Post 6 - Sikh

Sikhs have been politically fighting since before 1947 for the preservation of their culture and religion by establishing a Sikh country, which would be known as Khalistan. Sikhs wanted ownership of the Punjab, a region in Northern India, to establish their own country and identity. Sikhs identify closely with the Pubjab region because this area had direct historical and religious links of Sikh culture and religion.  Before colonization by Britain, the Punjab region was ruled by a Sikh dynasty for 50 years from 1799 to 1849 C.E. when Rajit Singh took control of the region.  Despite the fact that Sikhs were in the minority in all the provinces of the Punjab except one, Sikhs felt it only natural that they be able to create their own state following the independence of India from the British Empire.

In 1947 after India gained independence several different political parties began to fight for power and land. The Muslim League, representing Islam, wanted to create a separate Islamic majority state while the Indian National Congress desired the rest of India. Despite their traditional ties to the Pubjab region, Sikhs were not considered during the division of India. The Punjab was divided between the newly formed states of Pakistan and India, and the Sikhs lost Rajit Sing’s capital city and several shrines, including the birthplace of Nanak. The division of this area caused a mass exodus of Sikhs from Pakistan and Muslims from India, displacing millions. This exodus caused a lot of a tension and over 500,000 people died from the resulting violence. In the 1980’s the violence escalated between Sikhs and Hindus. In an attempt to gain their independence Sikhs participated in protests of civil disobedience and a fundamentalist group began to stockpile weapons in an effort to gain statehood. The government intervened in the acts it saw as terrorism and over a thousand Sikhs were killed, including the leader of the fundamentalist movement. In retaliation, the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated.

I believe that the Sikhs have a political right to establish their own state in accordance with their religious and cultural ideas. No one asks if those of Jewish descent should be allowed to form their own state or if followers of Islam have a right to establish their own country. The Sikhs are attempting to maintain their cultural and religious identity in the face of an all-consuming Hindu majority and deserve the right to their traditional lands. However, I definitely disagree with how the Sikhs have used violence in attempts to achieve their goals. There is a myriad of others ways to achieve statehood, especially in today’s global society. Perhaps the Sikhs could become an autonomous region in India or gain influence in the United Nations. Violence is never an answer, especially when wanting to create a land-locked country.