It Takes a Massacre: The Sikhs are Really Americans Now
When the news came out that “an unidentified gunman” had murdered five members of the Sikh faith within the confines of their temple in a Milwaukee suburb, most Americans, and even most members of the press, had no accurate idea of who and what the Sikhs are. Media reporters couldn’t pronounce the community’s name properly [...]
Welcome to the new Sikh Spectrum!
Dear reader, it is with delight and a great deal of relish that I announce to you the relaunch of The Sikh Spectrum, which is now under my editorship and the directorial oversight of a number of distinguished figures in the Sikh community, some of whose writings you will have the opportunity to enjoy in [...]
Is There a Rising Fascism?
As human creatures, we naturally figure into all that is in the world. Fascism is an ideology that denies man has a place, instead viewing him as a hostile intruder upon the world and therefore treating his existence as a problem needing management and, eventually, a final solution. The fascist state, first seizing total control [...]
Understanding Jap – 5
Jap trails the journey of a person from falsehood to truth. The Guru made it clear in the very first stanza. As we know, God and truth are synonymous in Sikhism.
e-Symposium: Authorship of Dasam Granth
During the last three months (October to December 2008), I invited scholars via Sikh internet discussion groups, Sikh publications, and direct e-mail to participate in the SikhSpectrum e-Symposium on the Authorship of Dasam Granth.
Changing Mindsets by Syed Ali Naqvi
One might cry out, humanity is dead if there was any, in disgust and disbelief after going through the events of the partition of the subcontinent. It is hard to believe that hatred and instinctual savagery can derive men to the edge of morality. Politics, religious bias and ethnicity do have the poison to make men so vulnerable that they get ready to put everything at stake.
Book – History of East Indians in America: The First Half-Century Experience of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims
Today, South Asia is flashing all signs of turning into a battlefield for the most horrific war humanity has ever seen. The leadership of India and Pakistan has mostly been on the edge of escalation of a major armed conflict. It is feared that the third World War maybe fought in the Indus Valley.
Review requested of rights commission’s decision in spoon-and-fork ruling
The Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations has formally requested the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission review and rescind its ruling in a racial-discrimination case filed by a Filipino-Canadian mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo-Cagadoc, whose son was subjected to discriminatory remarks in a local school.
BBC issues apology to Philippines
The British Broadcasting Corporation has formally apologized for a comedy show it aired that offended Filipinos both in the United Kingdom and in the Philippines, the Philippine government stated on 24th October.
Madrasa Mindset – The Source of Talibanisation
Those who are attributing rise of talibanisation in Pakistan to American presence in Pakistan’s backyard are oversimplifying the matter. The over simplification becomes cause of concern when even the anti –Talibanisation elements yield to this view.
Memorandum to University of California, Riverside
We would like to express our concern at the University of California Riverside’s insensitivity towards the Sikh community and Sikh Religion. With regards to the apprehension of our community, Sikh leaders have been meeting with the University authorities for the past five years.
Understanding Jap – 4
In the first stanza of Jap Guru Nanak told us about and how to break open the cocoon of falsehood around us and see the light of truth. To be successful in this, it is imperative to eradicate the very rasion d’etre of this cocoon. This cocoon comes into existence as and when we surrender to the wishes of our mind.
Eco-Philosophy of Guru Granth Sahib
However, it is astonishing to find that Guru Granth Sahib contains a very well articulated eco-philosophy that can meet the challenges posed by the modern age. The ecological and environmental concerns of Sikhism are not something external or excessive to the philosophy of Sikhism. On the other hand, Sikh philosophy as it is found in the hymns of the Gurus or in Guru Granth Sahib contains in its very basis an eco-philosophy.
Historic Sikh Tercentenary Celebrations
This October, the Sikhs around the world are celebrating the Ordination of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scripture, as the Eternal Living Guru of the Sikhs as commanded by the Tenth and last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh in 1708 A.D.
Nanakian Philosophy (Gurmat) – The Path of Enlightenment
Guru Nanak’s advent (1469-1539) is an epoch-making singular event in the recorded history. His unique, revolutionary and liberating philosophy of universal humanism – liberty, love, respect, justice and equality, is applicable for all. Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike have written abundantly about him, on his philosophy in Punjabi, English and some other languages.
The Final Superstition: A Critical Evaluation of the Judeo-Christian Legacy
You might be wondering why I am writing a review of a book that was published in 1994. The reason is simple. I came across this book a few years ago and I couldn’t fathom the depth of information arranged and presented in a wide spectrum of topics spread out in 19 chapters.
Strife-Torn Kishtwar: Dreams of Harmony Once Dreamt
“The situation in Kishtwar is now really desperate. Worse, in some ways, than in the 1990s, when the town had become a virtual army camp. Earlier, it was militants versus the armed forces. Now it is threatening to take the form of Hindus versus Muslims’, said a distraught friend of mine in Kishtwar when I called him last night.
Islam in Post-Modern World – Prospects and Problems
The title of this book is, admittedly, somewhat misleading. What exactly is ‘post-modern’, a term that the book purports to address, but nowhere does it define what the author means by it? Can one talk of a ‘post-modern’ world when for vast numbers of people ‘modernity’ (whatever that may mean) itself seems far out of reach?
60% of Filipinos say quality of life has deteriorated: survey
A record six in 10 Filipino adults believe the economic crunch and pessimism are increasing to levels unseen since 1983, according to a report from Social Weather Stations. The pollster’s survey revealed public despondency had attained 1983 levels when the assassination of opposition leader Benigno (“Ninoy”) Aquino and financial uncertainty eroded public confidence.
The Temples of Khajuraho: Lyricism Carved in Stone
As the sun rises in the east, its first rays are caught by the lofty spires of the temples of Khajuraho, first the Laxmana, then the Kandariya Mahadeva, and then the sun temple of Chitragupta are silhouetted against the blue sky, turning golden in the warm slanting rays of the morning sun.
Identity and Difference – In Post modern and Post colonial Perspectives
The organizers of the present seminar have proposed me the topic “Identity and Difference: In Post Modern Perspective”, however, I have taken the liberty to change the topic as “Identity and Difference: In Post modern and Postcolonial Perspectives”.
Understanding Jap – 3
In the first stanza of Jap, Guru told us that in order to break down the wall of falsehood that we have been building unwittingly around us by following the dictates of our mind, we must live our life as per the Hukam of God.
Shri Guru Granth Sahib – Its relevance for Muslims
No Islamic literature could dare to present the strongest contempt for those Muslims who do not offer Nimaz as said by Hazrat Baba Sheikh Farid in Shri Guru Granth Sahib. Hazrat (1175-1265) expired about two and a half-century before Shri Guru Nanak Sahib.
The Concept of Faith – Perspective of a practicing Sikh
Antoine Lavoisier, the French chemist, is a rather unusual starting point for an article Faith. What qualifies him to be part of a discussion on faith is that he is regarded as the founder of Chemistry. It does not mean that before Lavoisier there is no history of man’s experimentation with chemicals. On the contrary, chemicals have been used by humanity for thousands of years.
Sikh Studies and Ghostwriters
Plagiarism is quite common in academia, especially in the disciplines of humanities whereas ghostwriting is generally the domain of propagandists. I had heard of ghostwriting by scholars, but I had not actually seen it until I saw a reference to it, in 2004, in Planned Attack on Aad Guru Granth Sahib: Academics or Blasphemy.
Music as Guru Nanak’s mode of communication
The present paper is an attempt to understand from a Tamil perspective the musical mode of communication of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder Guru of Sikhism. While claiming no specialized knowledge of music, the author feels that the Tamil perspective of Guru Nanak’s music could add up to the already existing studies on Gurbani.
Sikh-Rajput Relations During the Eighteenth Century
The present study is a preliminary attempt that looks into the nature of relations between the Rajputs and the Sikhs, especially during the eighteenth century. It also makes use of the contemporary Rajasthani source material which has remained unnoticed so far.
What is the meaning of “Hindu”?
In his column “Who is a Hindu? Who is not?” published in the India Tribune (September 28, 2002), Mr. Niranjan Shah made the assertion that like Jains and Buddhists, Sikhs are also Hindus. In my response, I pointed out that Guru Nanak rejected all the essentials of Hinduism; therefore, it is absurd to regard Sikhs as Hindus and Sikhism as a sect or an offshoot of Hinduism.
Alcohol, drugs and young people
Since the 1990s alcohol consumption and drug misuse levels has increased enormously in the state of Punjab. This has been accompanied by a disturbing increase in drug and alcohol related problems, including those involving young people. A preliminary study by the Punjab Health Department showed that more than 40 percent of those aged 15-25 were addicts.
Gandhi: Under Cross Examination
Gandhi’s biographies, autobiographies and other writings about him are laced with false information, imaginary stories, inconsistencies and contradictions. It is a pity that for almost a century none of the authors, not even academicians, ever bothered to check the veracity of various accounts in Gandhi’s autobiography.
The discovery of ages
The subject matter contained in these works detail the great need of every person on the planet earth to change their state of consciousness. Failing to do so, the human race will be destroyed. Such will be shown by scientific verification. The how and why we all must, and not should, change our state of consciousness is fully explained with illustration in the works as mentioned here.
Pakistani-Hindustani bhai-bhai, literally up in the sky!
We have a three-hour stop over at Lahore airport on our way back to Delhi from Islamabad. I am excited about going back home, but, at the same time, I am sad at the thought of leaving Pakistan. I don’t know when, if at all, I can come back here, if I can ever again meet some of those wonderful people whom I almost instantly bonded with in my short week-long visit to the country.
Sloganeering in Srinagar
‘Thanks to Smt. Sonia Gandhi For Nominating Jenab Ghulam Nabi Azad and Chief Minister of J&K State’ announces a sprawling billboard just down the street from the Tourist Reception Committee in the heart of Srinagar. It was obviously hurriedly put up just in time for Sonia Gandhi’s visit to Srinagar earlier this month.
Kosovo, Kashmir and the role of international community
The strategic role played by NATO and most of the member countries of the European Union and Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) in achieving independence and freedom for the people of Kosovo is a significant blueprint that can be directly applied to the longstanding crisis of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir.
Foreigners barred from receiving organ transplants in Philippines
The Philippines will ban kidney transplants for foreigners as part of a government attempt to end the illicit trade in human organs purchased from the poor. Francisco Duque, the Philippine health secretary, told a news conference that violators could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined as much as P2 million for illegal transplants.
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