We are reproducing the sixth part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Iqbal Singh by John Katz on 860 KTRB Radio Modesto. The interview was relayed on June 4th 1989. Dr. Iqbal Singh throws light on Sikh religions and political problems. We are thankful to John Katz for providing an opportunity to present the facts to his listeners.
JOHN: Would you please explain to my listening audience the religious persecution Sikhs suffer and would you also explain while your talking about it, the spirit of Chardi Kala
IQBAL: Oh great! Firstly, as far as the religious persecution is concerned, some scholars maintain that the base of the problem in Punjab is religious persecution because Sikh religion is trying to assert its independence away from Hinduism that it is trying to maintain an identity of its own and therefore it is Being persecuted. Some specific instances which schplars point out are, e.g. The Sikh quota. The Sikhy. were up to 25 30% of the Indian Armed Forces in 1950 and that quota has cut them down to 8% and by another ten years it would be brought down 2%, The Indian government’s view point is that all the people of India must get an equal opportunity and representation in the Armed Forces, which is a civil service. Sikhs maintain that being a Several service it should be on an open competition basis. You cannot reserve quotas for everybody. On that basis, USS. army would have 9% of blacks and 91% of white. People must have free competition to get into the Services, traditional Sikhs, they wear kirpan (sword) they make certain prayers every day and meet other requirements, “which they are required to observe. Those Sikhs are the Particular focus of India’s persecution. In 1984 a paper was discovered by a journalist signed by the Chief of Indian Army Staff, which said that Sikh who are baptized are particularly dangerous people and they are likely to make terrible terrorists. I think that it is a ridiculous document. Imagine practicing Christian being branded as a potential terrorist because he is more fundamentalist in his beliefs! Similarly the Indian Constitution unfortunately considers Sikhs as part of Hindu Religion. I mean one of footnotes in the Constitution says, “The Sikhs are considered as part of Hinduism” I think that is reprehensible. very questionable, very, very offensive to the Sikhs and they being saying delete that offensive portion. There are several other instances that I could go on to show that there is religious persecution. For example, the time when Golden Temple were attacked by Indian army was very unfortunate. Their entire culture has been destroyed in that. I think its a clear cut case of religious prosecution.
As far as your second part of the question, it was on Chardi Kala, that is a unique term for the Sikhs. Chard means rising, ever rising kala means spirit. The Silch spirits are ever ascending. Its like PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) They. tackle each situation with positive attitude and with ever ascending spirits. And this is one of the reasons why Sikhs are able to generate tremendous result in whatever they do.
JOHN: The Christian religion is called a pioneer spirit. It tells us to keep moving forward, to keep searching for souls, to keep converting people to Jesus. You have mentioned during this programme that you believe that Sikhism and Christianity are very close. Would you say that Sikh religion is pioneer spirit also?
IQBAL: Absolutely. In fact a Sikh farmer or Sikh at large in Punjab is actually moving ahead in the western pioneer tradition. And that is true, But I would like to ‘mention here, from a religious perspective, that Sikhs do not convert people to Sikhism. Anybody who wants to become a Sikh is welcome but there is no conversion whatsoever no inducements, no encouragements. Anybody can come to Sikh Temple and he need not ever become a Sikh. He can keep coming there every day and do exactly to what Sikhs are doing. So that is one of the small differences between Christianity and Sikhs,
JOHN: I read in an article in one of your newspapers and it was talking about Hindus or Muslims, I can’t remember which, that converted from there to Sikhism and they were thrown in jail. Is that correct?
Dr. IQBAL: That is right. Sikhism actually started only five hundred years back, when the Gurus said, all human race is equal, all low and high are equal. That we all must sit down and partake the same meal at the end of our services. Nobody is high or low. This made people aware that here is a good religion which takes about equality of mankind. If man as an atom is part of God, if God is each atom, then how can there be an inferior atom or inferior part of God and superior part of God? So they realized this and they converted. Of course during the Mughal time the Muslim time, many of those people were put in jails and even today if it happens it is not liked in India, Although I would say that I am personally not aware in the last 10 to 15 years, where people have been put to jail for converting to Sikhism but I do know some of them have been inconvenienced.
JOHN: Doctor, what I would like to find out now is about the possible expansionist polices of the Indian government and how they want to be big shots in their area. In order to have expansionist philosophy’s you got to have power and power usually means a big military and weapons. So you explain my to my listening audience about military of India now, and do they have atomic bombs?
IQBAL: Well, that is a million dollar question. Indian government maintains they do not have any atomic devise, But in 1974 India exploded an atomic device successfully. And in the last 15 years according to the capacity of their various nuclear station, they could have had produced enough fissionable material to produce up to 50 bombs. This was reported in one of the defense department findings. Whether that is true or not, do not know, but the fact is that India has the ability, capability, and probably has the fissionable material. On the other side of the conventional weapon, India has world’s largest 4th largest armed forces, tanks and aircrafts ete. It is a very good armed forces inherited from the British, but India’s logic in maintaining such a large army is that its borders are unsettled with China, which is a fact, with Pakistan, on Kashmir, which is a fact with Bangladesh, with whom it has several disputed areas and Sri Lanka of course, because of the local ethnic problems. India is also saying that India has been enslaved over the last 500 years because it was divided and weak and that it must not make the same mistake again. So India’s bureaucracy and leadership has tried to keep Indian armed forces strong and that is what they are doing. But unfortunately once you create power you end up using it. It is like you buying an extra club for your golf set. Whether you have intention to use or not one day you will end of using i and that is what is happening today. India has got its troops in Sri Lanka, Maldives, along Pakistan border, China border etc. And mind you India got a bloody nose in 1962 against the Chinese and they are very apprehensive about another war flaring up, although the prospects of such a war are dim at the moment. But the prospects of war with Pakistan are always there because of under lying issue of Kashmir.
JOHN: At home, I have a chart that tells how nations in the United Nations vote with United States or against United States and I noticed the correlation between India and the Soviet Union. They are almost identical in their voting pattern, Would you say that the Indian government uses the UN for its own benefit? Are they suppor the goals Soviet Union in tie Used Nation?
IQBAL: Well, I would not put it in those terms. would Put it in this way that India’s voting record which runs Parallel to the Soviet Union vote record is of much higher significance then India’s voting record in conformity with the U.S. Indian has voting pattern which is much closer to the Soviet Union then with the USA. So therefore you are right in that India’s voting record is not to the best interest of USA, as far as United Nations is concerned. India has indeed voted in some issues against Soviet Union, but on most issues and major issues like Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia. India has been voting in line with Soviet
To Be Continued
Article extracted from this publication >> August 11, 1989
