Protestors outside the Russian embassy recently, with placards that read “never again,” were not Jewish, But the Sikh community has tragedies of its own to commemorate. Inspired by the arrest of 16 rabbis and rabbinical students on Dec. 2 to protest U.S. ‘inaction in Bosnia, between 40 and 50 people came out to demonstrate against Russia’s role in the Balkan conflict. ‘The Sikh community has no particular “historical or commercial” connection to the Bosnians, according to Dr. Amarjit Singh, director of the Khalistan Affairs Center. But after seeing the rabbis submit to arrest, Singh and others in the community were inspired. ‘We must also say our piece for humanity.”

‘The worldwide Sikh community, which numbers approximately 20 million, has been scattered in its own Diaspora. There are now about 18 million Sikhs in India, one million in the United States and Canada. About 30,000 Sikhs live in the greater Washington area.

They are doctors, engineers and like many immigrant communities a large portion of the city’s taxi drivers. Like the Jewish community, jikhs have the keen eye for the Gangers of religious intolerance that grows out of long history of religious persecution.

The Sikh religion began in the 16th century in south Asia. Practically from the beginning, the Sikhs ‘have been fighting against enemies and assimilation. Men, women and children all wear symbolic sword. Hair is considered a gift from God ‘and is never cull. These customs set Sikhs visibly apart from the Religion’s around them.

“Moses, Jesus and Mohammed all had long hair and beards, “Singh said. “This differentiates us from the Muslims and Hindus.”

While holding fast to their own identities, Sikhs hold tolerance of all religions as a comer stone of their religion, which makes the “ethnic cleansing” of Bosnian Muslims particularly abhorrent.

The protest in Washington was held 319 years to the day after the execution of the ninth Sikh prophet, killed for espousal of religious tolerance, ‘The Washington church has doors on all sides, a symbolic welcome to all communities, “Our church is ‘Open to anyone of any religion. ‘We all sit together on the floor as an equal,” Singh said. ‘The Jewish community’s accomplishments have long inspired Sikhs, Singh said, “Our goal,” he explained, “is to have a country based on the same principle as Israel.” That country would be Khalistan. As Jews promise “next year in Jerusalem,” Sikhs pray for “next year in Amritsar,” the Sikh holy city that houses the Golden ‘Temple attacked by the Indian army in 1984.

So to Singh, it is perfectly natural to look to rabbis for inspiration about reaching beyond themselves and recognizing that danger for one religious minority is a danger for all. Russia must “feel responsible” for its actions, Singh said, “Nobody in this world was saying anything except for the Jews. “We were really touched by the rabbis’ gesture. That was a truly Jewish gesture.”

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 23, 1994