Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
16 March 2011
15 March 2011
STAND WITH BAHRAIN
We Sikhs have a long history of standing with people fighting injustice anywhere. Today on my Facebook page, I received this plea for help from my gallant young friend in Bahrain, Ghadeer Al-Shamlam:
I feel so helpless. All the attention of the world is right now focused on the four-fold disaster in Japan (earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown/volcano) and the good people of Bahrain have been nearly forgotten. Japan, of course, must be helped, but do we have such small hearts and minds that we can only help in one place? Please look at these pictures that Ghadeer ji just sent me. This is what the government of Bahrain, with the help of the Saudis and, I just heard, the Kuwaitis, are doing to their own citizens. As Sikhs, we know what it feels like to be attacked by what is supposed to be our own government.
One more picture, a screenshot from a YouTube video about the attackj on peaceful protesters. (See also the second video below)
It seems a particularly destructive form of tear gas is being used against the protesters. I've breathed tear gas a few times and even the ordinary form is bad enough.
Please Published for all people you know
Help us to reach our voice to foreign countries
...
What's going on with this world.. why everyone is watching what's happening in Bahrain and no one is taking any action?? WHY?? aren't we humans??? don't we deserve to live as well... Where are the people of the world??????? Bahrain is calling.. listen or it will be too late...
I feel so helpless. All the attention of the world is right now focused on the four-fold disaster in Japan (earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown/volcano) and the good people of Bahrain have been nearly forgotten. Japan, of course, must be helped, but do we have such small hearts and minds that we can only help in one place? Please look at these pictures that Ghadeer ji just sent me. This is what the government of Bahrain, with the help of the Saudis and, I just heard, the Kuwaitis, are doing to their own citizens. As Sikhs, we know what it feels like to be attacked by what is supposed to be our own government.
One more picture, a screenshot from a YouTube video about the attackj on peaceful protesters. (See also the second video below)
It seems a particularly destructive form of tear gas is being used against the protesters. I've breathed tear gas a few times and even the ordinary form is bad enough.
LET US ALL STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS !!
TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO SAY ARDAS FOR THEM!!
FREE BAHRAIN ZINDABAD!!
07 March 2011
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2011 - PART TWO
In the 1960s before they were outlawed, there was a TV cigarette commercial that proclaimed,
ਭੰਡਹੁ ਹੀ ਭੰਡੁ ਊਪਜੈ ਭੰਡੈ ਬਾਝੁ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥
You've come a long way, baby
To get where you got to today
You've got your own cigarette now, baby,
You've come a long, long way.
Aside from the fact that calling a woman "baby" is demeaning and having a cigarette for women is a very dubious advancement, I got to thinking how far have we come as women, both in the West and in India. (I thought about posting the commercial from YouTube here, but I was afraid some readers would accuse me of promoting tobacco, which, of course, I would never do.)
Politically, I suppose we have come a long way. Names of women in politics come to mind. Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Carolyn Parrish (I love her!) and, of course, Indira Gandhi (I do not love her). Politically, I guess we have come a long way.
Socially? In the West there have been huge changes in many ways. Spousal abuse, which up until the 1970s was considered a family problem that the law should stay away from, has become unacceptable to most people and the perpetrators are prosecuted and jailed sometimes. Oftentimes, still, however, the woman refuses to prosecute her abuser for various reasons. Although perhaps understandable, this is very sad on numerous levels. It is bad for the woman. it is bad for the society and it is especially bad for the children. The boys learn to punch and the girls learn to be punching bags, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence. There has been progress, but not enough. One area where I have seen progress is in the attitudes toward rape. Rape is now recognised as a crime of violence against women, not just the boys having a good time because "she asked for it." Having sex with a woman who cannot resist because she has been drugged or is asleep is also recognised as rape. Marital rape, where a husband forces his wife against her will has likewise been criminalised. I remember reading a very influential book called Against Our Will: Men. Women and Rape. Although published in 1975 and a bit dated, this book is still one of the best analyses of the subject that I have read. I do find her condemnation of men in general too harsh.
India, as is often the case seems to be in a state of confusion. Societal issues, in general, far favour men over women. Thr double standard is in full force. (A boy is just sowing wild oats, a girl is a slut or whore.) Eve-baiting occurs everywhere to the point that many young women dread going out. A woman who has been raped is often said to have been "dishonoured," although she is the victim and the male perpetrator is the one who has dishonoured himself, if indeed, he had ever had any honour to dishonour. (This leads into izzat, which is a topic for another post.) Some laws, I am told, favour women to the point that a simple accusation without supporting evidence can land a man in jail, I am told.
This article from today's (7 March 2011) Times of India is a real eye opener:
I can think of no better way to end this post than to remind all my readers of the beautiful words of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Most of us say this words each morning. I think it's time we listen closely and take to heart what he wrote.
Politically, I suppose we have come a long way. Names of women in politics come to mind. Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Carolyn Parrish (I love her!) and, of course, Indira Gandhi (I do not love her). Politically, I guess we have come a long way.
Socially? In the West there have been huge changes in many ways. Spousal abuse, which up until the 1970s was considered a family problem that the law should stay away from, has become unacceptable to most people and the perpetrators are prosecuted and jailed sometimes. Oftentimes, still, however, the woman refuses to prosecute her abuser for various reasons. Although perhaps understandable, this is very sad on numerous levels. It is bad for the woman. it is bad for the society and it is especially bad for the children. The boys learn to punch and the girls learn to be punching bags, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence. There has been progress, but not enough. One area where I have seen progress is in the attitudes toward rape. Rape is now recognised as a crime of violence against women, not just the boys having a good time because "she asked for it." Having sex with a woman who cannot resist because she has been drugged or is asleep is also recognised as rape. Marital rape, where a husband forces his wife against her will has likewise been criminalised. I remember reading a very influential book called Against Our Will: Men. Women and Rape. Although published in 1975 and a bit dated, this book is still one of the best analyses of the subject that I have read. I do find her condemnation of men in general too harsh.
 | ||||||
| This is the cover I rermember. I believe it has been updated. |
India, as is often the case seems to be in a state of confusion. Societal issues, in general, far favour men over women. Thr double standard is in full force. (A boy is just sowing wild oats, a girl is a slut or whore.) Eve-baiting occurs everywhere to the point that many young women dread going out. A woman who has been raped is often said to have been "dishonoured," although she is the victim and the male perpetrator is the one who has dishonoured himself, if indeed, he had ever had any honour to dishonour. (This leads into izzat, which is a topic for another post.) Some laws, I am told, favour women to the point that a simple accusation without supporting evidence can land a man in jail, I am told.
This article from today's (7 March 2011) Times of India is a real eye opener:
Printed from
NEW DELHI: Nearly one in four Indian men has committed sexual violence at some point in their lives and one in five has admittedly forced his wife or partner to have sex. The findings of a recent International Men and Gender Equality Survey reflects a new low for Indian men. Only 2% Brazilian males and less than 9% of men in Chile, Croatia, Mexico and Rwanda were found to have indulged in sexual violence.
The survey was conducted in six developing countries across four continents to map attitudes and practices related to gender equality. Researchers from the International Centre for Research on Women ( ICRW in US and India) and Instituto Promundo in Brazil, who led the survey, interviewed more than 8,000 men and 3,500 women, aged 18 to 59, from these countries.
Indians, who are known to excel in competitive examinations globally, were ranked last on the 'gender equitable men' scale, given that only 17% of men here qualified to the 'highly equitable' (gender-just) category. The percentage was the lowest for this category among the six countries. On sexual violence, 24% said they had committed some form of it in their lives.
While Croatia topped the test, with 82% 'gender-just' men, more than 50% men in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico made the grade. Rwanda, which is among the least developed nations in the world, in fact, fared better than India, with 30% males qualifying as 'highly equitable'.
Rwanda, however, joined India with highest rate of domestic violence, with 38% men admitting they had physically abused their partners. Worse, more than 65% Indian men also believed that women should tolerate violence to keep the family together and that women sometimes deserved to be beaten.
And although Indian men were the most sexually and physically violent at home, they were not involved in violent or criminal behaviour outside. Only 4% Indian men had participated in robbery and 7% had been involved in fights with weapons, compared to 36% men in Croatia and 22% men in Brazil.
The findings, released in Washington last month, reiterated that although India may be on its way to becoming the world's fastest developing economy, it figures at the bottom of the pile when it comes to gender equality. "Indian men are far more traditional, to put it mildly. Even young, educated men are not changing as rapidly as women. They are still living in the old ages," said Ravi Verma, director of ICRW's Asia regional office in Delhi.
Verma added that they would soon present the survey findings to the ministry of women and child development and other policy-makers to urge them to make appropriate changes in policies and programmes to better foster gender equality.
In the survey, which found Indian men to be the worst offenders in terms of sexual violence, more than 1,000 men from the 1,500 interviewed in India were from Delhi. The findings mirrored the high incidence of sexual assault in Delhi: the capital witnessed 489 rapes last year.
"Although the survey has focussed on violence in the privacy of homes, it reflects the situation in public places, too," said Kalpana Vishwanath, project director of the Gender Inclusive Cities project run by Jagori NGO. South Asia does fare quite poorly in terms of gender equality.
Vibhuti Patel, a women's rights activist, blamed the repression of sexuality in India for the high rate of sexual violence. "All the other countries surveyed have more sexual freedom than India. Rwanda, too, has tribal culture so people are more open and women's role in the economy is recognized," said Patel, who heads the economics department at Mumbai's SNDT University.
"In India, the age-old code of conduct has been to keep men and women separate. So women are only viewed as sex objects," she added.
I can think of no better way to end this post than to remind all my readers of the beautiful words of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Most of us say this words each morning. I think it's time we listen closely and take to heart what he wrote.
ਭੰਡਿ ਜੰਮੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਨਿੰਮੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਮੰਗਣੁ ਵੀਆਹੁ
॥From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married.
ਭੰਡਹੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਦੋਸਤੀ ਭੰਡਹੁ ਚਲੈ ਰਾਹੁ ॥
Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come.
ਭੰਡੁ ਮੁਆ ਭੰਡੁ ਭਾਲੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਹੋਵੈ ਬੰਧਾਨੁ ॥
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound.
ਸੋ ਕਿਉ ਮੰਦਾ ਆਖੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਜੰਮਹਿ ਰਾਜਾਨ ॥
॥From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married.
ਭੰਡਹੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਦੋਸਤੀ ਭੰਡਹੁ ਚਲੈ ਰਾਹੁ ॥
Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come.
ਭੰਡੁ ਮੁਆ ਭੰਡੁ ਭਾਲੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਹੋਵੈ ਬੰਧਾਨੁ ॥
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound.
ਸੋ ਕਿਉ ਮੰਦਾ ਆਖੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਜੰਮਹਿ ਰਾਜਾਨ ॥
So why call her bad? From her, kings are born.
ਭੰਡਹੁ ਹੀ ਭੰਡੁ ਊਪਜੈ ਭੰਡੈ ਬਾਝੁ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥
From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.
O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman.
॥From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married.
ਭੰਡਹੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਦੋਸਤੀ ਭੰਡਹੁ ਚਲੈ ਰਾਹੁ ॥
ਭੰਡਹੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਦੋਸਤੀ ਭੰਡਹੁ ਚਲੈ ਰਾਹੁ ॥
Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come.
ਭੰਡੁ ਮੁਆ ਭੰਡੁ ਭਾਲੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਹੋਵੈ ਬੰਧਾਨੁ ॥
ਭੰਡੁ ਮੁਆ ਭੰਡੁ ਭਾਲੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਹੋਵੈ ਬੰਧਾਨੁ ॥
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound.
So why call her bad? From her, kings are born.
From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.
O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2011 - PART ONE
Here is my annual post. Nothing has changed. I am sick and tired of this. What more can I say?
****************************
****************************
There is a lovely little nursery rhyme that every child in the UK and Canada knows. I am not so sure about the children of India, so I reproduce it here:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
As long as I have been expressing myself publicly (about 2 years 5 years in 2011), I
have said that the most dangerous enemy we Sikhs have is not the
Indian government, the Deras or even the Hindus. It is no force from
outside our own community. It is ourselves. We are fast destroying
ourselves through one particular practice. I have here a little poem
I wrote about that. It unites IWD and our self-destructive
tendencies.
**********************************************
Tinkle, tinkle, little boy,
Bring your parents so much joy.
You're their diamond, you're their pearl,
They're so glad you aren't a girl.
Punjab practice straight from hell.
Very soon its evil tell.
You are looking for a wife,
Someone who will share your life.
Not a woman to be found,
Rotting foetus in the ground.
Guru's teaching has been taught,
But its meaning never sought.
Daughter is a gift from God,
Not a dead, decaying clod.
Without woman, there's no life,
No more children, no more wife.
Guru's teachings die off now,
Go and worship sacred cow.
Tinkle, tinkle, little boy,
Bring your parents so much joy.
****************************************
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY,2008!!! 2009!!! 2010!!! 2011!!!
WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
As long as I have been expressing myself publicly (about 2 years 5 years in 2011), I
have said that the most dangerous enemy we Sikhs have is not the
Indian government, the Deras or even the Hindus. It is no force from
outside our own community. It is ourselves. We are fast destroying
ourselves through one particular practice. I have here a little poem
I wrote about that. It unites IWD and our self-destructive
tendencies.
**********************************************
Tinkle, tinkle, little boy,
Bring your parents so much joy.
You're their diamond, you're their pearl,
They're so glad you aren't a girl.
Punjab practice straight from hell.
Very soon its evil tell.
You are looking for a wife,
Someone who will share your life.
Not a woman to be found,
Rotting foetus in the ground.
Guru's teaching has been taught,
But its meaning never sought.
Daughter is a gift from God,
Not a dead, decaying clod.
Without woman, there's no life,
No more children, no more wife.
Guru's teachings die off now,
Go and worship sacred cow.
Tinkle, tinkle, little boy,
Bring your parents so much joy.
****************************************
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY,
WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!
05 March 2011
Canadian Hindu Advocacy - Real Or A Sick Joke?
A lot has been going on, especially with developments in the Hoodh Pind Massacre case. I am assuming you have been able to read about that elsewhere on line, so I am writing a bit of news from my home of Canada.
A brother who is on their mailing list received this letter from the group calling itself Canadian Hindu Advocacy:
I don't think they much like Sikhs. Although I cannot deny the credibility of the brother who received this, it just didn't seem real to me, so I did some research. The Canadian Hindu Advocacy is a real group. It uses OM on a Maple Leaf as its logo.
It has both a Facebook page and a website. On Facebook, its statement of purpose reads:
If this represents mainstream Hinduism,,,
Its website contains such shining gems as a letter to the editor, CHA: Praise anti Khalistan operations of 1984, both in Delhi and Punjab (but the link doesn't work). And, of course, they are supporting le Bloc Quebecois in banning the kirpan from the Quebec "National" Assembly with a goal of banning the kirpan in the Canadian Parliament, a move that would effectively bar Amritdhari Sikhs from holding national office, as banning it in the Quebec "National" Assembly bars us from provincial government. No doubt their eventual goal is to totally ban the kirpan in Canada.
From their website, this is their core values:
I feel the need to take a bath.
A brother who is on their mailing list received this letter from the group calling itself Canadian Hindu Advocacy:
The Canadian Hindu Advocacy is very pleased to announce our intention to
hold multiple events over the summer celebrating heroic acts of anti
terrorism in India.
In 1984, the heroic Indian Army destroyed the terrorist Khalistan movement
by attacking terrorists occupying the Golden Temple in Amritsar. That same
year, Hindu civilians after the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi deterred
Sikh Khalistan terrorists by fighting back against Sikh rioters on the
streets of New Delhi.
Other than the assassination of Indira Gandhi, 1984 was a great year.
Thousands of Sikh terrorists were killed both at the Golden Temple and in
New Delhi, and together the Indian Army and Hindu citizens smashed
Khalistan terrorism.
Everyone on this list will be invited to our summer celebrations.
Regards
Rahul Bhardwaj,
Canadian Hindu Advocacy
I don't think they much like Sikhs. Although I cannot deny the credibility of the brother who received this, it just didn't seem real to me, so I did some research. The Canadian Hindu Advocacy is a real group. It uses OM on a Maple Leaf as its logo.
It has both a Facebook page and a website. On Facebook, its statement of purpose reads:
EVER WONDER WHAT CANADA"S LEADING HINDU ADVOCACY LOOKS LIKE? READ ON:
We are a national organization of professionals, most of whom have left other groups, … to join together and form an entity that really stands up for traditional Canadian and mainstream Hindu values.
We advocate for Canadian Hindus, and we stand up for Canada, traditional Canadian values, and democratic principles.
Hindus have the highest per capita income of all ethnic groups in North America, are among the best educated, and constitute the majority community of the world's largest democracy / emergent superpower (INDIA).
Hindu civilization gave rise to the world's oldest language (SANSKRIT), from which all European languages (including English and French) developed. Science, medicine, and mathematics developed in Hindu India helped Europeans build Western civilization.
Standing up for Canada means supporting Hindu interests. We are together because Canada needs us!!
Historical Hindu and traditional Canadian values must be defended. An attack on one constitutes an attack on the other. ALL CANADIANS MUST STAND UP FOR HINDUS and HINDU VALUES.
Canadian values are endangered by the enemies of Canada, who use the media, education system, and politicians to spread false stereotypes about India and Hindus.
We believe in multi-faith initiatives with groups and people who share our values of democracy, liberty, and merit-based success. This includes the Jewish, Serbian, and other communities.
We support fellow democracies such as INDIA, ISRAEL, AMERICA, and TAIWAN.
Our friends and partners in various communities will work with us to shape and build a better Canada, purged of malign and negative influences. Are we Sikhs among those "negative influences? Definitely Khalistanis are. [added by me]
With the skills and experience brought in by our members and directors, we have formed the leading mainstream Hindu political and media lobby in Canada.
From political lobbying to media advocacy to business seminars on ethical investment, we have the skills and drive to deliver results.
JOIN US TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE
If this represents mainstream Hinduism,,,
Its website contains such shining gems as a letter to the editor, CHA: Praise anti Khalistan operations of 1984, both in Delhi and Punjab (but the link doesn't work). And, of course, they are supporting le Bloc Quebecois in banning the kirpan from the Quebec "National" Assembly with a goal of banning the kirpan in the Canadian Parliament, a move that would effectively bar Amritdhari Sikhs from holding national office, as banning it in the Quebec "National" Assembly bars us from provincial government. No doubt their eventual goal is to totally ban the kirpan in Canada.
From their website, this is their core values:
Our Core Values
We believe in unity, diversity, and tolerance.
This is why our directors and members include Hindus hailing from many different parts of India. We also include Hindus from the Caribbean, Malaysia, and elsewhere.
We even have non- Hindu directors from different communities, including the Jewish, Serbian, and Anglo-Saxon ethnicities. No Sikhs, though, for some reason [added by me]
Inter-faith events and alliances are an important goal for us. Because our organization is a beacon of hope for all communities and groups who share our passion for merit, freedom, and democracy.
This is why mainstream Canadians see us as not just a group that represents Hindu interests, but also a key defender of the values that define Canada.
'DEFENDING HINDU VALUES, STANDING UP FOR CANADA'
I feel the need to take a bath.
20 February 2011
MASSACRE IN BAHRAIN: Eyewitness Reports
puplish plz
bahrainies need u
 | |
| How many of our Sikh mothers, daughters, sisters have experienced this? The dress is different; the feelings are the same. |
Last night, looking for something entirely different, I came upon this discussion about the Bahrain military's attack on its own citizens peacefully protesting from the Flickr group, Global Photojournalism; Politics, News, Protest, and Culture.
The pictures and discussion of Bahrain can be found here.
We Sikhs have had a lot of experience of this in "India" and so we can understand what these Bahrainis are going through. Let's send them our prayers and comfort. At this point, I don't know what more we can do.
What follows is from Ghadeer Shamlan, a young woman, age 18, a law student from Bahrain, obviously a person of great courage. I hope thesepictures and reports helps to make the situation real to you. These are real live (and dead) human beings and they need and deserve our compassion and concern.
What follows is from Ghadeer Shamlan, a young woman, age 18, a law student from Bahrain, obviously a person of great courage. I hope thesepictures and reports helps to make the situation real to you. These are real live (and dead) human beings and they need and deserve our compassion and concern.
Posted in the Flickr group, Global Photojournalism; Politics, News, Protest, and Culture.
From 16 Feb 2011, Bahrain
Here is some of what 2 eye-witnesses said about todays attack in Bahrain
Witness 1 (woman): I was sitting with another woman getting ready pray "salat el-lail" which is a type of prayers the Shiites have , the woman was with her two months old baby, she gave me the baby so that she go to prepare for the prayers , just few minutes then the Bahraini forces started attacking with out any caution , one of the military forces men came to me and started beating me and he took the baby and throw her on the ground and shot her with his gone without any mercy,
she added it was really terrorism dead bodies and parts were everywhere on the ground , they throw some people over the bridge and drive there cars "police cars" over them, also they took injured people and bodies "alive" in closed fridges to unknown place. It was like a real war she added !!
witness (2) " man" : we were lying to sleep as suddenly the tear-bombs and gun-shots came from everywhere without any notifications we started running heading to salmaniya , while that i got injured by the gun-shots , the man who was killed and had his head blasted was killed in front of me they put the gun on his head directly and shot , his head parts spread everywhere !!!
\
puplish plz
bahrainies need u
 |
| A protester takes cover around a corner as Bahrain's security forces fire tear gas on demonstrators marching from Salmaniya Hospital to Pearl Square, in Manama February 19, 2011. Anti-government protesters in Bahrain swarmed back into a symbolic square on Saturday, putting riot police to flight in a striking victory for their cause. REUTERS/James Dugga |
A child badly injured and possibly killed by Bahraini military forces |
Unless otherwise indicated, all photographs are from Ghadeer Shamlan
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