Arab Sovereignty, Sikh Solidarity (Langar Hall)

by Brooklynwala

Kicked off by Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution last month, the massive uprisings against U.S.-backed authoritarian regimes throughout the Arab world have grown into an undeniable and unprecedented force for real democracy.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/people-and-opinion/34416-arab-sovereignty-sikh-solidarity-langar-hall.html

Since the dictators being targeted have close ties to Washington, the leaders of our government are finding themselves in a rather uncomfortable position. Senator John McCain was a little more blunt than the Obama adminstration when, on Fox News last week, he called the rise of democratic movements a “virus…spreading throughout the Middle East,” referring to this as “the most dangerous period of history…of our entire involvement in the Middle East, at least in modern times.” Obama and Clinton talk a smoother, more diplomatic talk, but the take home message is the same: “Change” in the Middle East must be on our terms.

In a column in the Guardian on Friday, Noam Chomsky wrote, “Washington and its allies keep to the well-established principle that democracy is acceptable only insofar as it conforms to strategic and economic objectives: fine in enemy territory (up to a point), but not in our backyard, please, unless properly tamed.”

Indeed, while the Obama administration pays lip service to supporting “democracy” in Egypt (after backing and funding Mubarak for the last 30 years), it has lined up long-time Mubarak aide Omar Suleiman to lead the so-called transition to a new government. The New Yorker reported that Suleiman “has served for years as the main conduit between the United States and Mubarak… [H]e was the C.I.A.’s point man in Egypt for renditions—the covert program in which the C.I.A. snatched terror suspects from around the world and returned them to Egypt and elsewhere for interrogation, often under brutal circumstances.”

That’s democracy for you, American style.

For Sikhs in the United States today, what does it mean for us to pay taxes to a government that actively works against the freedom, self-determination, and sovereignty of millions of people around the world, including our brothers and sisters in Egypt whose relentless protests have been met with violent, state-sponsored repression?

This is of course a question that I would ask all citizens of the United States, but for us Sikhs, I don’t think it is simply a political question, but also spiritual one.

Sikhi was born out of a thirst for freedom and liberation, out of humanity’s immense need to obliterate the various forms of injustice, tyranny, and sectarianism that stand in the way of our connection to to the Divine Light in all, Waheguru.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34416

Baadhisaah saah sabh vas kar dheene
Amrit Naam Maha Ras Peene

The people are sovereign, not under the rule of any shahs or emperors
They drink the most Divine tasting ambrosial nectar
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p. 201)

The late, great Sikh scholar Jagjit Singh states,

The Sikh view…does not permit any dichotomy of life or any divorce of the individual from his society. Nor does it visualize that true religion and ethics can operate unconcerned besides an unjust social or political order, nor that spiritual freedom can coexist with religious dictation and political slavery.

So what is our responsibility then as Sikh Americans to the people of Egypt (and the list goes on) who are, by no exaggeration, politically enslaved by our government?

Our government and the uncritical corporate media will claim that Washington has to save the Arab people from Islamic fundamentalism, but as Chomsky states, “The general threat has always been independence. The US and its allies have regularly supported radical Islamists, sometimes to prevent the threat of secular nationalism.”

Sikhs have been fighting for sovereignty and independence practically since our inception over 500 years ago. Isn’t our thirst for freedom intertwined with the millions of people in Egypt courageously fighting to transform their country?

http://thelangarhall.com/news/arabso...ikhsolidarity/

 
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I just want to say this person on TLH is very pro muslim.He has written several articles on TLH
for the support of Palestinian cause.Infact if If i am not wrong he himself said that he participated in pro Palestine rallies also Invite other Sikhs to do so.

kds1980 ji

Sympathy with the plight of Palestinians does not equal being pro-Muslim in every situation or article. I am aware of more than a few Sikhs who do have pro-Palestinian sympathies because they perceive Palestinians to be badly treated by Israel. The subject of human rights violations by Israel comes up frequently, and is before the UN. This is not to say I either agree or disagree with the Palestinian cause, but only point out that there is a range of opinion on this among Sikhs. Brooklynwala does post frequently in The Langar Hall, therefore, he may reflect the opinion of some of their readers. SPN also has readers whose sympathies are with the Palestinians. Thanks

When one person is obssesed with selective sympathy then it means either something is fishy or he/she just want to follow wave of sympathy.China brutally supressed and killed budhist civilisation of Tibet yet I don't see as much support for them from any of pro Palestine non muslims .Similarly Sri Lankans Tamils ,Bangldeshi Hindu's are brutally killed but I don't see any sympathy or rallies from these so called pro Palestine supporters.

The case of Palestine is very different from above.Billions of muslims billions of petro dollars support them.Also if one will look at the case of Israel one could found that root cause of Palestine struggle lies in hatred of Jews and not willing to co operate with non muslims

Sikhs were one of the forgotten victims in 1984 of world yet they choose to support Political cause like Palestine ,rather than Forgotten victims all around the world then I have nothing to say

Rather than fumble around for a reply, I quote from a recent thread:

PROTECTING THE IDENTITY OF MINORITIES: A
SIKH’S DUTY IN PRESERVING THE MOST
FUNDAMENTAL OF FREEDOMS

A Sikh, at one’s core, is an individual who is constantly learning, with that learning structured by one’s environment (parents, community, etc.) and through one’s own study of the path the Sikh Gurus outlined. The Sikh Gurus understood well the importance of identity, both internal and external. Self-introspection, ethical actions, and maintaining truthful character are only but a small portion of the instructions around internal identity which the Gurus outlined for Sikhs. From an external identity perspective, the Gurus blessed Sikhs with the dastaar (Sikh turban), and five kakaars (kesh, kara, kanga, kacherra, and kirpan). What is the importance of that external identity for a Sikh Other than being a gift of a communal identity from the Gurus that bestows its own strength of communality, the Gurus fashioned out of a human being an individual whose external appearance reflects a commitment to stand defiant against injustice. Through the gift of communal identity, the Gurus fashioned out of a human being an individual who has taken the responsibility of both defending the rights of others, and being the litmus test of freedom for those that choose a different identity. The dastaar was bestowed upon the Sikh as a crown, at a time where only royalty and religious men were allowed to wear a turban, and there are many examples in Sikh history where a price has been put on that crown. Many Sikhs have been tortured and have sacrificed their lives to maintain their distinctive identity, and while the general situation of Sikhs has improved drastically in the past ten years, their external religious identity continues to face new challenges. Some of these challenges include the dastaar being banned from schools in France, secondary screening and racial/religious profiling in airports in the United States and in Europe, bullying in schools, banning of kakaars, non-recognition of Sikhism as a distinctive religion or Sikhs as an ethnicity, and in the worst of cases, the same persecution as faced in the past: bias motivated attacks, torture, forcible removal of articles of faith, and death.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34416
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34416
(United Sikhs Global Sikh Civil and Human Rights Report 2010: The State of the Global Sikh Nation) at

http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/united...ikhs-duty.html

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