Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly criticized a new Indian citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims, saying it's 'just bad'

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly criticized a new Indian citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims, saying it's 'just bad'
Satya Nadella
  • Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella became the first major tech CEO to speak out against a new citizenship law India passed last month that discriminates against Muslims.
  • "I think what is happening is sad," Nadella told reporters at a media event earlier this week, and called the law "just bad."
  • The law, called the Citizenship Amendment Act, gives immigrants from all major South Asian religions, except Islam, a clear path to citizenship in India.
  • Nadella also emphasized the role technology and immigration had on his life and career, making it possible for him to become the CEO of a major American tech company. He lamented that India may be closing itself to those types of opportunities.
  • The law has been deeply criticized because it seen by many as a first step by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to make India's Muslim population into second-class citizens.
  • Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella became the first major tech CEO to speak out against a new citizenship law India passed last month that discriminates against Muslims.

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Nadella said the law is "just bad," speaking to reporters at a media event earlier this week.

"I think what is happening is sad," he also said of the law.

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He emphasized the role technology and immigration had on his life and career, and how they made it possible for him to get to where he is now, as the CEO of a major American tech company. He lamented the fact that India may be closing itself to those types of opportunities.

"I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the CEO of Infosys. That should be the aspiration. If I had to sort of mirror what happened to me in the US, that's what, at least I would hope happens in India," Nadella said.

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The law, called the Citizenship Amendment Act, gives immigrants from all major South Asian religions, except Islam, a clear path to citizenship in India. It amends the Citizenship Act of 1955, which sets guidelines for becoming a citizen in the country. The 2019 revision added a religious element, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities who fled the neighboring majority-Muslim countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

The law has been deeply criticized by opponents, seen as a first step by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to make India's Muslim population into second-class citizens and essentially stripping away India's secular nature.

India's largest religious group is Hindus, but it's home to many other smaller religious groups. Islam is the largest minority religious group in India, with over 200 million Muslims living in the country. When India gained independence over 70 years ago, political leaders carved out special protections for religious minorities, including Muslims, in the constitution. Hindus and Muslims in India have historically had a rocky relationship.

Prime Minister Modi and his political party have been pushing for a more Hindu-centric country, and this is the widest reaching piece of legislation they've passed to pursue this agenda.

In the past month, India has experienced widespread protests against the law. It's the first major challenge to Modi's government and its agenda.

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First major CEO to speak up

Nadella is the first CEO of a big tech company to speak out against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Microsoft, like many other tech companies, has a large footprint in India.

Nadella grew up in the Indian city of Hyderabad, and said this week that growing up in a multicultural city was invaluable.

"I'm very, very proud of my heritage, culturally from that place. In fact, I grew up in the city of Hyderabad, which I always felt was a great place to grow up, we celebrated Eid, we celebrated Christmas, we celebrated Diwali. All three festivals that are big for us," he said, referring to the major holidays for Islam, Christianity and Hinduism and other Indian religions.

Nadella acknowledged that while immigration and national security is a real issue countries have to deal with, the way in which India addresses it will be important. He sees hope in the fact that India is a democracy.

"It's a messy democracy and people are debating. It's not something that is hidden and it's something that is being debated actively and I'm hopeful that that that country will figure it out but I'm definitely clear on what we stand for and what I stand for."

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Shortly after Nadella made these remarks, Microsoft released an official statement from Nadella: "I'm shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefiting Indian society and the economy at large."

Nicholas Carlson contributed reporting to this story.

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