Where Was Sikh Maryada When the Golden Temple Was Being Desecrated by Bhindaranwale and His Men?
By Sumit Paul, New Age
Islam
28 June
2024
Recently, a
social media influencer, Archana Makwana, from Gujarat who was booked by the
Punjab Police for hurting religious sentiments for performing Yog (not yoga; it's an anglicised
orthography of the Sanskrit word Yog)
inside the Golden Temple premises was provided protection by the Gujarat police
after she received multiple threat calls.
Golden Temple
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“No one can
be allowed to act against Sikh conduct at the Golden Temple but some people
deliberately ignore the sanctity and historical importance of this holy place
and commit objectionable acts,” SGPC president HS Dhami had said in a
statement. “Sikh sentiments and ‘Maryada’
(conduct) have been hurt by the act, so a complaint has been filed with the
police,” he added.
This
foolish woman's innocuous Yog antics
defiled the sanctity of the Golden Temple! Where was the Sikh Maryada when Jarnail Singh Bhindaranwale and his goons were
desecrating the Golden Temple in the early 80s? The horrifying crimes and
scandalous misdemeanours of Bhindaranwale have been forgotten and forgiven.
How can the
place have any sanctity after being used for gruesome and scandalous misdeeds
by the charlatan? Sikhs still regard him as a martyr. Has anybody from the
community dared to denounce and excommunicate him? But the same hypocrites are
objecting to something so casual and inoffensive.
Social
Media Influencer, Archana Makwana
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Sikhs used to be pretty liberal until a few
years ago. Now they too have become like Muslims and neo-Hindus. A Delhi-based
Urdu journalist friend of mine, who's a chain smoker, quipped that nowadays he
was really apprehensive of smoking in public whenever he was in Punjab, lest
Sikhs should appear from nowhere and beat him black and blue.
The readers
may be aware that tobacco is prohibited in Sikhism. Sikhs, who didn't mind
eating halal meat, are now demanding to have only Jhatka meat because it's written in their holy book Guru Granth
Sahib that they (followers of Sikhism) must never eat halal meat. Wahe Guru!
Humans have
become so petty and puerile thanks to all man-made, utterly useless religions.
Furthermore,
Sikhism is not a separate religion. It's a Panth
(sect, Sampradaay, Firqa). Happy that one religion,
Zoroastrianism, and its miniscule followers are still untouched by the
overwhelming religiosity that has engulfed mankind. A jovial Parsi once told
yours truly, " The day even one Parsi will act fanatically, the world will
collapse."
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in
comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed
articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including
Persian.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism