Several Twitter users change identities to claim to be Muslims who support citizenship law
01:40PM Sun 15 Dec, 2019
Several Twitter users claiming to be Muslim took to Twitter this week to share an identical piece of text announcing their support for Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was signed into law by President Ramnath Kovind on Thursday.
“I’m a Muslim. I support #CABBill,” their messages claimed. “I strongly denounce the protests launched by my muslim brothers across the nation. They either didn’t understand the bill and have been manipulated or they’re knowingly targeting the govt as a political move. But I’m very proud of it. Jai Hind.”
The Act has sparked protests around India. It offers citizenship to refugees from all South Asian religions, except Muslims, fleeing oppression from India’s neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Critics say the legislation is discriminatory on religious grounds.
When Alt News examined the Twitter profiles and previous messages of some of the people declaring support for the Act, it found that several among them used to identify as Hindus. The sudden shift to Muslim identities occurred after the citizenship legislation was introduced in Parliament earlier this month.