Sikhism

The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives Sikhism

Contributors: Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi Edited by: Paul Joseph Book Title: The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives Chapter Title: "Sikhism" Pub. Date: 2017 Access Date: May 6, 2017 Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc. City: Thousand Oaks, Print ISBN: 9781483359892 Online ISBN: 9781483359878 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483359878.n603 Print pages: 1559-1560 ©2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.

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Some Westerners sees Sikhism as a blend of Hinduism and Islam, a popular misconception, and others fail to comprehend this religion while seeing it in terms of sports and military activities. This kind of uninformed judgment can arise when individuals judge a religion by observing the activities of the believers rather than through reading the scriptures. At the same time, misguided believers of various faiths may engage in armed conflicts and terrorism, justifying their activities by quoting and misinterpreting the principles and teachings of the faith. Sikhism, a relatively young religion, was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak (1469– 1539). The central teachings of this monotheistic religion consider sharing, equality, truthfulness, honest living, fidelity, and spirituality essential for a good human life. This religion advocates the belief in one God, and it claims that liberation from the cycles of birth and death can be achieved through Satsang, “the company of good.” There are 10 Sikh gurus in the history of Sikhism; the 11th and last guru is the Holy Scripture Guru Granth Sahib (GGS). In Sikhism, there is no direction for Sikhs to entice and allure believers of other religions to convert to this faith. They welcome others to come to the faith, but they do not make any conscious effort toward conversions. They staunchly believe in the principle of “live and let the others live.” This entry first describes how the concept of war is addressed in Sikhism and then examines Sikhs’ fight against oppression and their participation in wars. The Concept of War in Sikhism Guru Nanak founded this religion on the principles of peace. The first guru, Guru Nanak, wrote that “no one is my enemy; no one is a foreigner; with all I am at peace; God within us renders us” (GGS). But he says that “death is a privilege of the brave, if they die for a noble cause” (GGS). In fact, the first five gurus were opposed to direct individual participation in war. However, in 1606, Mughal Emperor Jahangir became suspicious and hostile over the structure of the first Sikh sacred text, Adi Granth, prepared by Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606), the fifth guru, and he ordered Arjan Dev’s persecution. This political act obliged the Sikhs to move from a doctrine of pacifism, with the sixth guru, Har Gobind, contemplating that military action would sometimes be required in response to oppression and suppression to faith. The tenth guru, Govind Singh, formed the Khalasa, “the concept of baptized saint soldiers,” and gave the Sikhs the mission of fighting against oppression. Moreover, in Krishnavtar, the tenth guru says that “only that life is good in which the inner battle is fought with determination through patience and determination.” Based on this modified doctrine, Sikhism finds war a legitimate and permissible activity for both nations and individuals. Guru Govind Singh in his 22 epistles says, “When the entire stratagem employed for (solving) a problem are exhausted, (only) then taking your hand to the sword is legitimate.” However, it is noted that war and the use of force in Sikhism are to be deemed as means and not ends in themselves. Guru Nanak, the first guru, declared that “it is the right and privilege of the true man to fight for, and die in the cause of righteousness” (GGS). Unlike in Islam, the concept of holy war is not found in Sikhism; rather, the Sikhs believe in just war. In a just war, the motive is the defense of righteousness; the army must be disciplined and must not include mercenaries; civilians must not be harmed and no harm should be inflicted to their property and goods; and there must not be any incidences of looting, confiscation, or territory annexation.

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The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives

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Sikhs’ Fight Against Oppression Historians record that the relation of Sikh gurus and Mughal emperors was not cordial after the death of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1556. The extremist Mughal emperors used to treat the believers of other faiths with hostility by humiliating and depriving them of the right to conduct their religious practices. One such emperor, Jahangir, the son of Akbar, mentioned a Sikh guru in his memoirs Tuzak-i-Jahangiri. In 1606, Jahangir tried to force Guru Arjan Dev to convert, but when Arjan Dev refused, he was put to death by boiling in a caldron. Another Mughal tyrant ruler, Aurangzeb, tried to convert Kashmiri Pandits (Hindu Brahmin priests) forcefully into Islam, but the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, came forward and challenged the emperor that if he succeeded in converting the Kashmiri Pandits to Islam, all Hindus would accept the same fate of conversion; otherwise, he must stop the oppression. When the Mughal emperor failed in his motives, despite torturing many, he beheaded the Guru Tegh Bahadur. The two sons of the tenth guru, Guru Govind Singh, were martyred in the battlefield, preferring to be stoned rather than give up their religion. In 1738, Nadir Shah, the Persian ruler, invaded India from Kabul. When he was returning in 1739, after killing thousands of Sikhs and plundering Delhi (including a huge booty of looted wealth, women, artisans, and slaves), the Sikhs, under the command of Sardar Jassa Singh, attacked Nadir Shah’s army, releasing thousands of men and women and later escorting them back to Delhi to be reunited with their families. Similarly, between 1748 and 1765, the Sikhs freed thousands of men and women from Ahmad Shah Abdali, an Afghanistan ruler, saving their lives. Between 1713 and 1798, the Sikhs lived a nomadic life and fought as guerillas. Sikhs and War In 1798, under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikhs took control of the Khyber Pass (connecting present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) and brought an end to 800 years of foreign invasion. In 1819 and 1836, the Sikhs gained back Kashmir and Laddakh from Afghanistan, respectively. Also in the 19th century, the Sikhs fought two wars with the British Empire: the first Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842) and the Sikh war (1848–1849). The Sikhs also participated in India’s struggle for independence from the British, which India achieved in 1947. Even though Sikhs comprised only 2% of the total population, 28,000 of 42,000 recruits in the Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose were Sikhs. During the Indian Emergency (1975–1977), thousands of Sikhs who were campaigning for an autonomous state were imprisoned. In June 1984, during Operation Blue Star, India’s prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to attack the Golden Temple and kill Sikh separatists and insurgents hiding in the building. In October 1984, when Indira Gandhi was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards, violence broke out, resulting in the death of thousands of Sikhs. Today, 20% of the Indian military consists of Sikh soldiers, who have been fighting against Muslim terrorism on the border of Pakistan. See alsoAfghanistan; Hinduism; India; Islam, Shiite; Islam, Sunni; Just War; Religion and War Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483359878.n603 10.4135/9781483359878.n603 Further Readings Peace Pledge Union. “World Religions: War and Peace.” Peace Pledge Union. Retrieved from http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_religions.html (Accessed May 20, 2014). Sikh Missionary Society U.K. “A Sikh Approach to War and Peace.” Sikh Missionary Society Page 3 of 4

The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives

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U.K. R e t r i e v e d f r o m http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smsarticles/advisorypanel/gurmukhsinghsewauk/sikhapproachtow arandpeace.html (Accessed May 22, 2014). Singh, Rawel. “Sikh Approach to War and Peace.” Sadh Sangat, A Discourse on Comparative R e l i g i o n f r o m a S i k h P e r s p e c t i v e. D e c e m b e r 2 7 , 2 0 0 9 . R e t r i e v e d f r o m http://www.sadhsangat.com/sikh-approach-to-war-and-peace/ (Accessed April 18, 2014).

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