We are reproducing the seventh 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: I am going to move to completely different subject now, and start with a quote from our Bible “my people have lost freedom for lack of knowledge.” Now the reason I am asking that question and prefacing my question with that statement is this. We know that Sikhs are having a terrible time with Hindus and Muslims, with the secular government of India. Were they having problems with the propaganda that put out, the disinformation being put out in all the news media worldwide, so that Sikhs are not even allowed in some instances, to other countries to visit or they immigrate there, But my question is this. Are they agent provocateurs within the Sikh movement and what about the communist party. It is inflicting within the Sikh movement or are you a solid group?
IQBAL: Well you ask two to three questions in one question and, I would try to cover all three of them. I want to make it very clear John, that Sikhs are not angry either with Hindus or Muslims. They are angry and upset against the Indian government which is 90% of course named by the Hindus. So therefore we tend to loosely use the term Hindus. Sikh religion has a great respect for all human beings, whether they are Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists. But they are desperately angry and upset with the Indian government for its policy. That is number one.
Number two, you are right that the Sikhs need to gather more Knowledge, greater sophistication, more intelligence in a way of handling these crisis, then they will be ready at the movement. We are undergoing that change, I think that we are trying to learn and I do hope we gather all the intelligence as the Bible advises, because misinformed, uniformed, ill-informed people soon undergo slavery.
And the last point that you have mentioned about the disloyal Sikhs those people who can conveniently become an agent for people who are working against the interest of people. Yes, unfortunately among Sikhs there are people who unwittingly or through lack of enough information, become tools of the Indian government in creating division within the Sikh community. This happened during Maharaja Ranjeet Singh’s time. Two of his generals were passing the top secrets military plans to the British General across the river and Sikhs soldiers lost mainly because of that. Even now, the Sikhs in 1947, they were telling the other side as to what the Sikh’s political party is up to and unfortunately we again failed there and I think the Bible, the Biblical advice, be wise be informed be educated is right for the Sikhs and we have a great deal to learn in that.
JOHN: I have my own advertising agency and printing company and my customers will ask me, well, what radio show is going to be on this week? One of my customers asked that this week, I said well Lam having one of the leaders of Sikhs here in United States on my program. And they said Sikhs, what’s that? I said, well it is a religion in India. Oh, you mean the terrorists who kill the people in their own country, he said.
How am I suppose to, being an outsider, explain to these individuals that you are not terrorists. Because when we hear the news, over here, when the news media refers to India all they will talk about is the Hindus except when they are referring to terrorist activities, and then they refer to that as Sikhs.
Iqbal: Yes, this is very unfortunate. Sikhs are protesting. There is nothing known as a Sikh terrorist. What is known is a individual, who is a terrorist and happens to be a Sikh or Christian or Muslim. We do have a Christian terrorist. There was a John Joseph, who committed a terrorist act and happens to be a Christian, may be Jew, may be Arab, may be a Sikh. I do not know. think, this is one of the skillful uses of propaganda, the Indian government is doing. It is very unfortunate, Two years back, they held an exercise to check the security in the Indian Airplane, (the private planes), they stag managed a scenario in which an airplane was hijacked by terrorist. They used (“the term a Sikh terrorist to describe him,”) what they could use as a term of a “terrorist” in place of ‘Sikh terrorist. So that is just a kind of practice of the security people and unfortunately the Indian government has been indulging in that and unfortunately the Sikhs are getting the bad name.
The second portion is that the Government controls Television and Radio Stations in India like Soviet controls the Television and Radio Stations in the Soviet Union. India actually owns and operates the television and Radio station. Most of the stories, we hear are the government version. Therefore the foreign media does not, unfortunately, distinguish the facts and whatever government says, they basically repeat the same and the Sikhs keep on getting the bad name, Of course, I would Say, the Sikhs are armed, putting up a struggle against the Indian government. There are causalities here and there, which brings bad names, But to say the Sikhs are “Terrorist” by in large is a ridiculous, it is most an irresponsible proposition. It is one of the things which upset Sikhs most and I would like to tell you, John, thatl am confronting many people, who tell me at times: Oh, ‘Sikh, aren’t you mainly indulging in terrorism”. That ts very unfortunate portion. It is broadcast like this which will inform the people. Who the Sikhs really are.
JOHN: Dr. there are people in the world, who are not members of the Sikh religion, they are trying to tell what is really going on. In fact, there are quite a few of people’s reports that the individual teams are filing with information on this thing. What happens to those people if they live in India if they try and tell the truth?
IQBAL: This is very interesting question. Five scholars in India, who are non-Sikhs. They produced a book “Oppression In Punjab”, in September 1985. They simply recorded the personal statements of about 200 individuals, They visited every village in Punjab and recorded what they had witnessed in the previous two years. The government of India immediately arrested these five scholars and burned all the two thousand copies of this book “Oppression In Punjab”. Also, just before the attack on the Golden Temple, every foreign and Indian journalist was told to clear out of the Punjab. One Associated Press representative was trapped inside, which India government did not know. He gave the true report, of what was happening in the Golden Temple. He was arrested, booked, and his passport was taken away. The New York Times posted a editorial, calling this a terrible incident, later the Indian Government released that person. The famous journalist “Mark Tully” of the British Broadcasting Corporation who has been in India for years, was not allowed to visit Punjab soon after 1984. So the point I’m making is the people try to report the news story according to what they see, if does not tally with the Indian government version, they are in serious trouble. First of all, they are not allowed to go there, and somehow if they get a hold of facts, they are put into inconvenience.
JOHN: Very quickly, I do not want to waste too much time on this, one more misconception, the people of this country might have is Sikhs or anyone who wears a turban on the head, there is a gentleman in the Oregon, who called himself a “Guru”,. Would you mind to explain if he has anything to do with the Sikh religion?
IQBAL; Not at all. I am glad you asked me that. He is known as “Bhagwan Rajneesh.” He happens to wear something, which looks like a turban, But his is not a Sikh, He has nothing to do with the Sikhism. He is known as “Bhagwan.” Literally translated means “God”. He is God or not, I do not know, it is for his followers to decide. He was moved out of this country. Now he has settled in India. He has large western following there, but he has nothing to do with the Sikhs. Also, the term “Guru” in Silchism is like a God’s name, like a teacher and in this connotation, that we understand, it that’s nothing to do with Bhagwan Rajneesh.
“JOHN: There was another gentleman with the name of Salman Rushdie, who wrote a book “Satenic Verses”, and caused a big stink all over the world. The Incredible thing is about thisin the book, he starts talking about in his very first page (If I’m not mistaken), and that Indian airplane was blown up by the Sikhs?
IQBAL: That was most regrettable act. He tries to open his book by suggesting that this aircraft was blown by the “Sikh Terrorist”. It is very unfortunate. I’m Surprised, a scholar of his standing could have got into this kind of mistake. It is unfortunate, and that is what is reinforcing the bad names among the outside world. ‘m glad you asked this question. I hope scholars, writers do take this into consideration, they cannot call Sikh out Terrorist”, they can call it terrorist who happens Of Sikh religion. I’m glad you bring this point out.
To Be Continued
Article extracted from this publication >> August 18, 1989
