Sikh Beyond Seva

Seva is an integral part of the Sikh way of life. As Sikhs, we are told by our Guru to participate in selfless service without prejudice or the thought of personal gain or reward. Seva brings us closer to God, maintains strong community relations and works towards attaining "sarbat da bhalla".

Sarbat da bhalla is a core principle of Sikhi, it roughly translates to "prioritising the common good for all". In practice, this means actively seeking opportunities to serve, in the interest of uplifting all of humanity.

Sikhs in the media often fit this narrative. We are shown for our charity work (which is beautiful), or the service we provide during wartimes (sometimes problematic), or used as an example of a "well integrated" community (which is usually used by racists to make digs at the Muslim community, which is wrong and VERY problematic).

I find it concerning that, when a Sikh doesn't fit the narrative of servitude or assimilation, and tries to raise awareness of social/political issues that impact us, they're classed as an "outlier", a "problem" or a "troublemaker". We're often not given the space to amplify the causes that matter to us.

Sikhs are not apolitical - our politics and struggles are very real and ongoing but often get ignored, censored or falsely labelled as "extremism", even by people within our own community.

This isn't a lecture on "we do so much for everyone else, no one does anything for us". This is a suggestion to learn a few things about us, that go beyond the socially accepted notion of "dutiful servant" - we have a rich, complicated history. This is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with us.

For a few, this may make our faith less palatable, and that's okay - our faith and community is not a performance for anyone and we'll survive without validation.

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Below are some important and distressing issues impacting the Sikh community. This is by no means an exhaustive list (obviously) and I cannot claim to be speaking on behalf of all Sikhs (obviously). But a good starting point for thought.

Farmer's Protests #KisaanEktaZindabad #NoFarmerNoFood

In September 2020, the Indian government passed three Acts, which lean towards deregulation of the agriculture industry. The Acts will essentially enable larger corporations to dictate the price of crops, heavily influence crop planting, store essential commodities, and create corporate buyers markets.

Read more about the Farmer's Protests here.

#FreeJaggiNow

Jagtar Singh Johal is a Sikh UK citizen who has been abducted, imprisoned and tortured by the police in India. He has been in jail since November 2017 and is being held without evidence or conviction. This is a huge violation of his human rights and there has been no solid attempt by the UK government to secure his release or to ensure his safety. In January 2021, he was forced to sign a blank confession and

Read more and find out how you can help here.

1984 Sikh Genocide

(tw: rape & violence)

Labelled as "riots", the 1984 Sikh Genocide was an Indian state-endorsed pogrom involving the mass murder and torture of innocent Sikhs across India. To date, we haven't been given the dignity of an official, accurate death toll, but it was in the region of 30,000 people. People were dragged out of their homes by their neighbors and were burnt alive. Women were raped in front of their families, and murdered. Children were not spared - children and babies were pulled apart and set on fire. During the genocide, 2 million people were displaced. The genocide occurred only 36 years ago, there are millions of people that are still living the impact - widows, orphans, those who witnessed their friends and families being tortured, people maimed, people displaced and those that try to raise awareness who have been imprisoned.

Most disturbing of all, the 10,000's of murderers, perpetrators and endorsers are still walking the streets, sitting in government positions and starring in Bollywood movies (Amithabh Bacchan being one of them).

Learn more about the genocide here.

This event, along with many others, have been largely erased from history books and evokes a huge sense of collective loss, sadness and anger. It is worth mentioning that many activists, understandably, are very passionate about establishing a sovereign Sikh state, Khalistan. Learn more here.

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I feel that it is important to reiterate that I am in no way claiming to be an excellent spokesperson for the Sikh community, this does not represent the views of all Sikhs, nor is this an exhaustive list of Sikh issues. I am however, trying to get people to engage more. I am also trying to contribute positively and critically to discourse.

I am always open to learning - there is NEVER any point messaging me and being rude, as I am always open to changing my mind and adding information to my posts, as long as I'm approached politely and provided with a well reasoned argument.