News: The recently released United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mentions about ‘deteriorating’ religious freedom conditions in India. It expressed concerns regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019.
1. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom: It is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government agency established under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
2. It assesses the universal right to freedom of religion or belief in countries other than the US.
3. It also makes recommendations for US foreign policy to promote and protect religious liberty.
4. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): It was adopted in 1948 to detail the fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
5. Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019: This Act amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 to fast-track Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who migrated to India owing to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
