught up to.
I raised this in the House of Commons with the Minister of State for the Foreign Office – specifically on the topic of the current situation in India. We know that online disinformation is being used extensively within India in order to inflame the tensions between communities. The UK Government has carried out some commendable work on this front. When I said in the Commons previously that I intend to work with the Government where there is common ground, I meant it. That said, there is room for much more to be done on this matter.
Online disinformation is fanning the flames of what is proving to be a dreadful period in India’s modern history, and where the UK can help to tackle it, it should do so.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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