ECB is about differentiating Sikhs
from the word 'Asian.'
Its a Vision to help raise awareness
of Sikhs in the Western World,
their history,beliefs and identity.
Last month at the GG2 Awards, the director of the Indian tourist board UK was given a rare award for the most creative media campaign using ethnic imagery. The award handed to the Indian Tourist Board UK by Cherie Blair was for the ‘Incredible India campaign’ – a campaign showcasing India as a destination of choice for global tourists.
Undoubtedly, India has much to offer the discerning tourist. Scratch a little under the surface of glossy marketing campaigns, reveals a darker side to India – which few often contemplate. I sat in the audience with a hint of cynicism.
Twenty-five years ago thousands of innocent Sikh men, women and children were brutally murdered on the streets of Delhi and the surrounding area by furious mobs out for revenge following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Outraged by Operation Bluestar, a military siege of Skihism's holiest shrine, they had turned on their employer and gunned her down.
For the international Sikh community the events following on from the 31st of Oct still arouses unforgettable spectres from the past. As soon as the killings began it was clear that the rent-a-mobs were meticulously organised and directed from above. John Fraser in Canada’s Globe and Mail described how ‘for three horrific nights and four days, the violence was allowed to proceed…by which time the worst atrocities had been committed.’
The Prime Minister's murder provided a pretext for unprecedented brutality with days of unrelenting violence, rape & pillaging. An estimated 4,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone. British Sikhs like me, although only a child at the time, watched on helplessly as we followed reports in the media of the massacre of our brethren in India’s capital.
Worst still, the authorities were allegedly complicit, in what was the worst carnage across the country since partition. A quarter of a century later and the perpetrators (those who are still alive along with victims) have not been brought to book in the world's so called ‘largest democracy’. The fact that the planners of the Delhi pogroms allegedly were elected members of the ruling Congress party, some of whom are still incumbent should not be a barrier to justice for the victims. In a recent report Amnesty International described India's inability to prosecute the perpetrators of the violence as a "national disgrace".
So why has justice been denied?
In April of this year, Jarnail Singh a journalist from Dainak Jagran a local newspaper, vented his frustration at the acquittal of a Congress leader accused of leading anti-Sikh riots in 1984, by throwing his shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram during a press conference in Delhi. He is not alone in his sentiment, although his method of dissent was unique, insofar as it involved a Reebok trainer and a senior politician, in the ruling Congress party.
A film recently being widely screened across Britain ‘The Widow Colony- India’s unsettled settlement’ – highlights the enormity of the human tragedy and the biggest shame of all - the country's cripplingly slow-moving legalsystem which has failed to deliver justice to the innocent victims, two and a half decades later. Haunting melancholy music along with interviews with many of the widows frames an honest picture of the deep pain and suffering endured by these forgotten women. Although the debate continues undiminished – the film, along with a recent report about the blood curdling episode called ‘Sikhs Kristallnacht’ – provides time for much needed refection, as to how the episode has shaped how Sikhs see themselves relative to the world since.
Firstly, there is the issue of justice and compensation for the victims and their families. BUt no amount of compensation can assuage the grief stricken souls, struck by such a calamity. Nor can I as a British citizen, enjoying the trimmings of the British judicial system and rule of law, even begin to understand the pain of my co-religionists who suffered so much loss – under such dire circumstances.
Secondly relative silence of the international community is clear for all to see. And yet in 2005 the United States under the Bush administration referred to the Government Arab Janjaweed Militias killing of thousands of Darfuris as ‘genocide’, although the UN stopped short of describing the violence as such.
Whilst the protagonists behind more recent massacres in the Balkans have gradually been brought to book at the ICJ before the eye of the world’s media, there was hardly a peep of protest when it came to the turn of the Sikhs. The Tamil community face a similar fate today, the diaspora and its organisations continue to work as a vanguard on matters related to political detainees and allegations of human rights violations by the Sri Lankan state, since the Government’s so called victory against terrorism.
Lastly little has been done to debate the issue of Sikh Independence and the almost insurmountable feeling of alienation from the Indian state. A small minority of Sikhs in the diaspora, including Britain and Canada, still rally behind the concept of a separate Sikh state or ‘Khalistan’, with annual rallies held across capital cities, including the ‘Sikh Freedom Lobby’ which takes place in Brussels at the European Parliament.
A Generation on however, here in Britain Sikhs have much to celebrate, they are a truly integrated part of the mosaic of British multi-culturism. Since the battle of Saragarhi was recounted in Parliament in 1897, Sikh Military tradition has been the recipient of 14 Victoria Crosses. The community, meanwhile, has since excelled in the fields of sports, media, education, politics and business, not to mention having the recent honour of protecting none other than her Royal Highness at Buckingham Palace.
This is all inspite of the recent tumultuous history, indicative of resilience to the core coupled with a compelling optimism for the future.
Hardeep Singh, is a freelance Journalist & Broadcaster, he is also the Press Secretary for The Network of Sikh Organisations
These are the views of the author and not the views necessarily held by the Network of Sikh Organisations.
Survivors have had little justice. Only 20 people have been convicted for the killings (Photo: Soutik Biswas)
Nearly 3,000 members of India's Sikh community were massacred after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards on 31 October 1984. Rahul Bedi, one of the first journalists to reach the affected areas in the capital, Delhi, recalls events.
The 25th anniversary of Indira Gandhi's assassination revives stark memories of some 3,000 Sikhs killed brutally in the orderly pogrom that followed her killing.
The wave of ethnic cleansing which raged unhindered across the country, especially in Delhi, after Mrs Gandhi was shot dead ended only with her cremation on 2 November.
During these three days droves of Sikhs were determinedly hunted down by Hindu mobs from their homes, corralled and slaughtered like animals.
The trigger for Mrs Gandhi's killing was the storming of the Golden Temple in Sikhism's holy city Amritsar four months earlier to flush out Sikh militants fighting for an independent homeland of Khalistan or Land of the Pure.
Sikh shops and establishments were targeted and burnt
The heavily-armed militants - many of them former soldiers - had barricaded themselves inside the temple and were dislodged only after three days of bitter fighting. Some 1,000 people, including women and children pilgrims and about 157 soldiers, died.
Tanks too were employed to end the siege, leaving Sikhs highly aggrieved.
The eventual and possibly avoidable storming of the Golden Temple generated a wave of violence leading to Mrs Gandhi's assassination, the anti-Sikh riots and a vicious insurgency across Punjab that was eventually stamped out by the military around 1993, although not without widespread human rights abuses.
But the 1984 Delhi riots rocked the world, more so for the state's direct involvement and public justification of the blood-letting.
'Earth shakes'
Reacting to the continuing Sikh killings in Delhi and other places, newly appointed Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi declared at a massive rally in the capital that "once a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it shakes".
One of the worst massacres took place in two narrow alleys in the city's poor Trilokpuri colony where some 350 Sikhs, including women and children, were casually butchered over 72 hours.
Nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the massacres (Photo: Soutik Biswas)
The charred and hacked remains of the hundreds that perished in Trilokpuri's Block 32 on the smoky and dank evening of 2 November 1984 were stark testimony to the unimpeded and seemingly endless massacre.
Soon after news of Mrs Gandhi's killing by her Sikh bodyguards spread, Hindu mobs swung into action - like they did elsewhere in the city armed with voters' lists - in Trilokpuri against the low caste Sikhs inhabiting one-roomed tenements on either side of two narrow alleyways barely 150 yards long.
With local police connivance they blocked entry to the neighbourhood with massive concrete water pipes and stationed guards armed with sticks atop them.
For the next three days marauding groups armed with cleavers, scythes, kitchen knives and scissors took breaks to eat and regroup in between executing their bloodthirsty mission.
Sikhs were killed in the main railway station (Photo: Ashok Vahie)
When as a reporter then with the Indian Express newspaper I along with two other colleagues visited the area on the eve of Mrs Gandhi' funeral, both lanes were littered with bodies, body parts and hair brutally hacked off, forcing us to walk precariously on tip-toe.
It was impossible to place one's foot flat on the ground for fear of stepping on either a severed limb or a body.
Earlier in the day two policemen on a motorcycle had emerged from Block 32 and reassured us that shanti or calm prevailed inside it and no untoward incident had occurred.
A few hours later on returning to the spot we saw that the entire area was awash with blood, a large proportion of it black coagulated mounds over which flies buzzed lazily.
Abject terror
It was also piled high in the open drains on either side of the tenements, never efficient at the best of times, alongside other human remains.
As we walked through this implausible slaughter in the light of hurricane lamps provided by some residents, the complete silence despite the large mob surrounding us was eerie.
No one spoke and nothing, except the bizarre, dancing shadows moved during this surrealistic interlude.
Even one of the only survivors - a young polio-afflicted mother - holding her new born in her arms gazed sightlessly upon us.
Her blank look momentarily changed into one of abject terror as we bent down to take her child to whom she fiercely clung.
She probably took us to be the butchers who had massacred her entire family piled up high in the room behind her.
A whimper led us to a barely conscious young Sikh, hiding under a heap of bodies, his slashed stomach wrapped crudely around with a turban.
Riot victims have been waiting for justice for 25 years (Photo: Soutik Biswas)
All he wanted was water, parched after over 36 hours of concealing himself under the mound of corpses and bleeding steadily. He died soon after in hospital.
Some doors down a two-year-old girl, unmindful of the bodies, walked lazily over to us holding out her arms asking to be taken home.
Unfortunately, she was home; but one littered with the bloated bodies of her parents and siblings killed two nights earlier.
Police arrived in Trilokpuri 24 hours later when the Indian Express revealed the horrific massacre.
Sadly, there were no Sikhs left to protect.
Two inquiry commissions and seven investigative committees into the 1984 Sikh riots later no one has been held guilty for the Trilokpuri killings.
Of the 2,733 officially admitted murders, only nine cases have so far led to the conviction of 20 people in 25 years; a conviction rate of less than 1%.
But Manmohan Singh's elevation to India's prime minister in 2004 was looked upon by the flamboyant Sikh community as the vindication of its destiny of being born to rule.
Previous transgressions by his Congress party were forgiven but not forgotten and his casually tied trademark blue turban represented a collective crown for the enterprising but persecuted Sikh community.
Mr Singh, they said, was king.
Rahul Bedi is based in Delhi and works as the India correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly and the Irish Times. During the 1984 riots he was with the Indian Express.
Racist attack ... Indian student Sukhraj Singh, 28, was in a coma for 15 days after being brutally bashed. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones
A gang of racist youths nearly killed a man during an armed rampage in an Indian grocery store in Melbourne's west for the "sheer thrill" of the attack, a judge said today.
Drunk and carrying wooden planks ripped up from a nearby bus stop seat, the seven youths raided the Impex shop in Sunshine yelling "are you Indian?" as they randomly struck their victims on December 1 last year, the County Court heard today.
Indian student Sukhraj Singh, 28, was in a coma for 15 days and will suffer the effects of a severe acquired brain injury for the rest of his life after being beaten during the assault.
Eight men were punched and hit with the weapons and most suffered minor injuries but Mr Singh was beaten unconscious and spent months in hospital and rehabilitation after being struck three times to the head and body.
In sentencing one of the attackers, Zakarie Hussein, 21, of Braybrook, Judge Pamela Jenkins said today the group had deliberately targeted victims of Indian ethnicity in the "unprovoked rampage".
The youths had been drinking beer in a park for about four hours before they went to the store in City Place just after 6.30pm where two of the teens began a racist argument with two customers, the court heard.
About five minutes later, the pair returned with their friends, most armed with wooden bars and one with a fluorescent light tube, and began smashing up the store and indiscriminately striking customers and staff as they yelled "are you Indian?" and "bloody Indians, f--- off".
The shop's cash register was stolen and the loot divided up among the offenders. Hussein received about $15.
In a victim impact statement tendered to the court, Mr Singh said metal plates had been inserted into his face, he had shed up to 15 kilograms and been left with lumps and scars on his head from the assault.
"I am lucky to be alive, all my friends and family thought I was going to die," Mr Singh said in the statement.
He said he suffered from dizzy spells and had undergone counselling after being plagued by nightmares and flashbacks.
The court heard his injuries had been potentially life-threatening and meant he had been unable to work for five months, may not be able to complete his studies and was too frightened to live alone.
Hussein had pleaded guilty to armed robbery, recklessly causing serious injury, and six counts of recklessly causing injury.
Judge Jenkins said Hussein had not used his wooden weapon but had planned to before being knocked out of the way by a co-offender.
She said the victims had tried to cower from their attackers and had done nothing to provoke the attack.
"Your victims presented no threat to you or your co-offenders whatsoever. They did not provoke you, they did not fight back and indeed they made every effort to escape from the assaults," she said.
"Notwithstanding these circumstances the victims were beaten apparently for the sheer thrill, Mr Singh being subjected to a particularly savage beating with the terrible consequences for him."
Judge Jenkins said the assault was among a number of racist attacks that had rightly provoked international and local community outrage and should be condemned.
"Short of becoming prisoners in their own homes, there is little potential victims can do to prevent such attacks," she said.
Judge Jenkins sentenced Hussein to four-and-a-half years' jail with a minimum non-parole period of two years.
Hussein, dressed in a black suit and white shirt and supported in court by family, bit his nails throughout the hearing and stood with his hands clasped while he was sentenced to serve his time in an adult prison.
The court heard he had migrated to Australia from Somalia, aged about six, with his older brother and mother, who were both later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
His younger sister had died from malaria shortly before the family left Africa where they spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya.
The court heard Hussein had experienced a difficult childhood and by his final year of school was drinking and taking drugs daily.
His defence had argued Hussein played only a minor role in the attack, had been drunk after consuming about 10 beers, and was remorseful.
But Judge Jenkins said despite Hussein not having hit any of the victims he had entered the store armed with the intention of hurting someone and had yelled encouragement to his friends.
She said it was "particularly shameful" that the Somali immigrant had vented his rage on international students and other young immigrants.
"There is no question that the offending constituted an extremely violent and indiscriminate rampage by armed youths exhibiting the worst traits of a pack mentality," Judge Jenkins told Hussein.
Hussein had prior convictions including, for robbery, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
Four of Hussein's co-offenders, aged between 14 and 17 at the time of the attack, had already received 12-month sentences in a youth detention centre and a fifth teen received a 12-month youth supervision order.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Jeremy Rapke has appealed against the sentences, arguing they are "manifestly inadequate".
The Court of Appeal is yet to hand down its judgment. A sixth offender, who has pleaded guilty in the Children's Court, will be sentenced following the result of the appeal.
On the 8th Anniversary of 9/11 the Government urgently needs to review its hate crime policy.
Government policy on tackling rising ethno-religious hate crimes is seriously flawed. The fallout from both rational and irrational anger against the events of 9/11 and 7/7 affects all minority faith communities, and has been particularly felt by Sikhs.
Last week, I was asked to chair a panel discussion tackling the subject of ethno-religious hatred in Britain, with a focus on the Sikh community. The panellists included an ex- Home office Minister, a conservative parliamentary candidate as well as a top Police chief. The event celebrated the premiere screening of a hard-hitting documentary film, ‘Turbanology’ by an ex-ITV journalist turned film producer, Jay-Singh Sohal. The film along with the lively debate pose an interesting question:Is it not time now to create a committee to encompass the fears of race hatred that Muslims, Hindu’s, Sikhs, Buddhists and others face in Britain in the Al-Qaeda age?
In recent months I have followed reports in the media in earnest, which are indicative of a palpable rise in hate crimes against Sikhs. A couple of reports amongst many are indelibly fixed in my mind.
The first was the ‘kung-fu style’ flying kick landed on the Lord Mayor of Luton – Councillor Lakhbir Singh (a Turbaned Sikh), during a parade of troops returning from Iraq earlier this year. This paints an ugly picture of multi-cultural Britain.The incident which was caught in camera, nonetheless shows the consequence of mistaken identity, where a Sikh was mistaken for a Muslim.Has multiculturalism thus really been a success, if in modern day Britain a white youth can only express his anger with Muslims with violence, unwittingly attacking a Sikh?
The second incident also meted out on Sikhs from Luton was the horrific ordeal that sixty-six women and children had on the motorway. Having just escaped certain death in a coach turned inferno, melting tarmac in its wake– they were subjected to racial taunts by drivers passing by 'go back to the burning bus', and sticking their fingers out. The motivation in this instance is not explicit; it may be racism in its purest form although we cannot rule out the same ignorance shown towards the Lord Mayor’s identity.
Being a British born Sikh, I have noticed a change in the reaction to my visible identity.Whilst growing up I remember being referred to as a ‘Paki’ and ‘Rag-head’, by people whom I would have then myself described as ‘Skinheads’. After 9/11 and 7/7, there has been a noticeable shift of nomenclature and the term of reference‘Bin Laden’ and ‘Taliban’ have become slurs of choice. Sikhs have become the unfortunate recipients of the fear of Islamic Extremism. Fear leads to hatred, hatred to violence – the cycle then repeats itself in a vicious self perpetuating chain.
The events in Luton are by no means isolated incidents for the community. In March this year, there was a suspected Arson attack on a Gurdwara ( Sikh Temple) in East London (Harley Grove) with 14 copies of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (The holy book of the Sikhs) burnt to a cinder. The outrage still reverberates many months later with an online campaign along with a substantial monetary award raised by the trustees to bring the arsonists to justice.
Since the Harley Grove incident there have been other suspicious fires reported at Gurdwaras up and down the country. Doncaster to cite another example - It was the third in less then seven weeks.
Directly after 9/11, one of the first people to be murdered in retribution was a Sikh, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Mesa- Arizona gas station owner. The murdered, Frank Silva Roque assumed Sodhi was an ‘Arab’.He claimed the murder was in retaliation for New York and that he was a ‘patriot.’ Here in Britain after the London Bombings, a Sikh Gurdwara was immediately firebombed in Kent and many Sikhs were both verbally & physically attacked.Who then is facing the brunt of the backlash?
The Divisions in Britain’s ‘model’ multi-cultural society have been highlighted in recent months with the marches organised by the emboldened English Defence League (EDF) and casuals united against Islamic extremists.
There is no doubt that all religious communities and their institutions have faced the wrath of ignorant bigots bent on venting their frustrations. Ascension of groups like the EDF and casuals united has been under the pretext of an undercurrent of hatred simmering under the surface in many towns and cities.Although they claim Sikhs and Hindu’s sympathisers have contacted them to show solidarity with their agenda.
Should it not then be the prerogative of the Government to afford equal airtime to adherents of Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam and other faiths – when discussing race hate crime here in Britain? One should not be given preferential treatment over the other – all can be and will continue to be victims. To avoid Parliamentarians being coaxed into the creation of several groups looking at Sikhophobia, Hinduophobia, Anti-Semitism, Rastafarianophobia, Buddophobia and Islamophobia, surely common sense should prevail and one Parliamentary group committee can focus on post 9/11 and 7/7 hate crime?
If the Government decides to pander to the grievances of just one community, there is a danger this may foment disenchantment in other faith groups , at a time when attacks on all have become pervasive.
Hardeep Singh, is a freelance Journalist & Broadcaster, he is also the Press Secretary for The Network of Sikh Organisations
Note: these are the opinion of the author and not the opinion of the Network of Sikh Organisations
A recent trend in portrayal of turbaned & bearded heroes in Bollywood has popularised the Sikh image, a much needed impetus to celebrate the identity.
In recent years there has been a trend in Bollywood to have lead heroes in films adorn the garb of Sikhs with the mandatory turban & beard.Top male actors including the likes of Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan have played Sikh characters in recent films, cashing in at the box office whilst putting a smile on the faces of some religious leaders. “SinghisKinng” (2008) is one such title with the soundtrack featuring a chorus led by Snoop Doggy Dog, an unexpected choice to say the least.
A forthcoming Bollywood flick called “Rocket Singh” indicates that this trend is unabated. This new found fascination with Sikhs in Mumbai’s flourishing film industry presents an interesting chapter for Sikhs in modern India, the motivation behind this may be more political than we think.
Historically characters depicting Sikhs have often been comedians or presented unfairly as unfurnished in the brain department.These new characters are more of a celebration of a rich heroic heritage along with addition of significantly more grey matter. So what has changed in the political landscape for such a paradigm shift?
Firstly the election and re-election of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, has provided an impetus to boost the image of Sikhs in India and globally. Secondly, the recent amphibious terror attack on Mumbai by affiliates of Al-Qaeda has also relegated any ‘perceived’ threat from Sikh militants. There is thus a new bogeyman in town, Sikh militancy fading into relative insignificance.
It is ironic that one of Mr. Singh’s predecessors, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi‘s was bent on vilifying the Sikhs with every speech in the 1984 election. Needless to say, during this administration Bollywood producers may have been reticent to propagate the ‘Sikh image’ as a positive one for millions of ardent cinemagoers.
I am sceptical about the recent propagation of Sikh identity in Bollywood and suggest it is driven in main by the political climate. Others take a slightly different stance.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) an apex Sikh body is happy with the portrayal even though some of the films have run into some controversy within the community. The film “Jo Bole So Nihal” (2005) was deemed offensive by many Sikhs and was withdrawn from virtually all cinemas in Panjab as well as some cinemas in other Indian cities further to protests.
The president of the SGPC has recently gone on record to say.
"Sikhs have earned name and fame all across the world in almost all the fields like sports, politics, cinema and business. It is all due to their enterprising nature, right attitude, hard work and honesty.
"Bollywood is just trying to cash on the image of a complete Sikh with beard and turban on his head. They are doing it to earn professional gains but we are happy. Now we want them to use real Sikh characters on the screen, someone who actually sports a turban and beard."
There is merit in the observation about using real Sikhs for such roles. However, we will have to wait and see if Bollywood takes heed of the SGPC’s suggestion. At present many of the film plots seem to just scratch the surface of Sikh psyche, more importance is attributed to iridescent costumes along with extravagant dance routines performed to synchronised perfection. The qualities of the practitioner of the faith are largely marginalised at the expense of all the razzamatazz and subplot of the romantic shenanigans of a turbaned Casanova. It’s just all too predictable & cliché.
Over in Hollywood the film “Inside man” (2006) included a Sikh character, playing a bank employee with a full flowing beard and turban. There is a hostage scene in the film where the character played by Waris Alhuwalia is released by the hostage takers, along with a box tied around him. The NYPD think it’s “an Arab with a bomb” and in haste they frisk him and rip his turban off. In response the character shouts back at the NYPD “give me my turban, it is who I am, I am not an Arab, I am a Sikh”. This scene was quite upsetting for those who sympathise with the characters mistaken identity. Hollywood to its credit has at least attempted to tackle the harsh realities faced by Sikhs since 9/11 in the West.
Any positive representation in film is a welcomed milestone, especially if viewed outside of India where the Sikh identity may be unfamiliar, often confused with the Ayatollahs or Mr. Bin Laden himself. At least for now Sikhs are on the Bollywood ‘Merry go round’. There is no doubt that the intricacies of plots in new films, especially when tackling taboo subjects, will inevitably lead to dismay from religious authorities– if perceived as negative portrayal.
Here in Britain, as a license fee payer, I am still eagerly awaiting for the Sikh extra in Eastenders to break his silence in the square.
Hardeep Singh, is a freelance Journalist & Broadcaster, he is also the Press Secretary for The Network of Sikh Organisations
Note: these are the opinion of the author and not the opinion of the Network of Sikh Organisations.
With the deployment of two turbaned guards at Buckingham Palace this week, Britain’s Sikh community had cause to feel a little more appreciated than they have been over the years. To say the honour was a little late - more than 150 years after their troops came to the rescue of besieged British officers in the Indian mutiny, more than 60 after thousands of Sikhs gave their lives in Europe to save Britain from Hitler’s Germany - would be an understatement.
But any sense of satisfaction that a neglected community had finally been given the recognition it had been denied for so long was quickly replaced by a deep sense of shame at the treatment meted out to a party of Sikhs whose coach caught fire on Tuesday. They were returning to their homes in Luton from a day out at the seaside when their double-decker bus burst into flames. They managed to get out with the help of an off-duty policeman seconds before it exploded and melted. As they stood terrified on the hard-shoulder, passing motorists not only failed to stop and help, but actually slowed down to hurl racist abuse at the victims. Several gave them the finger and shouted at them to bet back into the blazing coach.
I grew up with racism. I remember being shocked the first time I saw a West Indian boy at the end of my Nan’s garden in Stoke Newington. It was the late 1960s, I was around five, and had been drawn by the mesmerising sound of steel drums one Sunday morning. I could not believe my eyes, I stared, and was clocked in the head for my rudeness.
I remember helping the milkman deliver free milk to Bangladeshi immigrants in Stepney two or three years later as he complained about ‘these F***ing Pakis, always paying with ‘tokens,’ the last word said in a bad Indian accent and with a wobble of his head. In my own family, my parents were always polite and friendly to all, but when my Dad, then a London bus driver, brought home his West Indian conductor for tea in the late 1960s, my Mum feared what our docker neighbours in Poplar, east London, might think.
I remember when we were later slum-cleared to an estate in Essex, how our neighbours, who’d by then bought their council homes, had threatened another because he had sold his to a ‘wog.’ Then, despite being part of an exodus from slum housing, many used to say they were ‘getting away from the blacks’ who’d moved into London’s poorer areas in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Theirs was the racism of ignorance and fear: poor people who felt their way of life was threatened by the smell of unfamiliar food, the sudden gaudiness of painted houses in our grey world, and newcomers they feared would take their jobs by working for less.
It took around 30 years for racism to become something widely regarded as shameful in Britain. I think the Daily Mail’s campaign for justice for Stephen Lawrence, the young black teenager murdered by fascist thugs in south-east London, was a landmark. My Mum was later mortified at how she had reacted to my Dad’s friend several decades earlier. Once-‘smelly’ Chicken Tikka Masala later replaced fish and chips or roast beef as our national dish, and today we’re all in love with Bollywood.
I don’t believe my racist neighbours of the 1970s would have passed by a coach party of terrified Sikhs without offering to help. For all their ignorance, they valued their own sense of themselves as being ‘decent people.’ I wonder how these motorway racists think of themselves? Here in Delhi today, the story of my ‘fellow’ countrymen’s treatment of these terrified Sikhs is all over the Indian newspapers, and I’m conscious that our hosts will regard me as somehow connected to these barbarians. As the Sikhs prepare to honour the off-duty policeman who did go to their rescue, I feel ashamed to be British.
There has been much recent effort by organisations to curtail conflict between Sikh & Muslim youth in Britain. An honest reflection on the current state of affairs is required.
A year on from Government funded bilateral dialogue between the faiths in N.Ireland, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have taken the reign to formally set up the ‘National Sikh-Muslim action group’. One of the groups top priorities are to ‘promote mutual understanding between Muslims and Sikhs’. Although I wholeheartedly support the concept of the initiative, I reserve a certain amount of scepticism about what can be achieved in real terms.
Firstly, the original report issued by faith matters was immediately challenged by some of the Sikh participants who were aggrieved by some of its findings. They produced an alternative report which challenged the very core of the tax-payer funded project & described it as ‘dysfunctional’.
Second, families and victims who have faced the abject horror of religiously motivated violence often feel isolated & sadly disengaged with policy makers and so called ‘community leaders’. The Aims and objectives espoused in Corrymeela , inherited in part by the EHRC are occasionally difficult to fathom, or attribute to a tangible outcome.
In addition, perhaps Government funding maybe better utilised on grass roots initiatives - engaging directly in the towns and cities of division, described as ‘certain localised areas’ in the Faith Matters report. There is however no doubt, that education and interfaith work between faiths can help facilitate understanding, which may lead to less bigotry. There is no palpable litmus test, here though.
The Faith matters report tells us that ‘Muslims are voicing concerns that a handful of Sikhs are starting to work with the BNP’. To a degree there should be concern that a ‘handful’ of Sikhs may have joined forces with fascists. The notion of this symbiosis based on a mutual fear of Islamic extremism is in my view ironic on a number of levels.
Firstly, Sikhism opposes any form of bigotry, be it the hatred spewing members of the Far right or terror-glorifying members of extreme Islamic groups.
On a second premise, In 1979 during the Southall race riots, Sikhs formed the vanguard of ‘Asian’ resistance’, aligning them with the anti-Nazi league to face frog marching skin heads of the then National Front.It was during these tragic riots that Blair Peach, a New Zealand born member of the Anti-Nazi League died further to a brutal police baton charge.
Sikhs thus have been a target of hatred, by both the far right and Islamic extremists in Britain. I don’t see this trend ever abating.
The Alternative report voices concerns explaining that ‘Sikhs feel they are perceived as ‘Kaffirs’ by a significant section of the Muslim community’. Unfortunately there is no quick fix to redefining nomenclature such as this; there is an urgent need to review the natural and ordinary meaning of such words from an authentic theological perspective.Perhaps the EHRC will be looking to compose a glossary of terms; this would be a useful first step.
Globalisation along with migration has broken down barriers across the West.Host countries like Britain face the complexities of rivalries, historical division & religious conflicts inherited from distant lands. These still live in the hearts and minds of the adherents of faith groups.
The Sikh- Muslim conflict has deep rooted origins, dating back to the Mogul Islamic Empire. The fifth Guru of the Sikhs was boiled alive by the Emperor Jahangir, this was a turning point. Unfortunately, the Sikhs, because they had to defend themselves against the terrible persecutions by the Moguls, became a militant faith.More recent history can also explain motivations rooted within the communities, the partition of the Panjab in 1947 being a frontrunner.
Regrettably, there is still fear that localised tensions may lead to much broader conflict between the two communities. Race hate attacks post 9/11, abhorrent anti-Sikh blogs such as ‘Sikh4aweek’ and reported derogatory chants at the recent World Twenty20 cricket championships have added to animosities. So what can be done to solve the problem? On a pragmatic level education and interfaith activities are paramount in order to promote mutual understanding between all faiths.A greater understanding of the diversity of faith groups will foster a diversion from any predisposition to label groups as an ‘us’ and ‘them’.Although, practitioners of different faiths will hold onto exclusive truths which may make them feel superior, this could thus be an insurmountable barrier.
Greater religious and inter-religious dialogue may facilitate a reduction in the misinterpretation of religious texts, which may foment conflict. The question is who would be the supreme authority to provide the correct guidance? Activities such as this should not just be box ticking exercises to please Ministers and local Mp’s with servile adulation, but a genuine attempt for nurturing better community cohesion, in a diverse Britain.
Hardeep Singh, is a freelance Journalist & Broadcaster, he is also the Press Secretary for The Network of Sikh Organisations
Note: these are the opinion of the author and not the opinion of the Network of Sikh Organisations.
The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) Media Monitoring Group has expressed concern about output on the 'Adil Ray Show' on the BBC Asian Network.
In the programme aired on Wednesday this week (15th July), the stand-in presenter, Tommy Sandhu (pictured) shared that he was growing a beard for his wedding.
The verbatim then led him to a 'Dhari room' (beard room) in the 'big baba house' (Big Brother house) to get advice on his itchy beard from 'big baba' (Big Brother). He was exhorted by 'big baba' to maintain his traditional Dhari with turban, even though he explained that it was uncomfortable, itchy and that he felt like he was 'in disguise' and not like 'the real me'.
The Secretary of the media monitoring group expressed concern over the content of the broadcast. "It is vital that BBC Asian Network maintain their sense of humour, however not at the expense of indirectly mocking traditions where turbans and beards are sacred, such as Sikhism."
He added, "We are disappointed with the utter disregard to sensitivities of the community and really hope BBC Asian Network refrain from such toilet humour in the future."
This affair represents an unfortunate example of media misrepresentation of people that adhere to the obvious symbols of the Sikh faith.
This follows on from recent concerns expressed by the media monitoring group on religious output by the BBC in both television programming and exclusion of Sikhs on the issue of faith leadership on a flagship Radio programme earlier this year. A number of MP's have also expressed their desire to rectify the imbalance in religious television programming to allow for proportionate coverage on Sikhism.
Almost twenty five years after operation Bluestar, the emotional scars following the attack on Sikhism’s holiest shrine are far from being healed. The victims of the highly organised atrocities against Sikhs throughout India continue their lengthy battle for justice.
A major mistake was the assumption that Bluestar, a military operation would be a solution to the Sikh issue.
As a British Sikh born in London, I was only a child when the news of the showdown between the Indian Government and so called "Sikh militants" was being intermittently reported in the media. Even at this tender age, I sensed Sikhism the faith in which I was born into was under attack.
The prelude to this massacre were decades a political struggle for greater autonomy for Sikhs in the Punjab, the only Sikh majority state in India and its bread-basket. In my view these political grievances stemmed from an unfair settlement for Sikhs in 1947 with the partition of the Punjab, their ancestral homeland & the creation of the two nation states of Hindustan & Pakistan.
Another mistake was that the Indian Government was of the belief that somehow it could take such brutal action in utter defiance of international law and opinion. Bluestar will go down in history as one of the biggest massacres of unarmed civilians by the organised military force of a nation.
I often wonder why the barbarity of Bluestar didn’t dramatically awaken the collective conscience of the West?
To the West, the Punjab turmoil was manoeuvred into the convenient pigeonhole of a ‘pro-west’ Government of India versus the menace of so called "Sikh militants" hell bent on destroying India’s fragile democracy. The tendency to paint an image of conflict as such a dichotomy serves only to inhibit the voicing and proposal of alternative solutions to inherently convoluted issues, which have roots much deeper embedded in history than is often acknowledged.
Post Raj nostalgia and allegiance to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty may help explain shallow interpretations of the nightmarish events of Bluestar. On the contrary, Bluestar according to many Sikhs worldwide and in Britain, was a well orchestrated plan to suppress the Sikh faith itself through massacre along with worldwide vilification of its practitioners.
The reality is that there is still much misinformation about the events of 1984. The media censorship at the time perpetuated this, along with restrictions imposed on human rights organisations. Only last year on a discussion on BBC Asian Network I was compelled to contact the presenter who talked of ‘Hindu-Sikh riots’ in Delhi in 1984. Were these not state sponsored pogroms?
With India’s increasing role on the Global stage including the recent G20 summit, it clearly has an immensely significant role to play in world affairs.
Aside from the razzmatazz and showmanship of the IPL and it’s recent flirtation with English Cricket, the global marketing frenzy of the Tata Nano along with the rise in Britain of the Shilpa Shetty franchise, India may need to pause and reflect not just on the cataclysmic events of 1984 and it’s aftermath, however more recent violations of human rights of other religious minority groups.
On the 2nd of October last year Amnesty international released a report about how the Indian government had to do more to halt the massacre of Christians in the eastern state of Orissa. Although the Indian government called the riots a "national shame", they continued nonetheless.
Although the buildings in the Holy City of Amritsar have been restored, the blood stains still remain on the marble floors, a constant reminder of Bluestar and its legacy.
The memory of the horrors visited upon many thousands of civilians, will not dissipate quickly, or perhaps at all. The nomination for election of men named by eyewitness’s as inciting hate mobs against innocent Sikh men women and children during the Delhi riots was a regrettable development deserving international condemnation. Sadly the world seemed not to have made even a peep of protest.
In another recent report, Amnesty UK described the events of twenty five years ago as a ‘national disgrace’ for India as the Government has failed to mete out justice to those responsible for the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. The events of June 1984 demonstrate the fragility of Indian democracy & a modern day massacre of a religious minority. Parallels are often drawn between the Delhi anti-Sikh riots and Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.
The newly re-elected Congress, their trinity –the two Gandhis and Mr. Singh have a moral obligation to readdress the campaign for justice, in order to assuage the sense of mass grief that still remains, decades later.
Hardeep Singh, is a freelance Journalist & Broadcaster, he is also the Press Secretary for The Network of Sikh Organisations
NEW DELHI – Riots erupted across the Punjab region of India yesterday in response to the killing of the leader of a Sikh sect who died in an attack on a temple in Austria on Sunday.
At least one person was killed and Indian authorities placed four towns under a curfew after a day of violent protests following the attack in Vienna on the sect leaders, who were visiting the large Sikh community in Europe.
Witnesses said the Vienna temple was attacked by Sikhs from a higher caste who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the religion's holy book.
"We're assuming the content of the sermon was the trigger," Werner Autericky, a Vienna police official told the Austria Press Agency.
Worshippers used a frying pan and microphone stands to fend off six knife- and gun-wielding assailants. One of the leaders, Guru Sant Rama Nand, died of his injuries. Sant Niranjan Dass was in stable condition following surgery.
The two men were the leaders of the Dera Sach Khand sect, which reveres a saint born in the 15th century to a family of leather workers, considered ``untouchables" or outcastes, and known today as Dalits.
Though the bloodshed happened a continent away, news of the attack, by text messages and mobile phone calls sent from the vast community of Sikh émigrés in Europe, came to Punjab almost instantly. The rioting quickly followed.
Television stations in India beamed images of sect members parading through the streets of Punjab with swords, metal rods and sharpened sticks aloft. The rioters smashed cars and set fire to empty trains, snarling traffic.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, said in a statement, "I appeal to all sections of the people in Punjab to abjure violence and maintain peace."
• Mobs attacks police stations, buses and banks in Punjab region • India's Sikh prime minister 'deeply distressed' by disturbances
India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, appealed for calm, as riots prompted by the fatal shooting of a sect leader at a Sikh temple in Austria spread to several northern Indian cities.
Hundreds of people defied a curfew and army patrols, attacking police stations and torching the car of a senior officer and several trains. In two places, police opened fire on mobs, wounding at least four people, according to officials.
The violence centered on the city of Jalandhar, a stronghold of the Dera Sach Khand, a Sikh sect comprising mainly Dalits (formerly known as "Untouchables"). One person was killed when troops opened fire on a mob attacking a police station in Lambran village, according the state's top elected official, Parkash Singh Badal.
The violence followed the news that a leader of the Dera Sach Khand was killed, and another preacher wounded, in Vienna last night, when several Sikh men armed with knives and a handgun attacked the two during a visit to a temple. At least 15 other people were wounded, Austrian police confirmed.
Witnesses said the attackers were fundamentalist Sikhs from a higher caste, who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the Sikh holy book – the Guru Grant Sahib.
While officially Sikhism does not recognise caste – the complex system prevalent among mainly Hindus in India, dividing people into hundreds of groups defined by livelihood, class and ethnicity – it remains deeply rooted.
Singh, India's first leader to belong to the Sikh faith, said he was "deeply distressed" by the attack and subsequent violence. "Whatever the provocation, it is important to maintain peace and harmony among different sections of the people," he said, adding: "Sikhism preaches tolerance and harmony."
The foreign minister, SM Krishna, said India was working with the Austrian authorities to "ensure that the perpetrators of this completely mindless and wanton attack are brought to justice".
Last night, after news of the Vienna attack, hundreds of Dera Sach Khand followers, supported by other local Dalit organisations, took to the streets of Jalandhar, burning several vehicles and a bank, stoning buses and blocking railway lines and roads.
Sporadic violence was also reported from several nearby towns, said Sanjiv Kalra, a senior police official at Jalandhar, some 210 miles (337 km) north-west of New Delhi. Today morning, about 400 soldiers patrolled the area and police set up roadblocks across the city. Initially it appeared that the move had restored calm, but later protests spread to at least five nearby cities.
"Curfew in the entire district has been extended for an indefinite period and five columns of army have been deployed to control the violence," a local government official, A S Pannu told the Press Trust of India news agency.Sikhs make up less than 2% of India's nearly 1.2 billion people, the vast majority of whom are Hindus. Caste discrimination has been outlawed in India for more than a half century, and a quota system was established with the aim of giving Dalits a fair share of government jobs and places in schools. But their plight remains dire, living in poverty and kept down by ancient prejudice and caste-based politics.
A Sikh preacher died today after ng wounded in an attack on his temple in Vienna, by a group of fundamentalist Sikhs armed with knives and a handgun, police said.
India's prime minister appealed for calm as riots protesting the deadly shooting spread to several northern Indian cities.
Witnesses said the Vienna temple attended by lower-caste Sikhs had been attacked by Sikhs from a higher caste who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the religion's Holy Book.
The attack set off a brawl that wounded 16. It was not clear whether some of the weapons used were kirpans - ceremonial daggers that may legally be worn by Sikhs in Austria.
Two preachers - identified by Indian diplomats as Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand - underwent operations for gunshot wounds, but Nand died early today, according to a police official who declined to identify himself on the telephone, in line with Austrian custom.
Hundreds in India defied a curfew and army patrols to protest the killing, attacking police stations and torching the car of a senior officer and several trains. In two places police opened fire on mobs, wounding at least four people, said senior police officer Khubi Ram.
The violence in Indian centered on the north Indian town of city of Jalandhar, a stronghold of the Dera Sach Khand, a Sikh sect comprised of mainly "untouchables", or Dalits.
Worshipper Mohnder Ram, 72, who has lived in Vienna for decades, said the temple that was attacked had been attended by followers of Shri Guru Ravidas, the 14th-century founder of the sect. Witnesses said the group of bearded and turbaned men raided the temple as the preachers led several hundred worshippers in prayer. Followers moved to defend their leaders.
"I heard four to five shots" in the temple, said Ram. "People started screaming, children were crying as they ran out. It was like war. There was lots of blood everywhere."
Six suspects are in custody, including four wounded and in serious condition, police spokesman Michael Takacs said, adding that more may be detained. The wounded were all of Indian origin and aged between 30 and 50, said Bernhard Segall of Vienna medical services. The most serious wounds were caused by gunshots to the abdomen and head.
The temple is housed in a residential building of the working-class neighborhood of Vienna-Rudolfsheim.
Ram said about 400 people were at the service when the fight broke out; police put the number at between 150 and 300.
The scene was "like a battlefield," Takacs said.
Nearby resident Bimla Lalka said she saw seven or eight men with long beards and dark blue and orange turbans fleeing the building.
Sikhs make up less than 2 per cent of India's nearly 1.2 billion people.
Caste discrimination has been outlawed in India for more than a half century, and a quota system was established with the aim of giving Dalits a fair share of government jobs and places in schools. But their plight remains dire, living in poverty and kept down by ancient prejudice and caste-based politics.
When I first came across the bizarre story about Sikh police officers hoping to develop a bullet proof turban it reminded me of a sketch from Only Fools and Horses.
In this sketch Del wisecracks about a Dr. Singh not wearing a crash helmet because of his huge turban. Del’s entrepreneurial spirit leads him to developing prototype ‘Trotters Crash Turban’. With all the best will in the world, Del innovation was doomed from its inception
Under the Motor-Cycle Crash Helmets (Religious Exemption) Act 1976, "any follower of the Sikh religion" is exempt from having to wear a crash helmet if he is wearing his turban instead.
A newly formed National Sikh Police association (BPSA) has made bullet proof turbans a top priority, so that Sikh officers can serve within specialist firearms units and as riot officers. The chairman of the group is pushing for more research into finding the ideal material for a ballistic Turban.
As a Turban wearing Sikh I noticed that the coverage in the press circumvented some very obvious practical points of consideration.
The first point takes us to the grounds of International Cricket. Cricketers on the Global stage such as Monty Panesar (pictured) and Harbhajan Singh are both Sikhs. In order for them to fulfil their contractual obligations, they both wear a smaller ‘Under Turban’ beneath their helmets.
As a consequence they preserve their identity whilst adhering to safety regulations of the sport. The English Cricket Board needless to say has not made any special provision for them, nor have any demands been made.
On second point and one of historical relevance, displays at the Victoria & Albert Museum corroborate that the armies of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the one eyed charasmatic ruler of the Sikh Kingdoms, had ‘Turban helmets’ made of steel. These were worn over the turban as the name suggests and on inspection allowed space for the ‘top not’.
The case for the ballistic turban is far from unequivocal. Ironically Sikh soldiers serving under the British Army refused to wear helmets during World War I and World War II, several receiving the Victoria Cross for acts of Gallantry.
Practical adaptations may offer an alternative solution, however common sense should prevail thus avoiding expense to the Tax payer. Notably, debates of this hue can only be aired in a progressive multi-cultural society such as Great Britain.
In stark contrast across the Atlantic, Sikhs have been barred from wearing turbans in the US Army. This is tentamount to a huge misunderstanding of Sikh identity, partially fueled by confusion around the Sikh turban post 9/11. The Sikh Coalition a US civil rights group is lobbying to readdress this issue with the ‘Sikh Right to Serve campaign’.
Although I can’t see the bullet proof turban coming out any time soon, I guess if it ever becomes a reality its popularity may extend far beyond the British Police force. Perhaps it may become the head dress of choice for Sikhs in NATO as well as seasoned Sikh snowboarders across the world.
BULLET-PROOF turbans are being developed so that Sikh police officers can carry guns.
Sikhs are currently barred from becoming riot or firearms police officers because their religion does not allow them to replace their turbans with bulletproof headgear.
But scientists are working on developing a turban made from Kevlar-like material to protect their heads from gunshots.
With more than 2,000 Sikh police officers and staff in the UK, the new British Police Sikh Association (BPSA), has made bulletproof turbans a top priority.
Insp Gian Singh Chahal, of Kent Police and vice chairman of BPSA, told Police Review magazine that research has begun into finding the perfect material for a ballistic turban, but that the hi-tech headwear will need to pass strict Home Office tests.
He said: “We would like to follow any opportunity where we could manufacture a ballistic product, made out of something like Kevlar, to protect Sikh officers.”
One Sikh Pc said: “It would be incredible if they developed a bulletproof turban. We could go for jobs as firearms and public order officers.”
Banned by the Raj, the world's original martial art is being revived by British Asians. Jerome Taylor reports
In a fluorescent-lit sports gymnasium at a sprawling sixth-form college in Hounslow, west London, three turbaned Sikh warriors are frantically battling each other with razor-sharp swords. Draped in flowing blue robes and sporting chest-length beards, the three men cavort, twist and counter-attack each other in a blur of clashing blades and skilled confusion.
Watched by scores of eagle-eyed students, the two younger combatants use elegant curved swords and small circular shields to attack a taller and older man who is armed with a long double-edged blade and a simple dagger. Each time his opponents bring their weapons down, the lone warrior nimbly dodges the blow by sidestepping away or deflecting it back on to one of his opponents.
After a brief pause the tall man walks forward, runs a hand through his thick beard and announces with a slight hint of a Black Country accent: "The next technique I'll teach you is one that can break both a man's arms in just three moves. In real life of course, once you've broken the first arm your opponent is not getting back up. But when you're practising it's best to learn how to break both."
The martial art that the men are practising is shastar vidiya – a now little-known fighting technique from north India that virtually died out when the British Raj banned it after the final, bloody defeat of the Sikh empire in the mid-19th century.
While Chinese and Japanese fighting forms such as kung fu and ju-jitsu have become national institutions, shastar vidiya has languished alongside many of India's fighting techniques as a forgotten art form.
But one man is determined to bring it back from the brink of extinction. Nidar Singh Nihang is a 41-year-old "gurdev" (master) who has spent 20 years studying the secrets of shastar vidiya in order to pass it on to younger generations. It is a journey that has taken him from being a food packer in a Wolverhampton factory to one of the world's top authorities on ancient Indian fighting styles. Now he is looking for young apprentices willing to devote their life to learning the secrets of an art that he believes risks dying out altogether.
"Most people who practise Indian martial arts nowadays are simply learning the toned down exhibition styles that were allowed by the British," he says. "Unless we start teaching the original fighting styles they will be extinct within 50 years. I want to find two or three sensible, intelligent and tolerant young apprentices who can pass on what I've learned to future generations."
That a British citizen is trying to resurrect shastar vidiya by teaching it to young British Asians is more than a little ironic given the history.
Although shastar vidiya was widely practised across the subcontinent long before the emergence of Sikhism in the mid-16th century, it was the Sikh tribes of the Punjab that came to be the true masters of this particular fighting style.
Surrounded by hostile Hindu and Muslim empires who were opposed to the emergence of a new religion in their midst, the Sikhs quickly turned themselves into an efficient and fearsome warrior race. The most formidable group among them were the Akali Nihangs, a blue-turbaned sect of fighters who became the crack troops and cultural guardians of the Sikh faith. As Britain's modernised colonial armies expanded across the Indian subcontinent, some of the stiffest opposition they faced came from the Sikhs who fought two bloody but ultimately disastrous wars in the 1840s that led to the fall of the Sikh empire and allowed Britain to expand its Indian territories as far as the Khyber Pass.
Astonished by the ferocity and bravery of the Akali Nihangs, the Punjab's new colonial administrators swiftly banned the group and forbade Sikhs from wearing the blue turbans that defined the Akalis.
Sikh warriors were quickly given rifles and drafted into Britain's armies. The practice of shastar vidiya went underground and was nearly forgotten. In its place, the British allowed and encouraged "gatka", a ceremonial and toned-down version of shastar vidiya which is widely displayed during Sikh festivals today. Now Singh Nihang hopes he can make shastar vidiya as widely practised as gatka.
In one corner of the gymnasium where Singh Nihang is teaching his class an array of weaponry has been ceremonially laid out on the floor. Students begin learning how to fight with relatively harmless wooden sticks but those who show a particular finesse and dedication are allowed to practice with the kind of swords that once made the Sikh armies so powerful.
"This is one of my favourite weapons," says Singh Nihang as he picks up an undulating, serrated sword that looks uncannily like a snake. "It's very difficult to learn how to use, but it's also very difficult to fight against. The serrated edge confuses your opponent and allows you to sever muscle tendons in battle. It's a very nasty weapon.
"The key skill shastar vidiya teaches is deception. It's the blows your enemy never sees coming that do the real damage." For followers of shastar vidiya, the martial art is more than just a fighting style. Acolytes are expected to live up to strict religious principles and honour martial codes. The roots of shastar vidiya are not known but there is evidence to suggest that India's martial arts predate those from China and Japan.
Indian monks were the first to export Buddha's new teachings across the Himalayas and according to Chinese legend it was an Indian monk called Bodhidharma who first introduced martial arts to the famous Shaolin Temple in AD 600. Bodhidharma himself is thought to have come from south India where another indigenous fighting style known as Kalaripayattu has also undergone a recent renaissance.
One of Singh Nihang's top students is Iqbal Singh, a 39-year-old businessman from Slough who had spent many years looking for a master who might be able to reconnect him with his culture's fighting past.
"When I was younger I used to head down to the British Library where there are loads of manuscripts and books from the Sikh empire," he recalls. "I kept dreaming about travelling back to the Punjab to find a master and I always imagined he'd be some grizzled old man living in a hut somewhere. Instead, the person who seemed to know the most about these fighting styles was a factory worker from Wolverhampton."
In fact, it was thanks to the British Raj's obsessive bureaucracy that people like Singh Nihang have been able to reacquaint themselves with their ancestors' past. The physical technique of fighting was taught to him in the Punjab by a septuagenarian gurdev when he was a teenager but the vast records in the British Library and the V&A Museum enabled him to compile a history of the Akali Nihang warriors in a book called In The Master's Presence.
"That's something that has always amused me," laughs Singh Nihang. "It was British colonialism that nearly destroyed shastar vidiya, but it is also colonialism's obsession with book keeping that may save it."
Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs addresses displaced Sikh families from Buner during his visit to Gurdwara Panja Sahib
By Farzana Shah-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Pakistan
Islamabad, 06 May, (Asiantribune.com): Pakistan has announced relief package for Sikh families who have been affected by ongoing militancy in North West Frontier Province.
The package was announced by Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti during his visit to Hasanabdal city.
Addressing a press conference regarding non-Muslim displaced families in the wake of recent disturbances in Swat, Buner and Orakzai Agency, the minister said "The present government believes in the principles of tolerance, human equality and peaceful co-existence.".
Earlier, he visited Gurdwara Punja Sahab, Hassan Abdal, where 128 Sikh families have taken refuge after violence in the aforementioned areas.
The minister announced a relief package for non-Muslim families who have been dislocated due to recent disturbance in Swat, Buner and Orakzai Agency.
These families have been housed in Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassan Abdal and Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh, Peshawar.
The package covers residence, provision of food items, medical and educational facilities and emergency financial assistance of Rs10,000 for each family.
The Federal Minister also declared that the government will ensure their rehabilitation in their respective areas as and when the situation improves.
He also constituted a committee of Ministry’s officers to look after the problems of these refugees.
The Minister informed that he has already written letter to Governor and Chief Minister of the concerned province for protection of minorities in the prevailing situation.
Ministry of Minorities is doing its best to help out the non-Muslim families who have become the victims of militancy in these areas, he said.
‘The Ministry has its special budget for upkeep and renovation of their religious places and to facilitate the Yatrees to the major Gurdwaras in Pakistan,’ he said.
A plan of establishing Baba Guru Nanak University at Nankana Sahib is also under consideration while religious festivals of the Sikh community are celebrated with great zeal, Bhatti said. Gurdwara Panja Sahib.
The minister said that nobody has right to alter the state system in contradiction to Quaid-e-Azam’s vision.
The minister emphasized on religion-social harmony in the country that was what the father of the nation mentioned in his very first speech in the First Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.
He condemned the demand of Jizia (tax) by local Taliban and said that the minorities in Pakistan are not conquered communities rather they are sons of the soil and the government will not allow any faction of society to trample the constitutional rights of the minorities.
‘The concept of Jizia is (in) blatant violation of the law of the land as Article 20 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan protect the right to profess and practice the religion for every citizen of the country without any discrimination,’ he added.
Rome, 5 May (AKI) - A homeless Indian Sikh who was burnt and beaten in a savage attack in central Italy earlier this year is now out of danger, one of his doctors said on Tuesday. But Vito Verardi, a surgeon at Rome's St Eugenio hospital told Adnkronos International (AKI) that Navtej Singh Sidhu would require several more operations and is likely to be in hospital at least until mid-June.
"I think he is out of danger now. But he has problems with both of his legs," Verardi told AKI. "His fibia bones are protruding through the skin and he will require delicate cosmetic and orthopedic surgery."
Sidhu was admitted to St Eugenio's burns unit on 1 February with a fractured skull and burns to 40 percent of his body after three youths in the coastal town of Nettuno allegedly attacked him as he slept on a railway station bench.
He has already undergone 10 skin graft operations, but Verardi said Sidhu was in good spirits. "He has made many friends in the hospital," he said.
The attack against Sidhu has angered immigrants in Italy, and has drawn condemnation from the charities that work with them, as well as politicians.
Three youths have been arrested and charged with attempted murder over the attack in which Sidhu was beaten, sprayed in the face with metallic paint, and set alight.
The three, who had allegedly been drinking, claimed they had sought out "a bum" to whom the could "teach a lesson" and "experience powerful emotions."
Sidhu became homeless when he lost his job as a builder's labourer last year after his residency permit expired.
Since the attack Italian authorities have pledged to give Sidhu residency, as well as a job and accommodation when he leaves hospital.
Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno, the Indian ambassador to Italy, Arif Khan, and Italy's Senate speaker, Renato Schifani, and members of the Punjabi community have visited Sidhu in hospital.
Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year festival, will be celebrated at Trafalgar Square on Sunday May 3 2009, 12 - 5.30pm.
This year the event commemorates 300 years of the consecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru.
The day includes performances of traditional music such as Shabad Kirtin (religious hymns), as well as modern Asian music and dance and DJs from Sunrise Radio.
Awards will be presented to young achievers from the Sikh community for their achievements in the arts, sport and education or for the contribution they have made to their community.
Vegetarian food prepared by the Sikh community will be offered during the afternoon.
Vaisakhi on the Square is a free event and everyone is welcome.
Programme
Time
Event
12pm
Shabad Kirtin (religious hymns) performed by groups from Gurdwaras in London
2.15pm
Live music, dance, guest artists and DJs from Sunrise Radio
Vaisakhi on the Square is organised by Vaisakhi in London Committee with support from the Mayor of London.
If you have any queries and would like to find out more, you can e-mail us at Vaisakhi@london.gov.uk or write to: Vaisakhi in London, Events for London, Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, More London, London SE1 2AA
Two men are to appear in the Auckland District Court today in relation to an attack on a Sikh taxi driver. Auckland Air New Zealand Cup rugby player Simon Munro, 21, was one of four men in the cab when Auckland Co-op driver Jarnil Sandhu was attacked and his turban removed on April 11. Munro's lawyer claimed his client did not strike the driver and he has not been charged.
A neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, Andrew Newberg has done medical brain image scans on Franciscan nuns, Buddhists, Pentecostals, Sikhs and Sufis as they pray or meditate, all in his quest to map the effects of spirituality on the mind.
The author of How God Changes Your Brain, Newberg spoke to the Star about revving up the frontal lobe, believing in a vengeful God and yawning.
Q: So how does God change your brain?
A: There's not just one God part of the brain. The whole brain is affected. When you fully engage the mind, which we typically see in spiritual practices, it activates different parts in a robust and fundamental way. When you look at God in a positive way, it turns on the part of the brain that makes us feel more compassionate, more loving, more forgiving to ourselves and others. People with these positive feelings about God have lower levels of depression and anxiety.
Q: Atheists lose out?
A: There are many different prayer and meditative practices that anybody can engage in from any belief system and derive benefit.
Q: Are there different changes for different religions?
A: It's not your belief system, it's what you're doing. If you're deeply focused on a sacred object the brain activity is different from someone praying which is different from someone speaking in tongues which is different from Sufi meditation.
Q: To get the benefits, how often and how intensely do you need to be engaged? Sit in a church pew once a week or join a cloister?
A: It doesn't take a lot of time to gain benefits. In our study, we took people who had never done meditative practices, scanned them and then trained them in simple meditative techniques. They meditated for 12 minutes a day. At eight weeks, we evaluated them again and saw significant improvement in memory scores and emotional measures, including anxiety, anger and tension.
Q: What were the physical brain changes on their scans?
A: One of the most important areas affected was the frontal lobe. In general, it helps focus attention. It had been activated by focusing on meditation but was also more active even at rest, when not meditating, after the eight-week program.
The frontal lobe is also involved in our feelings of compassion and regulating emotions. Their frontal lobes continued to be more active. The meditative effects aren't just when you practice but ultimately become part of you.
Q: You also say extreme beliefs can permanently damage your brain.
A: People who think of God as vengeful, exclusive, angry at people who don't believe the way they do, that activates parts of the brain involved in those negative emotions. It turns up the heart rate. You're ready for anger, ready for a fight. It turns on a whole stress cascade that actually damages the brain, makes it work less efficiently.
In health care, we see people who look at God as angry at them. They got cancer because God is punishing them. That's extremely detrimental.
Q: On your list of the best ways to exercise your brain, number one is faith. Faith in what?
A: Ultimately, it's faith in a positive outcome. When people have an optimistic, positive look on the world, it's one of the best ways to maintain a healthy brain and body.
Q: Also on your list: yawning. That's a brain exercise?
A: It's the brain's way of waking itself up. You take in more oxygen. Force a few yawns before a meeting or a test.
Q: So instead of a third cup of coffee, I should yawn?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Why are yawns contagious?
A: There are hypotheses but we don't know for sure.
A Sikh journalist said he had no regrets after he was held for throwing a shoe at India's home minister during a press conference.
By Dean Nelson in New Delhi Last Updated: 2:36PM BST 07 Apr 2009
Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who famously threw his shoes at George Bush Photo: AP
Taking his lead from Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who famously threw his shoes at George Bush last year, Jarnal Singh, a reporter with Dainik Jagran, a local newspaper, fired a shoe at home minister P Chidambaram in protest at the acquittal of a Congress leader accused of leading anti-Sikh riots in 1984.
The shoe narrowly missed the minister, who appeared briefly startled, before regaining his composure and asking guards to "Take him away, gently."
He was later released by police without charge.
Mr Singh launched his attack in a fit of anger after the minister dismissed his interjections over the recent acquittal of senior Congress politician Jagdish Tytler, who had been accused of leading Hindu mobs in communal attacks on Sikhs following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. They had killed her in protest against her decision to order an Indian Army attack on Amritsar's Golden Temple, the centre of the Sikh faith.
More than 3,000 Sikhs, mainly in Delhi, were tortured and murdered in a four day confrontation in which mobs were allegedly directed to the homes of Sikhs selected from voters' lists by politicians.
Mr Chidambaram had just answered Mr Singh's question on the acquittal of Jagdish Tytler when the shoe was thrown. He had explained that the decision had been taken by the Central Bureau of Investigation, but that the court had not yet ruled on whether the investigation should continue.
A spokesman for the Hindu nationalist BJP said Mr Singh had been wrong to throw a shoe, but his actions reflected widespread anger in the Sikh community over the government's failure to bring those responsible to justice.
Mr Singh later defended his action. "How can he (Chidambaram) be happy when one community faces injustice? They were stopping me from talking. I don't think I have done the right thing but the issue called for it."
A San Francisco businessman is set to become the world's first Sikh supermodel after being picked to feature in top fashion magazines including GQ.
By Dean Nelson in New Delhi Last Updated: 10:43PM BST 02 Apr 2009
Sonny Caberwal with Guest Photo: Getty Images
Sonny Caberwal's moody looks have won him a string of commissions and caused a surge of pride and excitement throughout the world's Sikh community.
Mr Caberwal's appearance in GQ's Style magazine for spring-summer 2009 has been hailed as major boost for Sikh traditionalists. In a spread, shot by Gregor Hohenberg, Mr Caberwal, 30, poses in a black dinner jacket, black silk scarf and a pink turban. In another he wears a white tuxedo with a yellow sunflower and matching turban.
His sudden emergence as a model has come as a surprise to him. Mr Caberwal, who was working as a business developer for IT companies while running his own tea firm, was discovered by Kenneth Cole, the American fashion designer, early last year.
He featured in a video called "We Walk in Different Shoes" and was signed up by the American and South African model agency Boss.
"Cole was looking for a turbaned man for their 25th anniversary campaign, but could find no professional Sikh model," he said. "My brother-in-law suggested that I email a photo to them, and the rest is history."
He said is delighted and proud of the reaction he has received so far, and hopes it will promote greater self-confidence among Sikh men.
"It's not about me, but about Sikh identity and about our culture and traditions being in a positive light to people around the world," he said.
Although Sikh American-Indian hotelier Vikram Chatwal featured briefly in Zoolander, the Ben Stiller satire on the fashion world, Mr Caberwal is believed to be the world's only Sikh professional model.
Singapore: Malaysian father and son - Sikh politicians - have run into another political turmoil, following recent allegations of challenging the royalties and a deputy prime minister, according to Kuala Lumpur media reports Monday.
Member of Parliament, Karpal Singh, is to be charged for sedition at the sessions court Tuesday morning, for threatening to take legal action against the ruler of Perak state in northern Peninsular Malaysia, following the appointment of a new chief minister.
''I believe this is in relation to the fall of the Perak Government and the claims on the royalty,'' the New Straits Times online quoted the 69-year old Mr Singh as saying.
He said the Malaysian police had Monday served a notice on him to appear in the court Tuesday.
Mr Singh's intent drew flak from many groups who claimed that it tantamount to treason and in the process, attracted about 100 police reports.
Mr Singh, also the country's top lawyer, had challenged Perak state's Sultan Azlan Shah's appointment of Dr Zambry Kadir as the new chief minister deposing Nizar Jamaluddin, an opposition leader who led the opposition win in the last general elections.
Meanwhile, Mr Singh's MP son Gobind Singh Deo has been suspended from Parliament without allowance and benefits for one year for alleging that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was involved in a murder case and for contempt against the Deputy Speaker.
Parliament Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia made the decision Monday after the matter was put to vote and a majority of MPs were in favour of suspending Gobind Singh.
Mr Gobind Singh was ejected from the House for the third time last Thursday when he kept on speaking about Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder case although the chair had ordered him to stop.
Mr Gobind Singh, also a lawyer, alleges that Mr Najib, due to take over as Prime Minister from the incumbent Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by end of this month, was involved in the murder of the 28-year old Mongolian beauty a few years ago.
Mr Karpal Singh is the chairman of the opposition Democractic Action Party (DAP) and Mr Gobind Singh is a member.
The DAP, along with other opposition parties, won 82 of the 222 parliamentary seats or 36.9 per cent seats in the March 8, 2008 general elections, the biggest and upsetting win by the opposition to the ruling coalition front of Barisan Nasional led by the predominantly indigenous Malay party, United Malays National Organisation and supported by other leading Malaysian parties.
Mr Karpal Singh's second son Jagdeep Singh Deo is an Assembly man in the northern state of Penang.
A new air link to northern India from Birmingham International Airport is being launched – shortly after the withdrawal of national carrier Air India left the city without a direct link to the country.
Akal Air, a trading division of Air Sylhet, will be running twice-weekly flights to Amritsar – the most popular Indian destination from Birmingham – passing through Vienna.
Air India dropped its direct Birmingham-Amritsar flight at the end of last year. It had been hoped the flights would return this summer, but the airline announced last week it would be abandoning Birmingham for the moment to focus on its routes to Heathrow.
Because of regulation by the Indian government, only Air India is allowed to run direct flights from Birmingham to Indian airports, so firms looking to take advantage of the demand left by Air India have had to go via other airports.
The Akal Air flights have an hour stopover in Vienna, but do not involve changing planes. There are two other indirect routes to India from Birmingham, run by Turkmenistan Airlines and Air Slovakia.
Business groups and politicians from the West Midlands are lobbying the Indian government to relax air legislation and let other firms replace the direct route from the city to Amritsar.
A spokeswoman for Birmingham International Airport said it was still hopeful Air India would return later in the year.
Although its Birmingham-India route was more profitable than any of the London ones, Air India had to drop the service to avoid losing valuable slots at Heathrow because of the way the London airport is run.
The first Akal Air flight is planned for Saturday, April 4.
SHOCKED worshippers have been arriving from all over London to witness the tragic blaze that is sweeping through a major Sikh temple in the East End.
Many have been close to tears watching the flames sweep through the upper floor of the ornately decorated Gudwara Sikh Sangat with its classical pillared entrance.
More than 50 firefighters have been called to the sangat at Harley Grove in Bow where fire broke out at 2pm.
Ten emergency crews have been mobilised so far to tackle the blaze which has been out of control on the first floor of the temple, after the Fire Brigade received several 999 calls at 2.10pm.
Thermal imaging cameras were being used to search the premises for anyone still inside the two-storey house of worship.
HOLY BOOKS DESTROYED
“It is s difficult to watch because we know what is in the temple,” said one worshipper arriving in Harley Grove after spotting a pall of smoke several streets away.
“We know what’s inside the temple. All the holy books are being destroyed.
“It is like one of my gods are burning down—we worship our holy books as steps to God.”
A women’s function was being held on the first floor where the fire broke out. The 10 women managed to get to safety in the street as the flames swept through the building.
One of the women in who was in the temple was reported to have seen a man in the building before the fire was spotted.
PLUME OF SMOKE
One eye-witness contacted by the East London Advertiser, Peter Footman, guv’nor of the Coburn Arms pub close by, said: “I can see out the window one big white plume coming over the houses.”
Another publican, Sarah Jesson, assistant manager at the Morgan Arms, said: “There’s lots of smoke and huge flames coming out the top of the roof.”
Police have closed off the turning off the main A11 Bow Road while fire crews tackle the blaze.
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Please contact the East London Advertiser by email or call the Newsdesk on 020-7791 7799 if you are near the scene or have taken any pictures.
Rome, 5 Feb. (AKI) - The Province of Rome's Sikhs will be holding prayers on Sunday for a homeless Indian man who was brutally attacked last weekend and set on fire in the Lazio coastal town of Nettuno, two community leaders told Adnkronos International (AKI).
"We are dismayed and angry.We are certain it was a racist attack and we will be praying for him on Sunday," the president of Rome's Via Aurelia Sikh temple, Balbir Singh told AKI.
Homeless Sikh illegal immigrant Navtej Singh Sidhu is currently in Rome's St. Eugenio hospital with a fractured skull and 40 percent burns to his body.
He was hit over the head with a bottle, kicked, punched and set alight by assailants around 4 am last Sunday as he slept on a bench at Nettuno's train station. Three local youths have been arrested and charged with attempted murder over the attack.
"What happened in Nettuno was strange and could be a sign of worse times ahead," said Singh, who owns a blacksmith's business.
"When I came here, there was more respect. We are a hardworking and respectful people that wants peace," said Singh.
Like Sidhu, Singh is originally from India's northwest state of Punjab. He has lived in Italy for 20 years and said the climate has worsened for immigrants here in recent years since Italy became a destination for mass immigration.
There are around 10,000 Sikhs in Rome and 15-20,000 in the Province of Rome out of a total 25-30,000 Indians. Most are employed as labourers, mainly in agriculture.
Singh Agit, who leads the Sikh temple in the Nettuno suburb of Padiglione, agreed the attack against Sidhu was worrying. "It is the first time such an awful thing has happened to one of our lads," he told AKI.
Singh and Ajit said they are grateful to Rome's mayor, Gianni Alemanno who earlier this week on television announced that he will give Sidhu a permanent job and accommodation when he gets out of the hospital.
He is due to undergo his first skin graft on his legs on Friday. Doctors say he will require several operations and will be in the hospital for several months.
He became homeless when he lost his job as a builder's labourer four months ago after his residency permit expired.
Currently, residency permits are issued which are valid for only four to five months. It can take seven to eight months to get these renewed, meaning the new one has already expired by the time the immigrant receives it.
Singh and Ajit both urged Italy to streamline the costly and cumbersome bureaucracy which can make life doubly hard for immigrants.
Ajit went further, arguing that immigrants must have the same entitlements as Italian workers. "Italians must help immigrants," he said.
"That means making affordable accommodation available and giving them the same pay and benefits as Italians who do the same job," Ajit said.
Immigrants working as agricultural labourers in the area around Nettuno typically earn around two or three euros an hour, and to make ends meet work up to 12 hours a day, he said.
Some employers pay late, and sometimes don't pay their labourers at all, said Ajit, who has lived in Italy since 1991.
Also from Punjab, he is currently unemployed and has worked in agriculture, in a florist's and a supermarket.
He is currently seeking help from Italy's largest union CGIL in obtaining severance and sick pay from the supermarket, which fired him after he broke his leg and was off work for an extended period.
Space is running out at the Sikh temple in Elsmere. On a Friday or Sunday evening during services, members squeeze together to sit in prayer. The women, backs against the wall, crowd into one room, the men in the other, and when those fill, any small nook will do.
To follow building code, temple organizers have set up two large services to accommodate the growing population. They're also planning an expansion this year on the existing grounds of the Elsmere property.
The growth, even for Sikhs -- a minority group within the Asian Indian community -- mirrors a boom found in the U.S. census.
In Delaware, the 2007 U.S. Census shows that Asian Indians, with 8,416 estimated members, are the second-largest immigrant group. Nationally, the census put the Asian Indian population at 2.5 million.
As a student at the University of Delaware, Bill Swiatek, now a senior planner with Wilmington Area Planning Council, documented the rise of the group in Delaware through research for his undergraduate and graduate thesis.
Delaware has attracted many Asian Indians, says Swiatek, largely because of the strengths of its industries. Swiatek found that many came as doctors and engineers in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
"Delaware was a big feeder," remembers Prem Tandon, an engineer who ended up in Delaware working for what was then a Getty refinery in Delaware City.
They were few in number but, like many immigrant groups, they came looking for opportunities with companies like DuPont, Hercules and others that coveted their skills.
"Forty years ago, it was much different," Tandon recalls. "There were probably a total of 15 of us. I don't blame the non-Indians for saying, 'That guy looks strange.' But now the Indian community has made great progress and we're in the mainstream."
Jitu Asthana, also an engineer, came to Delaware during that time with his wife. They were in Nashville for a while before landing in Delaware. It was easy to socialize with other Asian Indians here, he said, because the numbers were so small. They watched movies together, held parties, marked professional and personal strides together.
"But we made a big effort to get organized," he said.
Building a community
Organization is a skill not lacking in the wave of Indian immigrants that Asthana and Tandon arrived in.
Do a search of Delaware and Indian organizations and a small phone directory worth of names pop up: There's the Hindu Temple Association, the Gujarati Samaj of Delaware Inc., undergraduate student associations, graduate student associations, merchant groups and two Hindu temples on the long list.
Asthana and Tandon are part of the Indo American Association of Delaware, whose mission is to educate others about Asian Indians, to promote the Indian heritage for younger generations and to promote unity among the Indo-American community.
As Tandon is careful to point out, India is a big country and it certainly isn't made up of a monolithic group of people.
"India itself is so huge, there's so much diversity," he said.
You'll find the same diversity in Delaware's Indian population: Hindus make up the largest religious group, but, as the Elsmere temple shows, there are also Sikhs, Muslims and Christians.
But there is one thing that ties those groups together, Tandon says.
"Delaware is one of the best places to raise a family," Tandon said, and if you know anything about Indians, you know that family is big.
Swiatek, the researcher, said that those family ties seemed to have brought a second group of Indians to Delaware: the merchant class.
Sid Sharma, of Newark, who came to Delaware in the 1980s to study in nearby Drexel University said he noticed the rise of the merchant class as he drove between Delaware and Pennsylvania.
In a matter of years, Indian stores began cropping up one by one in Delaware, a change from when he first arrived and had to buy goods for home in Philadelphia. He also noticed something else about the new wave of arrivals.
"The person who came started bringing their families here, which were non-professional," he said.
Tandon added: "And it was good that they brought them. It made it more emotionally peaceful for Indians."
The families, and single members of the Indian community, would gather to socialize and watch Indian movies at UD, where Asian Indian student groups also started making their presence known.
Branching out
For the most part, Swiatek says, Asian Indians settled in exclusively "white middle class" areas in northern New Castle, mainly in Hockessin and Christiana. Because most were highly educated and fluent in English before they came, they were able to settle anywhere in the region.
Being part of the mainstream community is important to the professional class.
"I didn't want my kids to be different than Joe Blow on the street," Tandon said.
In the past decade, however, some things have changed. Swiatek has noticed that those in the merchant class have settled in some of the area's less-affluent neighborhoods and tend to congregate with one another more than the more professional groups did.
The population has gotten so big, the earlier arrivals say, that it's a lot harder to keep track of what each group is doing and what the new trends bring. They point out that Asian Indians have become part of the nation's mainstream. They point to Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana, who is being touted as a rising political star, even as presidential material.
"The first generation who came were doctors or engineers," Tandon said. "Our kids have diversified. They used to be doctors or engineers. Now they are journalists and politicians."
However, while moving into the mainstream, they're careful to note that they haven't forgotten to honor their heritage.
"They see themselves as a hybrid, as being an Indian and an American," Swiatek said.
The next step, Tandon says, is to focus on helping those outside the Asian Indian community.
"The association is focusing on work we can do with the non-Indian community," Tandon said. "We feel we had the opportunity to stay here, make money and we can do something for the community and that is to provide charity. The more we do these things, the more comfortable people are and they don't feel, 'These are strangers.' "
A Sikh security guard who was asked to trade in his turban for a hard hat at a Milton Home Depot will have his case heard before the Human Rights tribunal today.
Deepinder Loomba has been fighting the hardware franchise for almost four years after a supervisor at a Home Depot construction site asked Loomba to wear a hard hat.
Loomba, who immigrated to Cananda in 2002 from Uganda, said the turban is part of the Sikh religion and his hair cannot be exposed in public. The incident occured in December 2005.
The Brampton resident said the external patrol he was conducting was not inside where construction was taking place but the company is arguing the whole perimeter including the entrance-way and desk where Loomba sat required a hard hat be worn.
After two failed mediations, the case is finally being heard today through Wednesday.
A LAMPETER university professor helped secure the conviction of two ultra-racists and set a legal landmark after giving expert evidence during a dramatic trial. It was a day like any other until Prof Dan Cohn- Sherbok, a Reform Rabbi and lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, took a call at his desk from the counter-terrorism section of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Two men, 51-year-old Simon Sheppard and 42- year-old Stephen Whittle, stood accused of inciting racial hatred after publishing a series of online arti- cles that scathingly attacked Judaism and denied the holocaust, whilst claiming that Anne Frank’s famous diary was fiction “written for her own amusement”. The conversation saw Prof Cohn-Sherbok recruited to give evidence for the prosecution in a trial at Leeds Crown Court, where he would later argue that Jews should be regarded as a ‘racial’ group - crucial for the charge to stick - rather than merely a religious one. “Essentially, these two had been using the internet to disseminate hateful material about Jews, blacks, women and others”, he said. “My brief was this: are the Jews a religious group or an ethnic group? “The distinction can be critical, because the law is different for each. “I had to ask for the meaning of ‘ethnic group’, and was given criteria from a previous court case about Sikhs - in that case, at the House of Lords, it was ruled that there were seven criteria, including a common language, being a minority, having a long history, etc. “Obviously the history of the Jews goes back to biblical times, which is nearly 4,000 years ago. “And Jews have the sacred language of Hebrew.” Jurors found both men guilty after three days of deliberations, but they fled to the United States, claiming political asylum, before being sentenced. Both remain in detention whilst their case is decided. Prof Cohn-Sherbok, himself from the US state of Colorado, returned to Leeds a second time for a further trial - conducted in the defendant’s absence - regarding a publication, Tales of the Holohoax, that the jury couldn’t decide on the first time round. “I made same case again”, he said, “and explained why the material was really anti-semetic and not just satire. “They accepted my argument, and this is of partic- ular importance because the Attorney-General was watching the case closely. “If they had been acquitted, [she] may have had to declare that anti-semitism wasn’t punishable by law. “It really is of critical importance to the British Jews - it means they’re protected by the law.”
After 90 years and a long campaign, the victims of a British atrocity in a holy city are being recognised as martyrs and freedom fighters by the Indian government
By Andrew Buncombe Friday, 9 January 2009
Alamy
The massacre at Amritsar (above) inspired Gandhi to become more involved in mainstream politics and was a turning point in the campaign for Indian independence
On a sweltering afternoon 90 years ago in April, a squad of Gurkha and Baluchi troops under the command of British officers marched into an enclosed park in the city of Amritsar and levelled their weapons. The park was densely crowded and there was only one way in and out. The officer in charge – General Reginald Dyer, whose name will forever be cloaked in infamy – then gave the order to fire.
Within 10 minutes the soldiers had fired 1,650 rounds, and hundreds of people lay dead, dying or wounded in the city's Jallianwala Bagh. General Dyer could not have realised that the massacre, and the outraged response it triggered, marked a crucial landmark in India's struggle for independence. Yet, despite the importance of the atrocity in the freedom struggle, the people who died there have never been officially recognised by the Indian government. Until now.
After a decades-long campaign by the relatives of those killed, officials have announced the dead shall be officially recognised as "freedom fighters". While it is unlikely any relatives will be able to claim compensation (that right was limited to spouses and daughters of those killed) the families say the decision marks the significance of what was one of the bloodiest and most shameful incidents of Britain's colonial rule in India, and the sacrifice of those killed.
"I am very happy indeed," said Nand Lal Arora, a marketing executive whose grandfather, Faqir Chand, was among those killed on 13 April 1919. The event was portrayed in Richard Attenborough's epic Gandhi. "My father and grandfather had gone to the park to hear the speeches. My grandfather was on the stage when the shooting started and he was killed. My father suffered a back injury. My grandfather and family did something for the country and I'm glad the government has decided to recognise it."
The massacre at the park, or bagh, in the holy city of Amritsar came against a backdrop of growing unrest within the Punjab and elsewhere in India against British rule. In the aftermath of the First World War, the Indian National Congress had stepped up its demands for greater autonomy for India and there had been unrest in several cities in the region and in Amritsar itself. Just two days before, a British woman had been attacked by a mob. Much of the agitation was in protest against the Rowlatt Act, anti-sedition legislation that gave the authorities unprecedented powers to prohibit meetings, newspapers and anything else considered a threat. Those people gathered in the park that afternoon did so in contravention of martial orders, to hear speeches against the Act. General Dyer, who had been born in India and spoke Urdu, then the lingua franca of large parts of northern India, had decided he needed radical action to impose order. Well before he marched his troops into the park, he had decided he would order them to fire if he found crowds gathered in contravention of his orders.
At the subsequent inquiry, General Dyer – who was ultimately forced to resign from the Army but who became a hero to many in Britain for his actions – told investigators: "I think it quite possible that I could have dispersed the crowd without firing but they would have come back again and laughed, and I would have made, what I consider, a fool of myself."
Asked if he had afterwards provided medical care for the injured, he responded: "Certainly not. It was not my job. Hospitals were open and they could have gone there."
On a recent afternoon, Bhushan Behal, who heads an organisation of victims' families and who has fought for "freedom fighter" recognition for the past three decades, led The Independent on a tour of the Jallianwala Bagh, which was long ago converted into a memorial garden. Mr Behal said his grandfather, Harrar Behal, a lawyer who had been speaking that fateful day, was the first to be killed.
"He was on the stage, the first person shot, said Mr Behal. "We have the names of 464 people who were shot but maybe there were 2,000 in total who died [that day or later]. I am very happy by the government decision. I have fought for this for 30 years so we are feeling very happy."
The well-tended park is today a quiet, reflective place. But signs remind visitors that the ground now planted with roses is soaked with the blood of hundreds of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims and it is not hard to find signs of the violence wrought that afternoon 90 years ago by General Dyer and his men. A brick wall, specially preserved, still shows the deep marks from bullets. A short distance away is a well into which scores of desperate people leapt to escape the gunfire. A marble memorial marks the spot where the stage had been set up and where Mr Behal's grandfather and others had been speaking.
Another member of the group, Bobby Chouhan, who is not related to anyone killed in the incident but who has been campaigning, added: "The [lives of these] people helped the freedom movement. It was related to the freedom movement."
Historians agree. Professor Harish Sharma of Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev University, said the massacre and the response in India and in Britain, was a decisive moment in the struggle for independence which would eventually be won in 1947. In particular, the killings inspired Mohandas Gandhi to become more involved in mainstream politics. He described the killings as "a calculated piece of inhumanity toward utterly innocent and unarmed men, including children, and unparalleled for its ferocity in the history of modern British administration". Mr Sharma said of the massacre: "This was a key event. It brought about a U-turn in the nationhood movement."
Nigel Collett, author of the seminal biography of General Dyer, The Butcher of Amritsar, agreed the massacre was instrumental in changing the direction of the freedom movement and convincing Gandhi that he could no longer stand on the sidelines. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back," he said. "He said he never trusted the British again. It was an important part of the national struggle."
The British government paid compensation to the victims' families in 1921. And in 1997 the Queen and Prince Philip visited the site, an occasion when the Duke of Edinburgh made one of his typical off-hand comments. Yet the Indian government moved to honour the victims only after a long struggle, not only by relatives of the victims but by the state authorities.
In a little-noticed directive issued late in December, the Home Ministry said the victims would be newly recognised, along with about 60 Indians killed by the British in 1872 in the so-called Kuka massacre. They will now join countless numbers of "freedom fighters" recognised for their role in India's independence, in incidents ranging from the events of the 1930s and 1940s to the Goan liberation struggle of 1955.
The communiqué said: "Respecting the sentiments of the Punjab government, the ministry is pleased to accord freedom-fighter status to the martyrs of Kuka movement of 1872 and that of Jallianwala Bagh in 1919. These massacres have been formally included in the national freedom movement."
There is an intriguing and just possibly remarkable footnote to the struggle for recognition for those killed at Jallianwala Bagh. On the edge of Amritsar, an old farmer who claims to be the sole survivor of the massacre shares a house with his son, grandson and great-grandson.
Shingara Singh says he was aged 23 at the time, which would make him 113. Opinion is divided about the veracity of his claims. The government of India has honoured him with a meeting with the President, but others who have examined his testimony, including Professor Sharma and Mr Behl, are adamant he could not have been there.
The old man with deeply creased skin and dressed in a bright orange turban, burned with anger when asked about the British military who committed the massacre. "I am angry," he said. "I want to kill the British who did this."
Mr Singh said he and others had been on the way to the Golden Temple but that it had been blocked by police and they instead gathered at the bagh. He told how the troops had entered the park, how they had begun firing and how people battled in vain to escape. Holding up his thin arm, he said he was shot in the biceps before he hid behind a low wall. "People were shouting, 'We are dying, we are dying'," he said.
As unlikely as it seems, is it possible that Mr Singh is a direct link to this event, a remarkable lone survivor? As he sat amid the quiet of the farmland where his family has grown wheat and rice for decades, Mr Singh was asked about those who doubted the truth of his story. In a moment, the old man's eyes flashed with anger. "Maybe you are hearing this from my enemies," he roared. "Just put them in front of me."
Local Sikh sues IRS after losing job over religious knife
A local Sikh woman sued the Internal Revenue Service this week, alleging that the IRS violated her religious freedom by prohibiting her from wearing a small ceremonial knife to her job as a revenue agent.
The lawsuit, filed in Houston federal district court on Tuesday, states that the IRS fired Kawaljeet Kaur Tagore in July 2006 because she refused to take off her kirpan, an article of faith that Sikhs are required to wear at all times. The blunt blade, worn sheathed, is intended to remind the bearer of a Sikh's duty to protect the weak and promote justice.
Tagore, 35, is the same woman who said she and her family were harassed by Harris County sheriff deputies in November after calling 911 to report a burglary at their home. An investigation by the sheriff's Internal Affairs Division is ongoing.
"Our government is tasked with securing our religious liberties, but in Ms. Tagore's case, both the federal government and the local government not only failed to secure her rights, but trampled on them," said Harsimran Kaur, legal director of the New York-based Sikh Coalition. "Both incidents underscore the governments' ignorance about Sikhism and about the kirpan in particular."
The coalition, along with the D.C.-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Houston civil rights attorney Scott Newar, filed the suit against the IRS on Tagore's behalf.
The IRS banned the kirpan as a so-called dangerous weapon, even though the government allows hundreds of sharp scissors, letter openers, knives and box cutters in the Mickey Leland Federal Building in downtown Houston, where Tagore worked, Newar said.
"There's never been any allegation that she had somehow taken the kirpan and used it as a weapon — that's not what its purpose is," Newar said. "It's a symbolic religious article that Sikhs have carried for centuries. It's like a Cross, it's like a Star of David, it's like any other religious ornament. It just happens to have a blade."
IRS spokeswoman Lea Crusberg declined to comment on pending litigation.
According to the suit, Tagore began working for the IRS in July 2004. On April 14, 2005, she was formally initiated into the Sikh faith.
After the initiation, a Sikh is obligated to wear five Sikh articles of faith, including the kirpan. The articles serve as a public expression of the Sikh faith.
"It's a religious uniform just like a Jew wears a yarmulke or a Priest wears a white collar," said Kaur, of the Sikh Coalition.
The articles must be worn at all times, even if a Sikh is threatened with the loss of property, freedom or life, she said.
A few days after her initiation Tagore began wearing a 9-inch kirpan sheathed under her shirt to work. She informed her IRS supervisor, who "expressed concern about her ability to carry her kirpan in her workplace," the lawsuit states.
Tagore agreed to carry a shorter kirpan to work. This one was 6 inches long with a 3-inch blade. It was not sharp or capable of inflicting bodily harm, and never triggered the Leland building's metal detector, the lawsuit states.
On April 20, Tagore provided the IRS with information about the kirpan and requested, through counsel, that she be allowed to carry it in the workplace. Her supervisor told her to leave. He said the kirpan violated agency rules of conduct and federal law prohibiting people from possessing knives with blades of 2.5 inches or longer in federal facilities.
Kaur, of the Sikh Coalition, said there's no prescribed length for a kirpan.
"It's really up to an individual and their understanding of the faith," she said. "For Ms. Tagore, she felt that she began carrying a smaller kirpan that was as small as her religious conscience would allow."
The IRS allowed Tagore to work from home for nine months, but in January 2006, the IRS director of field operations ordered Tagore to modify her kirpan and report to the Leland Building by the end of the month.
When Tagore showed up with the same kirpan, officers with the Federal Protective Service barred her from the building. She was fired in July 2006.
Tagore's lawsuit seeks lost pay and reinstatement with restoration of benefits and seniority, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.
In the last few years, employers like AT&T and organizations like the International Monetary Fund have reversed bans against Sikh kirpans across the country, Kaur said.
Tagore, who later found a job as a tax consultant with a Houston firm, has no problem carrying a kirpan in her new office, she said.
Tagore did not return phone calls for comment. Kaur said she has been advised by her attorneys not to speak to the media.
Harris County sheriff's spokesman Paul Mabry said news of Tagore's lawsuit will not affect the ongoing internal affairs investigation into her family's alleged harassment by deputies, an incident sparked in part by the same kirpan.
Family members have said they called 911 on Nov. 26 when their home in the10800 block of Oak Bayou Lane was burglarized. But instead of investigating the break-in, they said, the responding deputy became alarmed when he noticed Tagore wore a kirpan on her hip. The deputy aimed his Taser at her and called for backup, Tagore has said.
Other deputies arrived and began cursing and handcuffing family members, including Tagore and her 60-year-old mother, relatives have said.
An insolvency adviser tells our correspondent about repossession, stupidity, sadness, and why he can’t see himself going into the red
Sathnam Sanghera
Gurinder Dulai couldn’t be better qualified for his job as an adviser on the National Debtline. He used to work as an independent financial adviser, so has excellent background knowledge. His composed demeanour, which would make even His Holiness the Dalai Llama seem highly strung, gives him the perfect telephone manner. And he comes from a Punjabi Sikh background, a religious grouping that, according to the Financial Services Authority, is among the best in Britain at making ends meet.
“Come to think of it, I’ve been here two years now and not taken a single call from a Punjabi,” he remarks as he puts on a Britney Spears-style telephone headset at the start of a day’s work. “Only a matter of time though.”
With the press of a button he is plugged into the National Debtline, which is run by the Money Advice Trust charity, and based on the eighth floor of a tower block overlooking Birmingham city centre. This time of year is always the busiest; and the economic downturn has resulted in a surge of queries. So much so that the Treasury recently announced an additional £5.85 million funding over two years, which means the National Debtline will be able to recruit 45-50 debt advisers during 2009, and be able to help about 175,000 people, compared with 115,000 in 2008.
The first call is from a fiftysomething unemployed man from Dorset, who has no assets to his name, receives no benefits and is in debt to the tune of £20,000. “My credit rating is shot to pieces,” he complains, sadly.
The next is from an unemployed and, frankly, stoned 19-year-old who claims he is being pursued by a debt collection agency for a mobile phone debt of £1,103. “It’s not my bill. My ex-girlfriend stitched me right up.”
There follow inquiries from a man in his twenties about how to claim back bank charges, and a call from a man in his forties who is being harassed by creditors for a debt of £12,000.
In each case Mr Dulai begins by establishing the caller’s circumstances, before running through various options, which could range from informally negotiating with creditors to bankruptcy.
It may sound like classic call centre work — but it isn’t. There is no fixed script, the advice ranges from the basic to the intricate, advisers spend no more than five hours a day on the phone (the rest of the time is spent handling e-mails and letters), and there are no rigid guidelines on how long conversations should last. Today one of Mr Dulai’s queries goes on for half an hour, while another, around midday, lasts barely a tenth of that time. It is from a 39-year-old single mother who works full-time but has sunk into £15,000 debt, having purchased a brand-new BMW last year.
“I think I need help,” she says. “I’ve missed a council tax payment and my creditors are on to me constantly.” Mr Dulai runs through the options open to her, but she loses patience at the mention of a personal budget. “Look, I just need a company which will manage my outgoings for me. One that doesn’t charge a fee.”
Mr Dulai informs her that he can recommend a company, but she still needs to do a tally of her income and outgoings before he can do so. “It’s all a bit time-consuming before Christmas, innit?”
The call ends abruptly, leaving a host of unanswered questions hanging in the air. “She wanted a magic answer on the phone,” said Mr Dulai. “Hopefully she’ll call back.”
At the end of his shift, a computerised summary tells him that he has taken 12 calls, spent an average of 18 minutes on each, and an average of seven minutes writing up notes on every case, in case the caller rings back. He has also replied to a letter, and sent an e-mail to a woman who earns £51,000 a year, but has been left heavily indebted after a divorce and her failure to sell a house (“It’s been on the market for nine months and I’ve sold my belongings on eBay. No one will help because I earn too much”).
Perhaps there is something liberating about hitting crisis point? “Maybe. Sometimes you catch up with people who have been in financial difficulties with massive mortgages, and they are now living in rented accommodation, and are much, much happier.”
And what about his own finances? Are they chaotic like so many financial professionals’ finances tend to be? Bet he has an impossible mortgage. “I live with my parents, actually.” Car? “I cycle to work.” Indulgences? “Food . . .” Aha! Eating out can be expensive. “To be honest, it’s more a case of finding the right ingredients for cooking.” Credit cards? “Only for emergencies, and internet shopping. I pay it off straight away at the end of each month, though. Punjabi thing, I suppose.”
Job description
Name Gurinder Dulai
Job Adviser, National Debtline
Age 28
Time in job Two years
Hours 35, 9am to 5pm
Holidays 28 days
Salary £30,500
Best thing about the job Showing a light at the end of the tunnel
Worst thing When clients cannot understand the advice
Easier clients? Younger, northern men
Tougher clients? Older, southern, wealthier. “The better off people are, the harder you have to work to get information out of them. It might be pride”
Author: Tejinder Singh at the EU-India Summit in Marseille, France 30 September 2008 - Issue : 802
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at the concluding press conference of the European Union/India Summit in Marseille, France, stood next to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Sikh wearing a light blue turban, as he answered this reporter's (Tejinder Singh) question about the wearing of turbans by Sikhs in France. Regarding the required Sikh head covering, an integral part of their religious identity, Sarkozy, replied curtly, "Sir, we respect Sikhs. We respect their customs, their traditions. They are most welcome to France."
Visibly irritated, Sarkozy continued, "But sir, we have rules, rules concerning the neutrality of civil servants, rules concerning secularism, and these rules don't apply only to Sikhs, they apply to Muslims or others. They apply to all on the territory of the French Republic." The practice by Sikhs of allowing one's hair to grow naturally is a symbol of respect, the most important of the five outward symbols required of all Sikhs, and the turban is worn to cover the uncut hair. Sarkozy explained that the banning of turbans is not discrimination, that, "These rules apply to everybody, to everybody with no exception. There is no discrimination whatsoever."
Making it clear to the Sikh community in France that they have no option other than to conform to the rules, Sarkozy made the paradoxical statement, "We respect their traditions and their customs and we are convinced that they too respect the laws, traditions and customs of the French Republic."
Discrimination begins early in France In 2004, three Sikh boys, Jasvir Singh, Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh, were expelled from French schools for wearing turbans. These students were the first victims of the ban instituted which prohibits Sikh students from covering their hair at school, a decision that has prompted world-wide protest from the Sikh community. Commenting on the discrimination and its impact on children, Mejindarpal Kaur, the Director of United Sikhs, a worldwide Sikh organisation, stated in a press release that a preliminary survey of Sikh children affected by the French law found that 84 percent of the students interviewed were prevented from wearing head coverings to school. The survey also revealed that students had been expelled from French schools for refusing to remove their turbans, and many more suffered from alienation by their peers.
Also in 2004, Shingara Singh Mann, a French Sikh, reported he was prohibited from renewing his driver's license after it was lost in a theft because he was wearing a turban to cover his uncut hair.
On December 5, 2005 the French High Court ruled in favour of Shingara Singh Mann, giving him the right to wear his turban for his driving license identity photo, overturning an earlier decision by the French Ministry of Transport. But within 24 hours of the court decision, the Ministry issued a circular expressly forbidding turbans to be worn in driver's license photographs.
Kudrat Singh, Director of United Sikhs in France, said, "This is an example of oppression and discrimination which has not been seen in France for decades, and calls into question whether one can be both Sikh and French." According to legal opinions, the ban is a violation of Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) which provides for right to freedom of religion.
MEP Gill urges EU action
Asked to comment, Neena Gill, a member of the European Parliament had said, "I am astounded by the level of discrimination that is in fact growing … it is not confined to France … it is in Belgium, in Germany and it really smacks against all these initiatives that the European Commission is constantly launching."
However, solutions aimed at nurturing "unity in diversity," the European Union's frequently appearing slogan, are already working in the United Kingdom, one of the member states of the European Union, and across the Atlantic in the United States.
Highlighting the integration and diversity that prevails across the English Channel, Gill, who was born in Punjab, India, said, "If you look at the United Kingdom, you can wear a turban not only in mainstream jobs but also in the police, the army, the air force or the navy. There is no restriction. In fact, the army has special days when they try and recruit people from the Sikh community and the Dastar (turban) is not a problem for them, so I really think we do need to raise awareness, especially from the European Commission in these particular years of Equality and Intercultural Dialogue. We have to target the resources at these issues to ensure that there is greater awareness across the EU in accepting people of different appearances."
US efforts to embrace Sikhs
Discriminatory incidents involving Sikhs increased dramatically as a consequence of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. There were numerous cases of discriminatory attacks on Sikhs as they were misunderstood as allies of Osama bin Laden due to their appearance.
While the US is making the effort to remove misunderstanding and give Sikhs their legitimate place in society, in some member states of the European Union, comparable progress and acceptance has flowed in reverse.
US lawmaker speaks out
US Congressman Mike Honda (Democrat-California), who represents Silicon Valley and who is involved in this issue in his capacity as Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, told this correspondent, "I don't believe in sacrificing freedom in order to protect freedom. Turbans are part of the religious identity of Sikhs and we must strive to respect their freedom of religious expression. A balance can be struck between national security and religious liberties, but that balance can only be reached by consulting all the parties involved, in this case the Sikh community."
"It would be ironic that many Sikhs, who fled their homeland seeking religious freedom, would find that America curtailed their religious freedoms when they arrived upon our shores," Honda had added.
The root cause of the discrimination and a pragmatic solution to root it out was aptly summed up by Jennifer Handshew, a seasoned public relations professional in New York who had told this journalist, "I feel that ignorance and fear are the primary factors that fuel this discrimination and believe that education and awareness will help people better understand what the turban means to the Sikhs."
What Handshew and others suggest provide a succinct analysis and a solution, but for now, the door to a respectable life in France for Sikhs has been slammed shut by the French President Sarkozy, in the presence of Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, himself a member of the Sikh community.
International solidarity needed to help secure the release of Hebei spirit officers
Captain Jasprit Chawla (left) and Chief Officer Syam Chetan
The ITF is calling on affiliated unions to highlight the plight of two innocent officers, members of ITF Indian seafaring affiliate, who are detained in South Korea following an oil spill from their ship last year.
How you can help
We are calling on ITF unions to draw the Korean authorities’ attention to the men’s case as soon as possible and before 9 December, the day before the judgement is handed down:
Making appointments with Korean embassies and diplomatic representatives to meet, express concerns and present the model letter.
Speaking informally to any Korean shipping or industrial contacts the union has, at the highest possible level, to express concern at these events.
Background information
Despite their exoneration, the Hebei Spirit's Captain Jasprit Chawla and its Chief Officer Syam Chetan continue to be detained in Korea. They are currently awaiting decision of the appeal court because the Korean prosecution appealed the case.The appeal decision will be handed down on 10th December.
At the time of the accident the Hebei Spirit was at anchor; a Samsung barge, which had torn loose from its tug, struck the tanker causing the spill.
The ITF strongly believes that the two seafarers have been unfairly caught up in efforts to address the crisis caused by the incident, which has affected thousands of people living and working in the area.
Family and anti-racist groups call on the Irish FA to investigate schoolboy football match incident
Football authorities in Dublin are investigating allegations that a referee tried to force a Sikh boy to take off his turban during a schoolboy match.
The family of Karpreet Singh and anti-racist campaigners have contacted the Football Association of Ireland over the alleged incident at Ashbourne in Co Meath a fortnight ago, which ended with the 12-year-old refusing to play in the second half.
The FAI has told Sport Against Racism Ireland and the Singh family they will meet them in the new year to discuss claims that the referee ordered the boy to remove his turban, then refused to talk to Karpreet's father after the game about his alleged remarks. Surinder Singh said that his anger over the alleged incident was compounded by what he claims was the referee's insensitivity when the game was over.
'Before the match the referee checked the two teams' boots and strips and the game began. He said nothing about anyone wearing anything on their heads,' he said. 'Then, 10 minutes into the match, he went over to my son and told him to remove the "headgear". Karpreet told the referee he couldn't take his turban off, and again the ref said to him to take the "headgear" off.
'The match went on and I could see that Karpreet was upset by the incident. When the team went in for half-time, Karpreet told his coach he didn't want to play in the second half. I knew he wasn't up for it. The whole thing had disturbed him and this is a boy who loves football.'
According to Surinder Singh, a previous coach of Hillcrest Soccer club, his son's team, tried to speak to the referee about his remarks.
'Instead of listening, the ref told the ex-coach to get off the pitch,' he claimed. 'I waited until the match was over and went over to the referee to talk about what he had said to my son. This man turned around and said "I don't have to talk to you!", and walked off without speaking to me. When I followed him he said: "Get away from me!" I couldn't believe how rude he was.'
Surinder Singh said the alleged incident was all the more shocking because, having been in Ireland for 24 years, he has never encountered any hostility. 'I try to make my kids integrate into Irish society. My eight-year-old daughter Japleen Kaur plays camogie for our local GAA club Sarsfields. Karpreet is dedicated to his soccer team and loves playing football. We never expected an attitude like that on the pitch, especially not from the referee.'
His son is a Manchester United fan who dreams of playing at Old Trafford. The schoolboy said he was 'very upset' by the alleged attitude of the referee but vowed to play on for his club. 'I love playing for the team and after the match my mates were brilliant. They all said they supported my decision not to take off my turban, which is so important to our religion.'
Karpreet said he would 'feel very nervous' now when playing matches while wearing his turban. 'I hope nobody else has an attitude like that again,' he said.
Sport Against Racism Ireland said it requested a meeting with the FAI over the alleged incident last week, but was told that it would have to wait until January.
'We would hope that referees who behave like that should be given the red card,' said Frank Buckley, SARI's co-founder. 'The FAI have signed up to 10 Uefa principles in encouraging social and religious integration in football. One of those principles concerns making referees and officials aware of players and supporters from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
'Have referees officiating at games in all levels, including schoolboy soccer, been made aware of this? Not only does the FAI needs to get to the bottom of this incident, they also have to train up all our referees and officials in anti-racist, anti-sectarian policies.'
The FAI will not make any comment about the Singh family's allegations until they have held a meeting with them, the club and the schoolboy soccer league.
To combat racism and xenophobia as well as encourage immigrants to integrate better, SARI runs leagues involving teams from a variety of ethnic communities who have settled in the republic.
What lessons can British/European Sikhs learn from the hate violence documented in the film which highlights the backlash on American Sikhs, Arabs and others post 9/11?
Saturday the 29th of Nov 08 saw the first public screening, of Divided We Fall – Americans in the Aftermath in London, an award winning documentary made by Valarie Kaur and Sharut Raju. This was organised by the Network of Sikh organisations Media Monitoring Group and in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association, Panjab Radio as well as the Committee at Central Gurdwara Shepards Bush, London. The screening was followed by a debate with some well known panellists in the community, including Palbinder Singh, General Secretary of the MPSA , Kanwaljit Kaur from the NSO and Jasvir Singh Khalsa a popular presenter from Panjab Radio.
The event was unprecedented in that it also coincided with the tercentenary celebrations of the inauguration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as Guru as well as the centenary celebrations of the founding of Shepards Bush Gurdwara, the first Gurdwara built in Europe and that which featured in the hit movie ‘Bend it like Beckham’.
The hate crimes documented by the filmmakers ranged from verbal assault, beatings, stabbings, right through to cold blooded murder as seen with the tragic deathof Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Mesa, Arizona Gas station owner, murdered by someone calling himself a patriot. Sodhi was killed because his murderer thought he was an Arab due to his turban and beard, ironically symbols of his Sikh identity.
Was this extreme backlash and mistaken identity exclusively an American Phenomenon? Have British Sikhs also felt the unrelenting backlash of arguably the two biggest terrorist atrocities in Western civilisation has faced in modern times, namely 9/11 and 7/7? The panellists provided their view on global events which have propelled us into what was forecast many years ago by Samuel Huntington, the Geo-politician and author of ‘Clash of Civilizations and the remaking of world order’.
“This is mainly a Western Hemisphere problem the repercussion against Sikhs is born in the west. The Sikh crown or turban is being confused as a feature of the Mohamedens or Islamists, This is the first times Sikhs have been suffering from Islamophobia, when a bigot wants a revenge attack he does not go to an encyclopaedia to identify a Muslim or a non Muslim. We do not want Sikhs or Muslims to be attacked. These bigots, who attack innocent people need to enrol into the army, fly out to Afghanistan where they can engage with the real enemy.” Said Palbinder Singh, General Secretary of the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association.
“Problems facing British Sikhs are not as severe, there are historical reasons for that as well as, British citizens are more educated than their American counterparts.” He added.
The post film discussion led us down the arena of a mantra which helped support a victory in a general election many years ago for the labour party, ‘Education, education, education’. Have Sikhs in Britain educated others about their faith enough? the jury is still out on this, surely some of the responsibility of the ‘Bin Laden’abuse thrown at Sikhs in the Al-Qaeda age lies with the Sikh community. Certainly one thing is for sure that bigots who have the grey matter akin to the contents of a compost heap, would not benefit from reading about Sikhism and it’s differences from Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, assuming they can read in the first place.
“Identity is one thing you cannot hide, ours is the turban and beard. Smoking is banned by Sikhs for example, 90% of the world cut their hair, but Sikhs don’t cut their hair.” Said Jasvir Singh a presenter from Panjab Radio
“I remember as a child there was a book about fill in the gaps and the gap was that Sikhs don’t cut their Hair. The child has to fill cut & the other gap the Sikhs do not smoke. As a Sikh it is a moral duty to let people know that the turban is a crown to the Sikhs. If we do not understand and respect this then nobody is going to accept us.” He added
One of the other important themes raised by the audience was the importance of the media in facilitating the gap in understanding, clearly present in Britain and in particular the US about the Sikh Faith. The power of television, the internet, radio, broadsheets and magazines should not be underestimated. Observations were made about the lack of dedicated Sikh media resources available globally, not through lack of funding however through the will to commit to providing a dedicated equivalent to lets say Al-Jazeera. There has been in recent years a mushrooming of Panjabi Radio stations along with a few satellite television channels, some of whom dedicate some time to the religion and prayer, however as commented on by one of the audience members, ‘We do not need to preach to the converted’.
The audience was invariably captivated by Valarie’s documentary and the feedback afterwards was overwhelmingly positive. There was a sense that the community should have really had the opportunity to see this film sooner and that it should in essence be shown as far and wide to the UK public as possible.
“Valarie Kaur's documentary is a triumph of the human thirst for knowledge and understanding. Unlike most of us she did not sit idly by and watch the events of her time unfold on television but became part of them. I applaud her sentiments and her courage in making this historic film. She has recorded the otherwise untold stories of woe suffered by innocent, law-abiding American Sikhs in the wake of the terrible events of 9/11. Sikhs are frontrunners when it comes to making history but not so when recording it. The future is bright in this regard with innovative and inspirational youngsters such as Valarie, whose insight is highly impressive for one so young. Congratulations!”said Tejinder Singh a property consultant from London
“I must congratulate the Network of Sikh Organisations for organising this event. Not only did they bring this excellent documentary to an audience who otherwise might never have seen it but they also began a discussion that is very necessary for Sikhs in the UK and globally at this time in history. Never in the modern age has religion, and the difference between faiths, been so apparent and so present in the minds of the general population. We are fortunate in this country that the average person is much more aware of the difference between Sikhs and Muslims than they are in the USA so we have not seen the same suffering as experienced there. However, it is imperative that Sikhs use the media to show this country and the world who they are and all the excellent contributions they have made and are making in all areas of life. This event is an excellent first step towards making that happen. Keep up the good work!” He added
The event was the start of a much needed dialogue in light of the fissures created in multicultural Britain by Global Terror; this has caused much division and fragmentation of society, propagating mistrust of anyone who looks remotely different. This divisive nature of terror has been more recently exacerbated here in Britain, by the failed liquid bomb plot and the Glasgow airport terrorist outrage, resulting in high profile trials in the Old Bailey. The realisation however is that much more dialogue and education is required by all faith groups, as on the same week we celebrated the first public screening of Divided We Fall – Americans in the Aftermath in London, an airline pilot in SacramentoCalifornia, from US airways refused to fly a plane unless three turbaned Sikhs left the flight, they were literally kicked off the flight. The reality is that the battle for the Sikh identity is here and now, it is forever etched in the annals of history, soaked with the lifeblood of many martyrs throughout; an unparallel history which Sikhs have in many instances, yet failed to inspire the western world with.
Hardeep Singh
Secretary, Media monitoring Group,
The Network of Sikh Organisations UK
Please see video feedback from the audience.................
[Desiclub.com] South Asian Voices UK - Divided We Fall
THE COUNTRY’s newest Sikh school has received a 'good’ Ofsted Inspection within 14 months of opening.
The Khalsa Primary School in Wexham Road was praised for showing rapid progress and for encouraging good behaviour.
Chair of governors, Nick Kandola, thanked headteacher Harshindar Kaur as well as her stand-in Jane Morgan for their hard work in getting the school up-and running.
He said: “We are delighted with the Ofsted report and wish to thank all the staff, parents, children, the local education teams at Slough Borough Council and governors for their support in getting this fantastic result which we can all be proud of.”
“Harshindar Kaur has done an excellent job in getting this school established quickly. She has a great team behind her and I have every faith that the staff will work towards further improvements over the coming months.”
The school has grown from 170 pupils to 283 since it opened in September 2007.
Victory Medal found in England leads to Kitchener tombstone of World War I 'hero'
The mystery is slowly unravelling.
Until some months ago, nothing much was known about the nine Sikh-Canadians who joined the Canadian army and fought in World War I – at a time when Sikhs weren't even allowed to immigrate to Canada.
Then an amateur historian bought a Victory Medal that led him to a Kitchener graveyard and he found the tombstone of Pte. Buckam Singh.
"That man was a real hero," said Sandeep Singh Brar of Brampton, who found the grave.
"He fought for Canada, came back and died alone in a hospital."
The Sikh-Canadian, whose grave drew little attention for 90 years, recently attracted about 50 people for Remembrance Day Sikh prayers at the Kitchener cemetery.
T. Sher Singh, a Guelph lawyer who attended the ceremony, said the discovery of the grave is significant for the community. "It means that we have a history in the building of this nation," said Singh. "Not only have we built the railroads and cleared the forests and slaved in the lumber mills, but we have given our lives when it was necessary."
But the story of the Sikh-Canadian, who fought at Flanders Fields, was wounded twice in battle and died in 1919 at age 25 after returning to Canada, likely wouldn't have been told if it hadn't been for the medal. Brar bought it from a dealer in England about a year ago believing it had been bestowed upon a British-Indian soldier.
He got a shock when he carefully read the inscription on its rim: Singh had been a member of the 20th Canadian Infantry and the medal listed his name, rank and registration number.
Over the next few months, Brar went to Ottawa many times to track down military records. He discovered Singh had fought in Flanders Fields and was injured by shrapnel in the head, and again by a bullet in the leg. The Toronto Star, then called the Toronto Daily Star, reported his injuries on Aug. 9, 1916, in a list of Canadian soldiers wounded in battle.
Singh was treated at a hospital in Boulogne, France run by Guelph's Lt. Col. John McCrae. He was shipped to England in 1917 where, while recovering, he contracted tuberculosis and was sent to the Freeport Hospital in Kitchener, then run by the Canadian army. He died two years later and was buried in Kitchener's Mount Hope Cemetery.
Brar believes Singh's grave may be the only one in Canada belonging to a Sikh-Canadian who fought in World War I. The Victory Medal may also be the only existing medal for a Sikh soldier.
This story has become an obsession for Brar, who has created a website, sikhmuseum.com, to showcase his findings. He said Singh's family, who lived in a village in Punjab, India, knew nothing about his time at war. "They just received a notice when he died.
"There are still many blanks in his story," said Brar, who is trying to track down Singh's family in India. That, he said, will be the next chapter in Buckam Singh's story.
Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India's ruling dynasty, is involved in a last-ditch effort to save his political future with a series of interviews, where he has repudiated his father's justification over anti-Sikh riots two decades ago and said the practice of families in parliament should end.
The controversial comments are seen as an attempt by the 38-year-old to breath life into the ruling Congress party that faces electoral oblivion in a series of major state polls, with an electorate of 92 million, for new regional governments over the next six weeks.
The Congress party has lost eight state elections in a row. Another battering would spell the end for the government of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who won an unexpected victory in the 2004 general election.
His political opponents have derided Gandhi's attempt to rebrand the past, saying he was just a "child" but analysts say that behind the statements lies a series of cold "political calculations". A member of the Gandhi family has been in charge of India for 40 of the 60 years since independence.
"Rahul Gandhi is no dunce. He has seen the writing on the wall. All bets are that the Congress party are going to lose the next general election [next year] and it looks like he is looking to rebuild the party when it is out of power," said Mahesh Rangarajan, a political analyst.
Gandhi's most eye-catching political act has been to heal a rift with the Sikh community over the bloody events surrounding the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi, his grandmother, who had ordered an army assault on Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple, where "terrorists" had been holed up.
Indira Gandhi was then shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards triggering anti-Sikh riots that claimed thousands of lives. The riots "were absolutely wrong," Rahul Gandhi said in Punjab, adding that the perpetrators "should be brought to justice".
Human rights activists have welcomed his comments, saying it was a long overdue statement by the Gandhi family. "We welcome these comments but Sikhs want that actions follow words. What we saw was conspiracy by the majority to systematically target a minority in India. Justice is required," said Rajinder Bains, a leading human rights lawyer in Punjab.
Earlier he had snubbed a senior party apparatchik who publicly decried the fact her son had not got a party seat. Gandhi told a group of young girls that he wanted to end dynastic politics, especially in the Congress party.
Rahul Gandhi's great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India's first prime minister. His grandmother, Indira, and father, Rajiv, also led the country. "I would not have been here, if I was not from a political family. If you do not have money, a family or friends, you cannot enter politics," he said.
Educated at Harvard and with a background running internet companies, Mr Gandhi appeared to take more eagerly to business than to politics. In 2006, he bought two shops in a new mall in Delhi. The present tenants of the two shops are clothing company, Les Femme, Koutons and Nike Sports.
"One of the biggest mysteries about Rahul is what he is thinking. Even in the middle of the world's biggest economic crash he has not said a word, although he has some skill in these matters. Whenever he says something he gets heard," said Rangarajan.
By Hardeep Singh
