Sara Alfayoumi

Democracy and Diversity Class

Professor David Cochran
India Paper -1-

The tenth and final Sikh guru said the Sword is God and God is sword.
I am here today as a representative of 6 million Sikhs throughout India. Our
religion Sikhism is by far the youngest religion in the world, yet were the
fifth largest in the number of followers. Were disciples of the Sikh guru
Nanak who sought to purify Hinduism from polytheism and the caste system.
We are less than 2 percent of the total India which makes us a minority
within a lot of areas. However, being a minority did not stop my people from
leaving big impacts on this land and especially Punjab in which my people
coexist the most, we have risen this area from nothing, to Indias most
powerful economic source. And in time of need, my population are dedicated
soldiers and dedicated builders.
Today I am here looking for a future protection for my powerful people within
one India. My religion and people have been on a consistent fight with
Muslims and a consistent sequences of betrayal from the British, Hindus and
Muslims. The British started the series of betrayals by the 18th century when
the Mughal Empire declined, the Khalsa, which is a religious brotherhood of
Sikhs males, acquired influence over larger sections of the Punjab. But in the

nineteenth century the British East India Company fought two bitter wars
against my people, the Sikhs. Another situation when the British turned their
backs was during the unrest that followed WWI, we, the Sikhs, joined with
Hinds and Muslims to seek Indian independence. Consequently, in 1922,
Baghat Singh who is a young revolutionary Sikh was convicted by British
court of a political murder and when Baghat Singhs accomplices were
hanged riots broke into Punjab because of the British and left hundreds
dead. So I believe there is no wanting for uniting rather than a want for
power. And heres another situation with Muslims and Hindus; in 1917 when
we demanded to be granted a separate electorate to choose from among
only Sikh candidates, the British proposed to extend the system, when the
Hindus and Muslims both voted against the Sikhs.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if we are to play a fair game, my people are ready to
put their effort into building and uniting the country in which we are still
guaranteed to have reserved seats, and the right to form our own nation in
the case we are attacked by any group whether it is Muslims, Hindus, or the
British.
I am proposing my picture of a better India, one united yet divided nation.
We, all the people in India, have not proven our capabilities to live peacefully
together under one ruler. The spreading of all us, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs,
Communist, and Untouchables along the land with cultural commons could
be a reason to unite us but we will always be divided by our minds and
religions. We cannot move all Muslims to a land and call the land Muslimstan,

and we cannot do that with Hindus, neither with Sikhs or anyone else.
Creating one religiously affiliated government will violate the right of other
religions, especially if Muslims will governs with their rules, not allowing any
other religious practices to be withheld with the country. And certainly
dividing the country into a lot of minorities countries will put each country
into higher danger, it is better to stand for a single nation, with substantial
minorities, against other nations in the times of any possible war than to
divide the subcontinent into two religiously oriented nations with vulnerable
minorities where no one can stand for themselves. However, we can work on
building a secular country with religious governments or states that each
government rules their own religious people under the secular umbrella,
meaning, in Punjab, the origin land of the Sikhs, we can have a Sikh state
representative and we run our own rules which can be applied on Sikhs only
or on whatever situation concerning Sikhs. Any division for a lot of lands will
be violating the right or the origins of that land to choose their own ruler. We
can have separate province but not a separate country as our situation does
not allow a fair separation to everyone. The transition will be held by the
British, in each state, we can have a governmental representative of other
religious states that deals with their own business without breaking others
laws and at the same time respecting other state laws.
And as I said, members of the conference, the division will bring a lose-lose
case to the people that are not behind the seats, and if we dont give them
fairness, they will turn on us later on.

My demand is to have a Sikhs state that protects my people, we are a

minority, but let me remind you, a powerful one. Under the conditions that
my people will get reserved seats and will have a Sikhs state in Punjab, I will
give compromises to join the INC, and support them as long as they allow the
British to handle the peaceful transition. And we, the Sikhs, will also offer a
full unconditional protection for, the Dr. Ambedkar and the representative of
the untouchables and support them and will allow them to be part of our Sikh
state and will be allowed to have powerful positions within the state. I want
an end to the caste system. By the teachings of my religion, the Sikh guru
sought to purify Hinduism by purging it of polytheism and inegalitarianism
(the caste system).