I have been reading The Sikh Review for more than 20 year though I do not subscribe to all your editorial views. I would like to draw your attention towards a pernicious trend among a section of Sikhs to undermine the philosophic foundations of Sikhism, Certain ill-informed Sikhs in their zeal to curry favour with the Delhi Darbar find Sikhism at one with Brahmanism while the reality is being argued that Sri Guru Gobind Singh worshipped Shiva, a Hindu god. We have tried to rebut this dangerous propaganda in letters to The Tribune and Indian Express recently. While the former published the letter, the latter did not. We have also written to Chief Khalsa Diwan and the S.G.P.C. You will kindly appreciate as a Sikh religious journal, that there is need to keep the purity of Sikh religious philosophy and I would very much like you to write a suitable article on the subject so that the disinformation is undone and the religion is saved from subtle sabotage and destruction.

I wish to take this opportunity of commenting on an article published in the May, 1986 issue of The Sikh Review entitled “Sikhism A Real Integrated Religion’. Sikhism and its adherents need not be apologetic about the univsality of the Sikh faith because a plea for human oneness is the very basis of the Guru’s teaching. What is often overlooked is the revolutionary aspect of Sikhism, This religion directly confronted those defending the division of human beings among four Varna’s and hit out at those who regarded non-Muslims as infidels.

‘The statement in the article that “the political situation of the country drove Sikhism to extreme militancy …. Fundamental tenets of ‘Sikhism were surprisingly never forsaken. “Such formulations unfortunately give the impression that militancy is not something basic to the Sikh tenets and that Guru Gobind Singh somewhat deviated from the basic principles as laid down by Sri Guru Nanak Dev. On the other hand militancy came about in a natural way because Sikhism came under siege both from Brahmanism and the Muslim bigot state. Again, there is no need for Sikhs to feel apologetic about the transformation because Sikhism is a dynamic religion which meets all eventualities, even today the Guru Panth is free to evolve its own course to defend and maintain the independent identity of the Faith which faces grave challenges from some of its old adversaries.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 21, 1986