ONE SIKH’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED
AND WHERE ARE WE NOW
Various people will reminisce about the events of Sep11, 2001 and their aftermath as we get to the anniversary of that date. I also have thought about it and tried to recapitulate the feelings and emotions that I experienced as the events unfolded. Along with several shared anxieties and concerns with fellow Americans, I realized the vulnerability of us, Sikhs in this environment. This article is an attempt at recall – based mostly on my personal experiences and lest it be tainted by subsequent happenings in the last several months, based and supported by what I may have said or written as the days went by. In other words mostly the quoted material is primary written/spoken words recorded in print or video/TV/radio at the time.
I will try and present the material along a time-line with brief explanatory notes. I am also not reconstructing the influencing factors or elaborating the reasons for what I said. Hopefully the readers will wade through the discontinuities and develop their own impressions about a period of tense introspection and hesitant coming out of the Sikh community from their state of slumberous seclusion.
SEP.11, 01
It happened suddenly – in fact not expected at all, at least not the common folks and possibly not even by the well informed. A calm Tuesday morning turned into a frightful one. The dimensions of the tragedy were becoming clear within hours of the first plane crashing into the WTC – both the towers had collapsed and one wing of the Pentagon was ablaze. Soon we would hear of a fourth plane crash in Pennsylvania. All commercial flights were cancelled and aircraft in mid air directed to land. The networks were fully engaged in covering the tragic events live as they happened. The rescue teams were working. The speculation in the TV was turning to possible terrorist action.
As the afternoon wore off the estimate of casualties in New York was placed at massive. Information started trickling in that some of the passengers on the ill-fated planes had called before the crashes to say their good bye to the families. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle pointed to terrorist act by some Islamist group. By late night/early morning the Federal Govt. placed the responsibility on Bin Laden and soon his images were being flashed as the fire fighters fought the flames, the grieving families waited for the news of missing family members and the anguish in the heart of viewers started turning into anger at an unknown perpetrator – identified only by his images – wearing a turban, with a scraggy beard. These were the symbols that most of the unwary Americans saw as the target of their growing anger and hate.
SEP.12, 13
Then came the arrest and handcuffed images of a Sikh on the night of Sep12 – carrying a concealed weapon – kirpan – stopped for checking because his profile fitted the images of the suspected terrorist group’s leaders. This was the beginning of realization of the stark possibility that Sikhs may become targets of misdirected hate because of the way they looked. I called Fox news the next morning – Sep13 – and consequent to my protest they hurried their reporter Lynn Jolicouer to come home with her crew and interviewed me at home. I showed her our Prayer room and she took a video of my reading from the Granth. At night their news report opened with my recitation from the Granth and answering questions about our faith, its origin etc. Being a newscast it was brief – Lynn corrected the mistaken impression that the earlier day’s newscast seemed to have created – that Sikhs might be linked to Bin Laden group because of their turbans and facial hair. She also explained that what is not commonly known is that Sikhs number about 20 million worldwide and are a separate faith originating in India. Excerpts from my interview in the story included:
“It is a very hurtful violation”
“I do hope our innate goodness and sense of tolerance will help us get over whatever negative emotions we may have at this time”
“We must do everything we can to curb this scourge (of terrorism)”.
SEP.14
Declared the National Prayer day. The President joined the prayer service in Washington, D.C. In Connecticut the prayer service is held at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford. A very somber and dignified inter-faith prayer organized by the Connecticut Committee for Inter-Religious Understanding and the Archdiocese of Hartford and carried live by all networks. The speakers included the Archbishop and the State Governor John Rowland. I offered the following prayer on behalf of the Sikhs:
Ek onkar sat nam
There is but one God, true is His name
Hey Akal Purakh, Sache Patshah, the eternal, timeless, our true Lord.
Ghalle aaye Nanaka, sade hee uth jaye
Sayeth Nanak, we come into this world when Thou wishes and depart as it pleases Thee
This day we come to You in grief to pray for the victims of the tragedy of September 11.They were innocent They were simple, ordinary folks who got up on a beautiful Tuesday morning to do the simple and mundane things that all must do to keep their bodies and souls together and to provide for their families. Little did they or any of us know that hatred was going to strike its ugly hand the way it did. Wahiguru, help our
man satokh sarb ji daya
let our minds be at peace and full of piety for all
You preached to us that religion is not something unrelated to our societal behavior. You placed truthful living above everything. You wanted us to strive for socialization of the spiritual on the one hand and spiritualization of the social on the other so that our religious precepts become our way of life. Guide us now, so that
bhai kahu ko dait neh, na bhai manat aan
we do not cause fear to others nor be fearful of any
jis man maaney, abhiman na tanko, hinsa lok visarey
(for)those who love You are not vain and do not inflict violence on others
ham apradhee sad bhulte tum bakshanhaare
(yet)we are guilty of straying again and again and You are ever forgiving
There is so much unrest in this world. Let not us, all Your children, lose trust in one another, lose faith in our common destiny. Help us, guide us so that we can, imbued in Your love, continue to work for peace and justice for all. Pray,
jagat jalanda raakh laiye apni kirpa dhar
shower Your kind mercy and save this burning world
Nanak nam chardi kalaa, tere bhane sarbat da bhala
Nanak, may God’s name, may the human spirit forever triumph, and in Thy will, may peace and prosperity come to one and all
Wahiguru ji ka khalsa wahiguru ji ki fateh.
Excerpts from the prayer —- they were innocent; they were simple, ordinary folks —–seemed to touch the hearts of a grieving people and were played again and again on the TV.
SEP.16
I have to be at CBS studio in down town Hartford for a 7a.m. live interview on their morning news program. Being a Sunday the activity level is low. The news anchor Sarah Barr comes out and meets me briefly as I am ushered in. “Oh we will not see one another – you will be in another studio. This is the way we are organized here.” I said okay I will keep an eye on the monitor. “Great. So we will be talking shortly. And yes you said you are a S-e-e-k. Can you spell it for me”? Gladly : S-I-K-H. “I was close”. More than most, said I. And off we went our ways.
In the first segment, I got an opportunity to explain that the Sikh faith originated in India and our turbans and facial hair are a part of our faith observance and almost all those who wear turbans in their normal course of life in the US would be Sikhs. In the second segment, Sarah asked what would be my view if the kind of restrictions imposed on Japanese Americans during the Second World War were imposed again. No, I don’t think it will be prudent or productive – the times have changed; the circumstances are different and even our people may not go along with such curtailment of civil rights.
SEP.17
I gave two phone interviews – to Connecticut Public Radio and Connecticut Radio Network, a conglomerate of 17 Radio Stations. Transcripts from their aired programs are as below:
CT Public Radio
The program entitled Hate Crimes Response by Heather Claborne referred to the incidents experienced by members of the Sikh community and quoted from my interview “—in Bristol at a traffic junction, some people yelled at a Sikh – go back, go back wherever you have come from – and used some profanities. Similar incidents in Shelton area, Stamford area, New Haven –.”
He [Nirmal Singh] says some people are keeping children from School, and staying at home because of the intimidation. “I think it is a mistaken identification of us — having been behind this very horrible tragedy. And the problem is we cannot do much about it because we wear turbans wherever we go. We are dressed the way we are – we have to wear a turban otherwise our hair will be flying all over.”
Sikh Nirmal Singh says he is asking others not to let fear interrupt their daily lives and he hopes that those unfamiliar with his religion will learn that Sikhs are a peaceful people. “We have tried to preach and practice the brotherhood of man — and as I said at St. Joseph’s Prayer — those who believe in You, our God, our dear Lord, they do not commit violence on others; they do not commit violence on others.”
CT Radio Network
Steve Cochko reporting:
One group suffering from abuse is the Sikh community in Connecticut and Nationwide. Report:
The Sikh religion centered in India asks men to wear turbans and beards. Some Americans have confused Sikhs with Afghans or possible supporters of Osama bin Laden. Nirmal Singh, a Farmington Past President of Sikh Association of Connecticut says that many Sikhs have been forced to stay home for fear of abuse in recent days. “Children have not gone to school, young boys have not gone to colleges, women have not gone out shopping.” Police says the shooting death of Sikh gas station operator in Arizona was a hate crime.
Another report by Steve Cochko:
Sikh men in turbans have been mistaken as Afghans or supporters of Osama bin Laden though they are not Muslims and are from India. One Sikh was shot to death in Arizona. It was possibly a hate crime. Nirmal Singh the former President of Sikh association of Connecticut says it will tragic if American heritage collapses under racial hatred. “we should not let that happen ever — that is our major, major strength that we can pull together.” Singh says that several Sikh families have kept children out of school and adults away from work because of fear for many days.
SEP. 18
I have a 10 o’clock appointment at NBC studios in West Hartford for a live interview. I come in a bit early and have a brief conversation with Sheila Trauernicht, Executive Producer, Special Projects and then a number of reporters, anchors etc come talk to me to hear about Sikhs first hand. “The Governor is on and as soon he is done, you will come on — for at least six minutes which they say is eternity on live TV.” As I am led to the Studio entrance, Governor Rowland sees me and smiles in recognition. We talk briefly as he comes out and I ask him to come join us for prayer at the Gurdwara. I would like to but I don’t know my schedule. I said I had talked to Nancy in his office and drawn a blank – I recognize that you have tremendous time constraints at present. Talk to Chris Cooper. I said I will and tell him His Excellency has agreed for the 20th or 21st evening! He laughed as he moved away and I went into the Studio.
Before bringing me on, the interviewers Logan and Natalie replayed from my Friday prayer “They were innocent. They were simple ordinary folks who on a beautiful Tuesday morning went out to work ——–.”
Some excerpts from the transcript:
N: “Mr. Singh you have used such eloquent words in giving that kind of message – have you yourself or somebody you know experienced harassment –.”
NS: “Yes there are some people in CT who have experienced some amount of harassment, intimidation — and use of profanity has been there —- more especially the boys because they wear turbans — they being jeered at by children —- some not gone to schools – colleges — there is – a feeling of unease — some not gone to work —- but you got to put food on the table –=-.
“I might have something to share – personal — it is rather poignant — where I live in Farmington it is a nice community — I go for a walk every morning — done it all these years — people may not know me by name but they recognize me — I wave, they wave — hi – kids waiting for school bus — young mothers—.
“Last Wednesday — I raised my hand [to wave] and I did get it back — but it was rising slowly — and that is where my heart is so full today – I am happy — because people called out to me – hey how are you —- I think we are getting it back, we are getting it back —.”
L: “How is a Sikh different from Muslim?’
NS: “We are a different faith –.”
L: “Completely different?”
NS: “Yes, completely — the Sikh faith originated in India — we are a very accepting faith — we have in our scripture the compositions of our Gurus and the Gurus also included the compositions of some Hindu and Muslim saints of the period — we have tried to be inclusive in various ways but we are a separate faith — and have no special affinity to Islam or to Christianity or to Judaism or to Hinduism or for that matter to any other faith —.”
N: “Even in Islam — do not condone violence of any kind —.”
NS: “Absolutely, absolutely. In our case the scripture says the whole human race has emanated from one common light —- if you truly love God you will not commit violence on others — you got to be full of love –.”
As I was leaving Janet Peckenpaugh, a senior news anchor took me to another small studio and wanted to know more about my experience during my morning walks and saw a positive, encouraging story in the episode. She did some quick filming and asked me if she could send a crew to talk to me and my wife at our home and take some shots of our walking route. Gladly! “One last question, and it is from Joann Nesti [anchor for evening news]. What if some Sikhs chose to discard turbans and beards for fear of danger to their lives.” I said that will be our collective failure and a sad reflection on all our ability to make people comfortable and secure in the matter of their faith observance.
SEP. 19
The Connecticut Public Television crew led by their host Jim Vicevich comes home for interviewing me on the current crisis and the way it is affecting the Sikhs. Jim also hosts the program Connecticut Journal and anchors programs for NBC as an independent. We have an extensive discussion and then the on-camera interview – excerpts used by Jim in his next Connecticut Journal.
In the evening I am also a panelist at a live program in Town Hall setting at CPTV studios which I found, on arrival, was also hosted by Jim. The panelists include the State Governor, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman [pre-recorded] and community leaders, social activists, business leaders, officials et al.
Discussing the question about role of immigration policy in making events like Sep.11 possible Jim turned to me:
JV:“We have another member of our panel here, Mr. Singh, originally from India, living in the US for about fifteen years. Let me put the immigration issue to you. You are an American?”
NS:“Yes and proud to be so but at the same time I do feel that the influx of new immigrants into the country has done the country good. It has reinforced, rejuvenated and helped American economy grow. It has provided the manpower we need.”
“ and you are a former engineer, tremendous background and you are a Sikh —- let me ask you this — this afternoon when we met you said we need to work shoulder to shoulder — it was your fear that that is exactly what the terrorists want to do – tear us apart.”
NS:“ Yes — I think therefore that at this time immigration continuing or not continuing is not important —. At this time it is very important for us to realize, more than ever before and more than possibly in several days to come, that face of terrorism cannot be defined —- it is faceless —-. You cannot put it on immigrant or —- because people who perpetrated it may not have been immigrants. They may have come as visitors and may come in again tomorrow and do something else. —-I also want to put this problem in perspective —- our societal fabric is strong — we can look at one another – we can work through our problems. —-It is the values we cherish that are important — we should focus more on that rather than – immigration —.”
The program continued live for 90 minutes so there was lot of talk but most significant was the range of anxieties, fears and concerns of the Mainstream Americans as evidenced from their e-mails and questions.
SEP. 20
I had asked Senator Kevin Sullivan, President Pro-tem, CT Senate to join us in prayer at the Gurdwara. The community greatly needed to be able to talk to and hear from the political leadership of the State in the environment of insecurity and isolation. My prepared remarks during the Diwan are below:
“We come together this evening to pray for and to share the pain and suffering of the victims, their families and friends and to express our oneness in sharing the deep anguish felt by our other American brothers and sisters in the wake of the horrible tragedy of Sep. 11,2001.
We pray that Waheguru grant peace and His benevolent grace to those who have died and the Rakhanhar – our Protector, extends His merciful protection to any who are still alive but buried under the piles of rubble.
In these horrific incidents, the destruction and loss of life, the human tragedy, is of unbearable magnitude. I cannot forget the face and the simple, poignant, heart wrenching words of a woman who just kept saying, “he only went to work, he only went to work!” It will take us all a long, long while to be able to comprehend the import of the loss of innocence and acceptance of the stark emerging reality that safety and security in our routine life’s activities is possibly not a given any more.
The worst of times invariably bring out the best in us. We have much to applaud. Great has been the heroic courage and sacrifice of those who put their lives at risk and even made the supreme sacrifice so that others may live. Great is the spirit of service and commitment of those who are providing relief and succor, those who are working round the clock in search, rescue and clearance operations, those who are tirelessly striving to restore the services so that normal life can resume, those who are providing money, much needed blood donations, food, medicines and relief supplies. Great also is the fortitude of millions who have sought comfort and peace through silent prayer and helped others to cope with their sense of loss, fear and anxiety. This is sewa – service; and let us remember Guru Nanak’s persuasion to us all – vich duniya sev kamaiye, tan dargeh behsan paiye – while in this world, be of service to others for that will help you earn a place in His court. We thank those who are serving and pray for them.
Our political leadership has heavy responsibilities. These times will put them through severe tests. They are speaking with one voice. We pray that Waheguru gives them the sagacity to lead the nation strongly, compassionately and wisely so that we emerge stronger and hopefully make this world a little kinder, gentler, and safer. Pancham panch pardhan te jeh jaaniyo parpanch – the real leaders and the elect are those who have an understanding and empathy for the entire creation.
Last night as a panelist on the CPTV live discussion extending over 1 1/2 hours, I could share and listen to the concerns and anxieties of the people who called in. There was wide spread fear about the safety of children and schools. There was concern about the security of our vital installations like water supply, nuclear power plants, airports, communications and so on. People were worried about the economy, about the fallout of the destruction in New York on the Insurance industry, about the impact of difficulties of the airline industry on GE and United Technologies and related potential impact on employment in Connecticut; the vicissitudes of the stock market et al. We are all impacted by these and we all have the same concerns but we have our unique and added insecurity because of the suspicion, harassment, vandalism, arson and even assault (one resulting in death) ostensibly because of association with certain images that have been flashed across the TV screens. There is no face to terror but wrong kinds of fears have arisen in the minds of people and unwittingly the Sikh community has been placed at risk.
I have made the rounds of the television stations and the radio networks in the aftermath of this tragedy. Several of my other fellow believers have done the same here in Connecticut and elsewhere in the country. The Sikh community and I are very grateful for the co-operation, understanding and empathy we received from the media and for the time they gave to us when so much was going on. But I also want to share with you the pain and spiritually tearing feeling that I experienced when, to put in perspective the erupting prejudices in the wake of image profiling, I had to explain the differences – turbans and hair a part of our faith observance; S-I-K-H, Sikh a separate faith, no, not Muslim; our country of origin, India, not Mid East, when I cherish the message of universal brotherhood that Baba Nanak, the founder of our faith, gave to the world. He preached his message of love and prayer not only to those who came to him or he came in contact with. He traveled far and wide across Asia for over twenty years to spread the word. Our scripture, the holy Guru Granth Sahib, contains not only the compositions of our Gurus but also of several Hindu and Muslim saints of the times. The message of universality was real, earnest. Our Gurus said – sabh ko meet ham apan keena, ham sabhna ke saajan – to us each and every one is dear and we are friends to all; – manas ki jaat tum eke pahchanbo – recognize ye the entire human race as one and bhagat Kabir’s message that we revere – ek noor te sab jag upjiya kaun bhale kau mande – the entire creation has sprung from Thy light, who are we to judge who is high or low, good or bad.
The days ahead will be difficult. The evil forces must be curbed. We should beseech God to give us the resolve never to – shubh karman te kabhoo na taroon – evade the righteous action. Yet let us pray that all our actions are motivated to pursue justice, and peace.
I thank Senator Kevin Sullivan, President Pro Tem, Connecticut Senate, for joining us in this service. I also want to acknowledge the willing cooperation that I received from the Senator and his staff in this regard – Brook Baran, the Senator’s press aide, who is with us here and Tracy, who did so much of the coordination but could not join us this evening.”
Fox News interviewed me briefly after the event and appeared in their nightly news bulletin – reinforcing the message to spread awareness and incidents of harassment of Sikhs.
SEP.21
The Governor was able to join us at the Gurdwara on the 21st. So we had another special diwan. My prepared remarks on the occasion are reproduced below:
“As we gather once again in prayer this evening, the hope of any further survivors in New York is receding. The enormity of loss of life is sinking in our national psyche and all of us at our individual levels as also in our corporate social lives are trying to come to terms with what may have changed, possibly forever, if not at least for a long time.
Increasingly the images that we see are of relief and rescue. The focus seems to be shifting from desperation and bewilderment to resolve, hope and reconstruction. We are all trying to calm our traumatized hearts and minds and it is indeed touching to see so many images of people seeking to regain their calm, composure and inner peace in the sanctuaries of houses of worship. To me these images are harbingers of hope.
This last week, painful as it has been, has also become, in several ways a defining moment. Our entire way of life, our democratic institutions, our values, our role and place in comity of nations has been threatened. The citizenry at large has a variety of genuine fears and anxieties – safety of children; protection of vital installations; security at work, in travel, at home; economy, jobs, stock markets et al. These anxieties have no ethnic or religious boundaries. All of us are equally vulnerable. The problem that we are facing additionally is that because of the symbols of our faith observance, primarily the turban and facial hair, we have become the targets of harassment, intimidation, vandalism and even violence (one resulting in death).
I and several other members of the Sikh community, in Connecticut and elsewhere in the country, have made efforts through the media and other means to reach out to the public at large and explain some things about Sikhs. It is an uphill task – understanding other faiths and cultures takes time, effort and a lot more. Prejudices however can be created and reinforced relatively easily especially when the community is already nursing a grievous hurt of lost trust.
And at this time, I want to share with you Mr. Rowland an experience that touched me deeply. This happened at the NBC studios the other day, where we chanced to be at the same time, spoke briefly and you were good enough to accept my request to join us in prayer here. I was talking to the people at NBC, and somebody asked me if I saw some encouraging sign. Optimistic as I tend to be, I related an experience of that morning and would you believe it brought tears to all our eyes. After I finished my live session with Natalie and Logan, Janet and some others took me to a meeting room, set up the camera and wanted to hear the story again which she aired in the evening news. They were all hungry for any positive, encouraging sign in an otherwise depressing scenario and wanted to get it out to the viewers.
In this scenario, what can we do? On our part we will continue with our efforts at reaching out. But that may not be enough. Nor do we as people of faith, feel comfortable in defining ourselves in terms of what we are NOT, rather than what we ARE. That is where your presence here this evening and words will be important. People other than us need to step up and put the issue of image profiling in perspective and sensitize people to the risk that the Sikhs have been exposed to. I told Connecticut Radio Network in my interview last Monday that possibly 90% or more of the persons wearing turbans in the US are Sikhs. If it is correct that an important political figure said as late as yesterday that anybody who is wearing a diaper on his head should be stopped and checked, then all Sikhs are suspect today. Without going into the larger issues inherent in such a policy, I would respectfully plead that such public statements, at this time of rampant fear and mistrust can place Sikhs at additional risk.
Sikhism preaches a common brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God. Ek pita, ekas ke ham balak – there is but one Father and we are all His children. We accept diversity and our Gurus gave place of honor to compositions of Hindu and Muslim saints by including them in our holy scripture, and we revere them as much as the word of our Gurus. Sikhs have been productive and law abiding members of this society. The Sikh emigration to US goes back to late 19th, early 20th century. One of our community elders who came to the US in 1899 at the age of one died recently in CA at the age of 103. Dalip Singh, a Sikh was a member of the US congress in 50’s/60’s. We are proud of the American society. We also believe that the greatest strength of our country is our values and the ability of us all to get along, work together and enjoy freedoms including the practice of our faith[s]. We must do every thing we can to ensure that our social fabric does not get frayed.
Connecticut has a great tradition of standing up for justice and morally correct positions. The Amistad story played out in close neighborhood of where I live in Farmington. Your presence and words have given people tremendous comfort and courage during these several difficult days. I am sure you will, through effective policies and cooperation of men of goodwill across all segments of the society, write a new chapter in carrying that legacy forward.
I want to close by thanking you for the empathy you and the First Lady showed in my short conversations with you both on separate occasions in the last week and I want to share with you a message of our Baba Nanak – man re kiyon chhute bin pyar – listen, oh listen, how can you reach the Lord without love in your heart!
Let us pray, as we always do, for the good of all.”
OCT. 2
We were away from CT for over a week. Came back and on Oct.2 offered the following prayer at an inter-faith meeting at Hartford Seminary:
Ek onkar sat nam
There is but one God, true is His name
Hey Akal Purakh, our eternal Lord,
We come to you again in prayer in these difficult times:
-Even after 200 years of scientific, technological and industrial development, the world still has more poor than ever before,
- So much of humanity is still suffering under unjust, corrupt, tyrannical and self- righteous regimes,
- Even as life’s comforts for many are better than anything experienced by Man ever before, the deep purpose in life is still eluding most of us,
- The young everywhere is increasingly disenchanted, alienated with what they see, hear and watch being done,
-In spite of instant global communications, the veil of ignorance, prejudice and ill will lingers on,
-We all see and recognize that now more than ever before, our future is linked together, yet the boundaries created by us – communities, faiths, ethnicity’s, nations, states – deeply inhibit and divide us,
-In this world that we live in today, nothing is local; nothing is anybody else’s problem – whatever happens anywhere can have repercussions anywhere else.
So help us, guide us on this day of Gandhi’s birth who fought for freedom and liberty, so that we can conduct ourselves in this new emerging world as individuals, peoples, leaders, governments to bring peace, justice, prosperity for the sarbat – one and all – as Nanak always preached and prayed.
OCT. 4
Presented the paper “Faith and Environment: A Sikh Perspective” at a Forum on Faith and Environment in Hartford, CT – very well attended – people happy to know about Sikhism – very positive feedback. [Article published, Sikh Review, Jan, 02].
OCT.25
We have a Community Forum in Farmington with State Rep. Demetrios Giannaros as moderator. In my written presentation ‘Sikhs and America Today’, I talk about Sikhs, our basic beliefs, the scripture, some history, culture and our American presence. On the issues confronting us contemporaneously, I said:
“In addition to the fears and anxieties that all Americans share, we the Sikhs, because of the symbols of our faith observance, primarily the turban and facial hair, have become the targets of harassment, intimidation, vandalism and even violence. —- I do believe that the greatest strength of our country is our values and the ability of us all to get along, work together and enjoy freedoms including the practice of our faith[s]. We must, therefore do every thing we can to ensure that our social fabric does not get frayed. I am therefore thankful for your interest and for sharing your time with us today. This is in the time honored Farmington tradition. After all the Amistad story did play out in this self same neighborhood! —– In the end let me say this. We are proud to be a part of American society. We are equally proud to be living in this beautiful town. We recognize that the days ahead will be difficult. We fully endorse that the evil forces must be curbed and we will work shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans to accomplish that. We are in it together and we pray, as we always do, for peace and prosperity for one and all.”
OCT 30
This is the day of Hartford Prayer Breakfast. For the first time Sikhs and Hindus invited to also offer a prayer in addition to the three Abrahamic faiths. I offered the following prayer:
Ek onkar sat nam
There is but one God, true is His name
Hey sache patshah, akal purkh, our true eternal Lord,
As we come to you, the pall of anxiety still shows on many of us. Verily when tension is within, appearances help but little – bhekhi agan na bujahi, chinta hai man mahe.
To seek repose, to prayer we must turn – bin har bhagat nahi sukh prani.
Prayer renews us, frees us, builds our resolve – bal hoa, bandhan chhute, sabh kich haut upai.
To pray in company of the virtuous is a blessing. Let us keep coming together, in happiness, in sorrow, any time. Let us say some and listen some – jabh lag duniya rahihe Nanak kich suniye kich kahihe – and let us pray for the good of, sarbat, one and all.
Wahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Wahiguru ji ki fateh,
THE AMERICAN RESPONSE TO SEP.11
Over the year the American response to this tragedy has been evolving. The initial articulation was that terrorists are evil and all evil must be eliminated. Next that terrorism is a global threat to the civilized world and therefore this threat must be met globally leading to the doctrine that ‘if you are not with us in this fight, you are against us’ and harboring terrorists or giving them sanctuary was equated to terrorism itself. The next stage was the branding of Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an axis of evil – mainly because of suspected weapons of mass destruction programs by these countries. And finally the doctrine of pre-emption was announced in the “National Security Strategy of the United States of America,” a 31-page, 12,000-word document.
The paper says “Today, the United States enjoys a position of unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence —- use our strength — to create — human freedom — all — can choose — rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty.– We will defend the peace by fighting terrorists and tyrants — by building good relations among the great powers –by encouraging free and open societies.–Defending our nation against its enemies is the first and fundamental commitment –task has changed dramatically –shadowy networks of individuals can bring great chaos and suffering to our shores –penetrate open societies –turn the power of modern technologies against us –allies of terror are the enemies of civilization –deny them sanctuary at every turn –gravest danger — the crossroads of radicalism and technology. –We will cooperate with other nations to deny, contain, and curtail our enemies’ efforts to acquire dangerous technologies –act against such emerging threats before they are fully formed.”
Several major US religious organizations oppose preemptive action approach but the fastest growing segment of religion in the US, the evangelical Christianity has supported it. World Council of Churches’ central committee has opposed the measure as also Bush/Cheney’s own United Methodist Church.
In the Sikh approach evil does not have a separate existence and mostly the fight against evil is fought within. Sikhs are persuaded to protect the weak and innocent; stand up for righteousness; try all peaceful means before using force against oppressors. The use of excessive force – tiger mauling a cow – is decried. Sikh historical experience does not support pre-emption. The young sons of Guru Gobind Singh were walled in ostensibly as a preemptive measure – ‘a snake’s offspring can only be snakes; better killed when infants’. It did not bring peace. Hatred grew and Banda Bahadur was ruthless followed by half a century or more of mutual killing and finally the collapse of a regime turned oppressive. As Harvey Cox writes ‘War is not going to vanquish evil.’
The frame of reference of good vs. evil is possibly more part of the rhetoric invoked by both sides. The larger question is really one of security of person, property and way of life. Those who are dominant don’t want to lose their position of advantage earned through sustained effort. Others feel threatened that while the value of life and opportunity may continue to depend on the layer of the global society that one is born into, their traditional culture and values may get subsumed by the torrent of enticing competing images seen almost every where. The influence of dominant, successful alien culture cannot be easily dismissed for even Nanak commented –neel vastra pehr hovey parvan – on seeking acceptance of the dominant through sartorial conformity. Fear is an emotion shared by all in this play.
The 20th century has witnessed rise and fall of several political and economic systems – colonialism, communism, Nazism, dynastic rule, dictatorships etc. One can only wish that, given the complexities inherent across the spectrum of various societies, competitive capitalism and open-ness in societies can bring hope to the billions and not end up as another hype. Attempt to eliminate terrorism cannot be isolated from this larger context.
The American domestic scene also has witnessed some knee jerk reactions by the public as well as the administration. Attacks against Sikhs were a product of ignorance as well as some thoughtless remarks by some people and an insensitive use of images by the media. Curtailment of certain civil liberties, profiling, stereotyping etc. also is a cause of public concern.
THE SIKH REACTION
The immediate Sikh reaction was one of horror. It is possible that having passed through several calamitous experiences, two in the living memory of many Sikh immigrants [1947 riots on partition of the country when half the Sikh population became destitute overnight and 1984 pogrom directed at innocent Sikhs post Indira Gandhi’s murder by her Sikh security personnel], the Sikhs could relate with the pain of the victims at a more personal level. Their exposure to attacks of harassment, intimidation, vandalism and even physical violence was an unsettling experience. Prior to Sep. 11 Sikhs were insular but they were not afraid. They loved the freedoms the American society afforded and felt they could be their own selves, even if it meant a withdrawn, happy unto themselves group.
This conception was shattered rather rudely. Many in the Gurdwara leadership for whom insularity was also a political weapon against openness and transparency did face some inconvenient moments. The Sikh response when some in the community fanned out in the mainstream was to try and contain internal insular influences and carry a message of love, compassion, tolerance, justice, freedom and righteousness. [Witness all that went before in my representations in various forums.] My impression is that these initiatives were in sync with the deeper convictions of the Sikh laity.
For a period even the insular joined in and made pious pronouncements of new continuing steps e.g. the President of our Gurdwara, when Governor Rowland was there, said: “ — We — have made the commitment to reach out to local churches & other places of worship to meet quite often to share the best of each other — this will continue as a regular event —.” Did we follow it up? No, not even once! At the institutional level things were soon back to where they were.
THEN AND NOW: WHAT DO WE FIND & WHAT DO WE LEARN
On a larger canvas, Sep. 11 was a moment in history that challenged a lot of the basic premise of our world-view and hope for future. It has raised major macro issues that the coming generations will have to ponder over to develop paradigms of dreams and realities that help promote a greater degree of harmony in this vast global cluster of villages that the world has become. These problems transcend various man made boundaries and all peoples of goodwill must come together to find a viable and just structure for the emerging human society.
From the perspective of Sikhs in America the event exposed the limitations of the choice of an isolationist, almost head-in-the-sand, approach adopted by the community in relations with mainstream. At the same time the community was tested for its ability to identify the issues involved and its resolve to start doing something about it. Possibly the recognition of what needs to be achieved is not missing. How to get there and are any credible, continuing efforts being made in that regard remains questionable.
The burden for defining what we are, what makes us different and what is the social relevance of those differences rests mainly on us. Even though great societies are aware of the presence among them of diversity and are attuned to constructively canalize their synergy to the common weal by a sensitive and empathetic understanding of what characterizes a diverse group, it is for the minority group to define how they want to present and position themselves to their neighbors. We will have to accept this and among other things that we do to make our lives well directed, we will have to add it to our list of priorities.
A major problem, already visible in places, will be that to craft the message and to deliver it effectively the community will have to look beyond the traditional leadership. We have limited talent and volunteer resource especially for this kind of projects. At the same time those who do this work do need the use of Gurdwaras to showcase the faith and its practices. Potential for politicization of this activity does exist at this intersection and can easily end up stifling it.
All interest groups have to compete to get media coverage. I don’t think we have any clarity much less consensus on how to do that to spread awareness about ourselves. Several among us are hung up on only focusing on turbans or kirpans. My experience is that if Americans are told that certain group characteristics are part of observance they tend to accept it. Thus unless such matters are the issue they do not interest the media. To get media interest we have package our message in a range of human-interest stories. Such stories are rooted in a mixed bag of faith, culture, arts, literature, relationships, personal views, interpretations and experience etc.
We also need to get the academia interested in us. For academia economic considerations are important.
Sounds daunting? Nobody ever said it was easy. Just look around and see how much time and effort corporations, governments and many interest groups spend on PR. Images are important. For most perception is reality – all the rest could be part of the infinite void. Our problems are real and we need to work on them. The crisis that suddenly seems to have engulfed the world and which seems to be challenging the very foundations of our quest for a just, caring, prosperous and peaceful global society needs the goodwill of all. Let us, on our part, carry the Guru’s message of love, prayer, sharing and ethical living by demonstrably doing what we can for – sarbat – one and all.
Nirmal Singh,
Farmington, CT.
July 25, 2002
Revised Nov. 1, 2002