The Sikh Gurdwara shooting that left 6 innocent
congregants dead in Wisconsin has left many devastated, and looking for
answers. In the unfortunate hours during the shooting, news channels desperately
attempted to find answers on Sikhism, and as a Sikh all I could do is sit there
in shock, not just at the shooting, but more at how no one seemed to know who
we were.
Many misconceptions were released by the media,
including statements that Sikhs were an offshoot of Hinduism, or a blend of
Islam and Hinduism. Sikhism has a great deal of respect for all faiths, but it
is as independent as any faith. Founded in Punjab (which now falls in both
Pakistan and India), its rejection of the caste system, idol worship, and rituals were
just a few of the reasons the faith arose, not out of Hinduism or Islam, but separately
as a force against oppressive theologies of the time.
Equally appalling however, is the reaction of India’s
political party leaders over the horrific events. With some Indian citizens burning
American flags, and shouting in protest against America, I was angered by their
ignorance and mold ability. Who are they to burn my flag? Had these Indians
and party leaders forgotten what caused the Sikhs to flee India and find refuge
in America in the first place?
On June 4, 1984 the Indian army under the order of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi attacked the Sikh’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple. The attack was justified by the government as an attempt to flush out Sikh separatists. Like most Sikhs, these separatists were demanding freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and equal representation. However, the attack did not justify the human rights violations committed within the complex of killing congregants, urinating on dead bodies, tying congregants’ hands with their own turbans, and forcing them to drink the bloody water of the holy pool surrounding the Golden Temple. Along with the Golden Temple, 52 other Gurdwaras (housing no such separatists) were attacked. Reports estimate that 3,000 – 5,000 congregants were killed in 2 days, however, due to a media blackout and ban of Amnesty International (which continues to this day), an accurate number is difficult to fathom. Sikhs fled the nation of India in the years following 1984.
When Indira Gandhi was
killed by her own two Sikh body guards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, the ruling Congress party enticed mobs to ransack the capital of Delhi, and kill
Sikhs. It is estimated that over 5,000 Sikhs were killed between October 31st and November 2nd
of 1984. Sikh men were lit on fire with tires hung around their neck, women
were raped in the streets, and the police stood around and did absolutely nothing
to stop it. To this day, regardless of all the eye-witness reports that put individuals
such as Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar at the scene of these murders, no one
has been convicted.
Witness reports from the Wisconsin shooting state that the shooter aimed at mostly “turbaned individuals." Similarly, in the years following 1984 in India, the government of India began Operation Woodrose, which was a shoot and kill policy of all terrorists, with terrorists being described as those who wore turbans and had long beards. It is estimated that 150,000 to 250,000 Sikhs were killed under the false accusation of terrorism. The state sponsored terrorism gave a disturbing amount of power to then police chief KPS Gill. It is the orders of KPS Gill and other such high ranking officers that caused the death of thousands. Today, KPS Gill and most of the police officers who killed young men in police encounters, raped daughters in front of their fathers, and destroyed a whole generation, roam free.
Due to these reasons above, I cannot accept India’s “outrage” of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple incident. The leaders of India are hypocrites if they call for swift action for the killing of 6 Sikhs, when they themselves have the blood of 200,000 Sikhs on their hands. (I am only speaking of Sikhs in this post, but many minorities suffer in India).
The American media immediately fixed whatever
mistakes they had made regarding the Sikh faith. Police shot and killed the
culprit, the Gurdwara’s president was made a hero for his attempt to fight the
shooter with his kirpan, and over $150,000 have been raised by Americans to
help the victims and those that were wounded. That is what makes American
great.
As Americans we may have some work to do in understanding eachother through inter-faith dialogue, but the value of human life and
freedom is held at a level unknown to the Indian Government. The Indian
government is yet to acknowledge the thousands disappeared and
killed, yet to prosecute those responsible, and have provided almost nothing to
the families of the victims.
India’s hypocrisy should not be tolerated. The violence in India continues as recently as this last month, where 17 innocent villagers were killed by Indian Police (http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/chhattisgarh-encounter-were-innocent-villagers-killed-238347). India does not represent the Sikh faith, and it definitely does not represent Sikh-Americans. I am thankful that I live in a nation where I can practice my faith freely, safely, and even when tough times arise, I can turn to my fellow Americans for comfort, support, and change.
(For more information regarding the Sikh Genocide in India, please visit http://www.Ensaaf.org)
(To donate to the Wisconsin victims, please visit http://www.indiegogo.com/Milwaukee-Sikh?a=996722)
[These views expressed here are solely of the author, and do not represent any organization, people, or nation]
Excellent post my friend, I cannot agree with you more. I am proud to be an American, even in these tough times as you have stated. Ignorance is alive in every nation, at least in America we can get justice for any wrong doings. Thank you Jasjit Singh Dhanoa!
ReplyDeleteJassi, I could not have said it any better myself, well put.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post and interesting perspective. I am not a Sikh-American, I am an Indian-American, however. I don't really understand your frustration with the Indian government and citizens expressing their disdain over these recent actions in Wisconsin. Granted, there have been and still continue to exist cultural and religious tensions in India - does not mean that all billion people living there approve of genocides or culturally targeted violence. Because of the right to exercise the freedom of speech that you refer to in your post, people in India have the ability to express their views on this tragedy. More than a Sikh tragedy, this is a tragedy against minorities and you must know that India is full of them. It is the largest democracy in the world with the most diversity when it comes to religion, languages and cultures. Just because a group has been ill-treated in the past, doesn't mean that the country doesn't have a right to empathize or exude emotion on behalf of it's citizens elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIf India has done wrong to Sikhs until now, maybe this is a time to change. And I'm not sure if you've been back lately, but in most cities and middle-class India, Sikhs, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and dozens of other faiths co-exist and interact peacefully and equally.
The frustration is that as an American citizen, I cannot see my American flag burning. The issue is that when such tragedies have occurred with Sikhs in the past (as I pointed out), no justice was rendered for the victims. Government officials who can't grant justice in their own nation, should be thinking twice before asking for accountability from the United States and burning the US flag. Citizens who want to stand up and demand justice and accountability for 6 Sikhs, should be standing up and asking for justice from their own nation, which is responsible for much, much more. Even in your response, you point to Sikhs having a better life now, than in the past. I mention accountability for the named ministers and police officers, but you have no comments for that. Without any closure, justice, accountability, and compensation- how is life better? Silencing voices, and asking them to forget is not a form of justice. Denial of justice, is the biggest injustice. I appreciate your comment, but when you say you don't understand my frustration, you can read the original article again and see that this is a call for accountability within India itself.
DeleteAlong with the religious aspects, the Indian government has not been good to the state of Punjab. There economy continues to struggle while majority of their valuable resources are used outside the state. To say that they are treated equally would be very naive. Though the state does consist of other religions, it is where Sikhs
DeleteThe government continues to deal with Sikhs as they did decades ago, only now its done systematically. They've become more strategic with their oppression.
Though I'm sure this could very well be happening with other states within India, the history that is there between Punjab and the Indian Government continues to play a role in how Punjab and Sikhs are treated and "dealt" with.
India may be the largest democracy in terms of how their electoral system was initially built. But that does not mean that the government is in any way representative of its people. As you mentioned, there are various cultures and religions in the country, and the system is not framed with that in mind, and that is clearly intentional if you see how the elections are run and how they end up. Change isn't easy when you're a minority in your own country, whether that be here or in India. At least we have more power to relay our message here in the states.
Bits of your argument, and the history lesson was spot on. But:
ReplyDelete"The Indian government and its citizens are yet to acknowledge the thousands disappeared and killed" - Unfair. I'm an Indian citizen, and I acknowledge the Sikh genocide, and the atrocities that were/and still are being committed by the Indian government and other officials.
The Indian governments (in the past and currently), are a representation of approximately 10% of the population voting. It’s a vicious cycle of corruption (that’s another story), but basically, when you say India's this and India's that, you are talking about a small group of people, and not really 'India'.
You can't accept my outrage? I don't care yo. My outrage is because humans are killing humans, and honestly I will continue being outraged. Whether it’s in India, Syria, African nations or America, to me it’s my brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers being killed, and if I want to be outraged, I damn well have the right to be. I didn't burn the US flag, that’s a group of ignorant imbeciles. But if you gona place 1 billion people under this group, you're pretty ignorant yourself!
You know what’s strange: Barack Obama calling up the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and offering condolences! Americans were killed on American soil by another American, and Obama called the PM of India! Thats whats whack, bro! All I hope is he called the victims' families first! ><
As I stated earlier, this post analyzes the Indian Government's hypocrisy in demanding justice when they themselves are major culprits. Just as 10% of the population does not represent India, neither do you, yourself, represent the nation of India. It is fair to say that when no closure, justice, acknowledgement, or compensation has been provided for the victims- then there is a lack of "outrage". Every year goes by and justice dissipates with it. Thousands were killed, their voices unheard, and other than a group of Sikhs that continue to mourn their loss- most of India continues to try to forget. Had there been calls to justice, and Indians of all backgrounds came together to ask for justice- then I would say your argument is just. But Sikhs were victims of the state run media and police. This is not a call to attack, rather a wake up call for the worlds largest democracy, that they need to begin acting like the worlds largest democracy.
DeleteI never said I solely represent India.
DeleteI agree that India's government has no right in 'demanding justice'. These were americans that were killed, for crying out loud! And yes, the Indian government needed and still needs to rectify mistakes or 'repent'. Which we know they won't do in the near future. Look at history(eg: Kashmir). :-/
No one 'tries to forget' 1984. We all live with it. Try living or working in India - wade through corruption and bribery, caste-religious oppression on a daily basis. Remebering the atrocities of 1984 is distant memory compared to the now, and low on the priority list for the common Indian, who is just trying to get some hard-to-get roti on the table. You want Hindus and Muslims to come together for the Sikhs, when they are still nursing their wounds from the 1992 riots? Flippers!!!
All I'm saying is that its a tough life in India, and I reckon its easy to be harsh on Indians when you aren't in their shoes.
It is important for justice to be delivered, whether they are Sikh or not. We are all humans, and everyone deserves to receive justice!
DeleteThank you for your thoughts and opinions.
I disagree that Sikhs left India just because of the 1984 riots.I can't believe that the Sikhs (or any religion)are so insecured here that they have to take refuge in some other countries.
DeleteI feel, when the resources are limited and people are more,then these fights will continue,the name of cause may be different like religion,region,ideology(maoist),racism,cast and the list continues... most of the people who creates riot are economically backward and oppressed...not only in india,everywhere in the world !
I am proud and confident to say that all Sikh/Hindu/Muslim are treated very well in this land unlike other coutries including US. We have the same origin for sure,most of those who converted were of the same origin without any doubt but when one gets narrow in thinking about further divisions of caste/religion/creed etc the discrimination would start.
This kind of riots/attacks happen once in a long time but that does not justify the respect and position we get in this country in our day to day life irrespective of religion/caste .
Now the country (US) you are praising so much are also discriminating with migrants and blacks in every day life. The recent attack on Sikh is one such e.g.
I believe that any Indian of any religion is more respected in India than any place in the World. Sir you are living in a country who does not even know who you are? They don't even care to know if you are Sikh or a Sheikh ! They are trying live up to their Image of being a Great Democracy (by being symphatetic) but internally there is more divide in the society! So many sikhs have been killed in the hate attacks but how many times have they come forth with such help. The raising of fund has certainly impressed you but would you get an assurance of getting the high respect the Sikh community commands in India ? And let me tell you irrespective of any religion whoever goes to settle in some foreign country his only objective is to earn money and a better life style but he has to leave his originality.If you feel proud of being a US citizen but are you really happy there after ignoring your roots ?
Yes we have a bigger heart to forget and forgive like we forgot and moved on after Mumbai attacks and so many other set backs. We don't think of Pakistan, we don't care if they would take time to come over the anti-India stance but we just can't live a compromised life of hatred in our heart.
I am hurt by your comments when you accused India and at the same time Praised some newly adopted country.
I am hurt because I am an Indian, Indian by birth,root,culture and thoughts. I am not fake- I can't fake with my originality and no money,life style and country citizenship can change my Identity.
If you look for happiness you will be happy, if you have hatred and complains in your heart you will be lost in the loop.
Let me assure you that I won't be disliking Sikhs because of your thoughts because I know you don't represent even 2 percent of the Sikh Community
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWhy is there a separation of who is allowed to mourn for victims and who is not? Remember that those massacres may have happened years ago, but India is FILLED with people who care for one another, especially Sikhs, and thus feel the need to express their anger towards a religiously-conflicted individual.
ReplyDeleteI am not mourning the loss of 6 Sikhs; I am mourning the loss of 6 individuals. Religion should have no bearing on who is allowed to mourn for who.
Personally, if you want to do something symbolic, don't burn the flag, wash it.
As I just stated, please keep your comments relevant. I am calling into question the government officials and "those" citizens who burned the flag. No where have I stated that Indian citizens cannot mourn. We are citizens of Earth, but governments that have blood on their hands should be careful to point fingers.
DeleteI totally agree, I know it is a long article but audience please read clearly before hurling accustions at each other. @Jasjit, this is an excellent article, thanks for taking the time to write this.
DeleteThis post is ridiculous. Your focus flip-flops from: the ignorance of the American media, to outrage at the actions of a select group of Indian people, to a full-scale denouncement of the non-Sikh Indian population as hypocrites.
DeleteYou are guilty of the same ignorance that you seem to condemn. You wantonly group Indians together under the heading "India" and attach them to the actions of a select group of individuals.
"With some Indian citizens burning American flags, and shouting in protest against America, I was angered by their ignorance and mold ability. Who are they to burn my flag? Had these Indians and party leaders forgotten what caused the Sikhs to flee India and find refuge in America in the first place?"
You are basically saying that the non-Sikh Indian population must echo the sentiment of their political leaders because they are what represents them. That they have no right to burn the American flag or denounce human rights violations because they themselves are guilty of the same indiscretions. You then state that America is great because "we" value human life and have banded together to mourn the deaths of these Americans. Yet the first paragraph of your rant focuses on the ignorance the American media has displayed by grouping Indians and Sikhs together. It is comical that you do not realize your hypocrisy.
By your rationale, "America" (meaning all 300 million of us) should have no right to denounce injustices committed against other groups because we too have blood on our hands (just ask the Native Americans, African-Americans, and pretty much every immigrant population that's ever migrated here). Because that would be hypocrisy right? You know what's hypocrisy? When a person wants sympathy and compassion based off of the universal fact that its wrong to harm people because of their beliefs or skin color but then that same person groups an entire nation together and scorns their collective anger and compassion because they "have no right" to be angry.
This post is troublesome and does more harm then good. If you want to raise awareness around atrocities committed by "Indians" against Sikhs, do not use an unrelated tragedy in a different country as a platform for it. There's a time and a place for that. Perhaps you should write a letter to the Prime Minister of India detailing his lack of accountability in the matter of the mistreatment of Sikhs. Furthermore, do not say that an individual has no right to feel compassion simply because they are from a certain geographic location or associated with a certain history.
If you are angry that uninformed people will mistakenly group these individuals with the Sikh community, then educate the media and your peers on the difference between you and them. And, more importantly, don't make the same mistake yourself.
Please keep your comments relevant. I am calling into question the government officials and "those" citizens who burned the flag. No where have I stated that Indian citizens cannot mourn. We are citizens of Earth, but governments that have blood on their hands should be careful to point fingers.
ReplyDelete“The Indian government and its citizens are yet to acknowledge the thousands disappeared and killed, yet to prosecute those responsible, and have provided almost nothing to the families of the victims."
ReplyDeleteThe Indian government is not representative of the Indian people. Most Indians don't even have faith in the current or previous governments. Secondly, many Indians, including me, have acknowledged that the incidents that happened in 1984 were terrible. So stop making stupid assumptions about Indian citizens.
You - living in the US - probably not an Indian citizen paying taxes in India - have no right to criticize Indians. Are you contributing to the Indian economy? Forget the economy, are you contributing to at least your Sikh fellowmen/women in India who suffer from poverty, corruption and domestic violence in their own community, on a daily basis? No. It is really easy for you to sit there in your cozy armchair and make generalizing statements that berate Indian citizens for not acknowledging or helping victims of 1984. But seriously, how much do you know about Punjab and its current issues, that you criticize this way? How much do you know about Indian citizens and their own daily struggle with government officials, the infamous red tape and the endless issues that plague the ordinary Indian in India? It seems to me zilch. You think most people in India are in a position to fight for the 1984 cause? Your article shows your naivety and ignorance.
India isn’t representative of Sikh people? Of course it isn’t. It isn’t representative of Hindus and Muslims either. Why? Because in 1947, Gandhi and other leaders decided that India was to be a secular Republic. But I’m sure you already knew that. And yes, we have a long way to go. India is still very flawed, and we need a lot of improvements, which are yet to be made.
But one thing I wish to make clear, your article might be a great history lesson for those who know nothing about 1984. No matter how horrendous those events were, to use that as a justification for not accepting Indians' outrage TODAY at the Sikh shooting in Wisconsin is ridiculous. You're emotional and illogical. Your justifications are irrelevant and full of holes. You make too many assumptions and generalizations.
Why bring 1984 into the Wisconsin incident? It bears no correlation. I will argue that your article shows YOUR lack of respect for the victims of the Wisconsin shooting because instead of focusing on the outrage/sympathy and love Sikh people are getting right now from people from all walks of life (regardless of whether they are Indian), you decide argue why some people can't show outrage. By dragging in the incidents of 1984 as justification? Not very constructive there are you?
I'm a proud Indian and a human being. And I am outraged. You can't accept my outrage? You probably aren't qualified to accept it anyway.
Again, please keep your comments relevant. I am calling into question the government officials and "those" citizens who burned the flag. No where have I stated that Indian citizens cannot mourn. We are citizens of Earth, but governments that have blood on their hands should be careful to point fingers.
DeleteIf India is a democratic nation, then its elected officials do represent the citizens. However, as stated earlier, this is not about India's ordinary citizens- because I am fully aware of how the average Indian citizens lives (if it is even considered living). Plenty of those who left India, return to build schools, infrastructure in their respective localities to promote growth in India. This article is about accountability. Thank you for your thoughts and opinions.
DeleteIf you are so much aware of India, then you should also know how the election system works here... you are again mocking the People of India here... you think having a better life style makes your life better... you are a confused Sir... please keep mind clear about life and don't just think from one religion's point of view... I think you will be more happy with your newly acquired country so lets not comment further on our Country !!
DeleteVery well said. Thank you!
DeleteGreat,very well said.
DeleteAnd by the way, I do not know who Gulnara Singh is, but I thought her arguments - while highly emotionally charged - made some good points. Its a shame you talk about values of freedom in your article, but don't like freedom of speech much.
ReplyDeleteThe American gov't isn't as great as you're making it out to be...Look up: The japanese internment, racial profiling after 9/11, the native american genocide, etc.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a little more accountability in America than the US now, but there is just as much of a history of atrocities, if not more than India.
I agree what happened in 1984 was terrible and should be remembered and used as fuel to change the policies and culture of the Indian gov't, but if you truly want to make that happen, you have to attack the core of the problem: Ignorance. Ignorance that all men are created equal. Pointing fingers at small events as these will not do much. The gov't policies have to be changed, either directly or indirectly.
You are focusing too much on the negative side of things. Focus on the opposite: Unity. Pointing fingers will force others to defend themselves. But if you preach the ideal solution of unity among all faiths, people will listen and take it to heart.
If the government had overlooked the incident and not been so vocal about it, I'm quite sure you'd have popped up with a similar rant on the lines that India does not even look after the welfare of its citizens living abroad. Now that there a cogent discussion regarding the incident in the parliament, you're terming the govt. hypocrites for doing so.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you actually want the government to do? I have sympathies with the atrocities that were committed on the Sikhs during the anti-Sikh riots, but that chapter is well over now. Indira Gandhi paid for it with her life.
There is no point in clinging onto that incident forever now. I am a Muslim and the Gujarat riots were equally bloody and terrible, if not more. The man who was supposedly responsible for the riots is being projected as a possible candidate for the office of the PM. What do you say about that?
What do you say about that?
DeleteFor all its greatness, American still has a large number of Neo-Nazi/skin head groups operating. There has been no crackdown; why?
ReplyDeleteThis article is basically saying that "He who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones"!
DeleteAwesome post, raw honesty mixed with facts.
ReplyDeleteJassi, this is a very well written and informative article. Please disregard some of the comments as they are doing what the Indian government does best, and that is straying off relevant topics.
ReplyDeleteJasjit if you are so much into right to speech and all that then why are you delting comments. Your hatred towards India will lead to more misery than healing. I am sikh too and I live in US but you know what I am very proud that my roots are Indian. Have you tried to make any thing better for Sikhs in Punjab rather than sowing the seeds of Hatredness. Please dont mislead the today's Youth.
ReplyDeleteYou and Michael Page have one thing in common for sure. Both of you tried to spread HATE. America killed more than 100,000 in iraq, afganistan etc. So dont preach hypocracy.
Guru Nanak preached love for mankind and universal brotherhood and people like give bad name to such a peaceful religion of ours.
P.S I am sure that you will delete my comment also but stop posting same reply to other comment. They are asking you valid questions and since you wrote this blog full of hate, you owe an answer to them.
Great read Jassi. This is a very informative article that should be shared. Although I may not agree with everything you say, all of your points are stating facts and opinions that people should know. One thing that everyone on this post should understand is that there are problems everywhere and no country is perfect. It's what we as a generation do to solve those problems; that's what will define us. I'm not very big on writing out my thoughts because I like speaking face to face. That being said my opinion is that awareness is only the first step to recovery. We can't change the past, we can only learn from it. If we live without anomoisity in the present, we will have a better future.
ReplyDeleteplease excuse my grammatical errors
DeleteI understand the fact that you're really passionate about 1984 and what's happened but bringing up something that happened over 28 years ago and comparing it to something that happened FOUR days ago is not the same. How are you so forgiving of a country that allowed this to happen in 2012? A white supremacist seeking 9-11 revenge for his country 11 years later on a group of people that had absolutely nothing to do with those terrorist actions?
ReplyDeleteIndia has committed outrageous atrocities over the course of history, many to the Sikhs, and many to other groups as well. I'm not going to sit here and defend India either, but I think it's a bit unfair to bring up 84 and say India has no right to express outrage just because they have blood on their hands as well. Because both countries do. Like others have posted, America has PLENTY of blood on their hands, and you know as well as I do, that everything is about image and politics. You say America is such a loving country and you feel proud to be an American because of how they dealt with the event? This is what they did?
"The American media immediately fixed whatever mistakes they had made regarding the Sikh faith. Police shot and killed the culprit, the Gurdwara’s president was made a hero for his attempt to fight the shooter with his kirpan, and over $150,000 have been raised by Americans to help the victims and those that were wounded. That is what makes American great."
Well. No, the media is still saying things like Sikhism is a branch of Hinduism and that we are Anti-Muslim, which has nothing to do with terrorism either so I'm not sure why they even say that (And you state that yourself in your post). They killed the culprit because he was shooting at the police, so of course they would shoot back. I do appreciate their effort and condolences but it's not enough. I'm an American born citizen and I don't even feel as patriotic as you do. Where is the actual change from something like this happening?
How about we change gun laws? It is simply outrageous how we don't learn from our mistakes. What happened in Aurora, Colorado should've never happened again, and here we are with Wade Michael Page LEGALLY purchasing guns and killing Sikhs in a place of worship a few weeks after. What. the hell. And why was the AB-504 Kirpan Bill, that would've helped educate police and security on kirpans, vetoed by our Governor? Where's our progress in this country? How can you be so forgiving of this nation so quickly? True, most Sikhs fled India for a better life. But there has been PLENTY of injustice and discrimination (which we can all personally attest to as well) in this country that doesn't exactly make me proud to be an American either.
And I do think bringing up 1984 does have a dash of bitterness to it here. I'm not saying we should bury it away, but I don't think it was necessary to include that as your main argument as to why Indian officials cannot express outrage. We have made progress in India. Electing a Sardar as our prime minister is a prime example. India is trying to move forward from that as well so please give it a chance. Forgive, but don't forget.
Both countries (including their government and politicians) have a right to express outrage because what happened was simply outrageous. Neither is clean of blood on their hands either, but we as the Sikh community internationally just need to help move the world forward. Educate people, and keep fighting; in both countries.
-Onkar Dhindsa
:))
DeleteIndia systematically killed a religious group of whom they had full knowledge of. India did absolutely nothing to bring those responsible to justice. India has 25 million Sikhs while the USA has 700,000. The police are investigating the murders, while Indian police sat back and watched, or even participated. The outrageousness that you are missing is that India still doesn't recognize Sikhs as a separate religion, the US media was simply unaware. Blood is blood and the 15 years of genocide of "turbaned Sikhs" by a nation that is home to the largest Sikh community is something to bring up. You can't forgive until you get justice. Indians are welcome to mourn, but the government that kills minorities on a daily basis and uses dirty politics to do so- is no where near comparable to the USA. We are very small unknown community in the USA, but other than a few incidents here and there we have lived in relative safety and peace. Human rights violations in India occur everyday and they go unnoticed and undocumented. Sorry you are not as patriotic, but this nation means everything to me. Although it has it's shortcomings, I am proud to say that I can practice my faith, express my views- and not face the possibility of police execution at the hands of the government.
ReplyDeleteSo you dont love India?
ReplyDelete