Indian Parliament passes bill the opposition considers "anti-Muslim"

Indian Parliament passes bill the opposition considers "anti-Muslim"

The Indian Parliament passed a bill introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land trusts, amid widespread protests.

Under the bill, non-Muslims would be included on Islamic land endowment boards and the government would have a greater role in verifying their properties.

The government says the amendments will help combat corruption and mismanagement and promote diversity, but critics fear they will undermine the rights of the country's Muslim minority and could be used to confiscate historic mosques and other properties.

The debate was heated in both chambers of parliament. The lower house debated the bill from Wednesday until Thursday morning, while the upper house debate continued for more than 16 hours until Friday morning.

The opposition, led by the Congress Party, strongly opposed the bill, describing it as unconstitutional and discriminatory against Muslims. Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lacks a majority in the lower house, but its allies helped push the bill through.

In the lower house, 288 members voted in favor of the bill, while 232 members opposed it. Similarly, 128 members voted in favor and 95 against it in the upper house. The bill will now be sent to President Draupadi Murmu for her assent to become law.

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