Tag Archives: Buddhist

Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief

India News | Immigrants

India plans to amend law to grant citizenship to migrants seeking asylum from religious persecution
  • The Home Ministry is expected to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to grant citizenship to religious minorities who fled persecution in neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh.
  • Immigrants who arrived before the start of 2015 will be eligible for citizenship through either a 7-year residency or 12-year naturalization process.
  • Legislators are also looking to amend visa laws to allow undocumented religious asylum-seekers to remain in the country while their citizenship applications are processed.

Read the full story at The Hindu.

(Image Credit: AP file photo, via The Hindu)

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Myanmar News | Muslims & Interfaith

Myanmar passes controversial law restricting interfaith marriage
  • The law requires partners of different faiths to register their intent to marry with the government, after which they can marry only if there are no objections following public notice of the engagement.
  • Violation of the law could lead to imprisonment, which has led to an outcry from rights organizations who slam the law as discriminatory against ethnic minorities and women.
  • Proposed by the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, the law claims to focus on the protection of Buddhist women from being coerced into interfaith marriages and losing their rights.

“This kind of law shouldn’t be issued by parliament because it is not an essential law for all ethnic [groups] in Myanmar; it is just a law that discriminates against ethnic people when it comes to religion.”

Read the full story at Radio Free Asia.

(Image Credit: AFP, via Radio Free Asia)

Religion + Belief
China opens new path to Tibet holy site for Indian pilgrims
  • The new land passage offers a route from India through the Himalayas to Mount Kailash.
  • In addition to its geographic isolation, Kailash has remained out of reach for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims due to China’s tight visa restrictions on travel to Tibet.
  • The opening comes as China and India work to improve relations and remove obstacles–including ongoing border disputes–to improved economic and political ties.

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Jacky Chen/Reuters)