The Sikhs Were Forerunners

[amardeep]

When analysing the various right wing shifts in governments all over Europe that have taken place in recent years its interesting to note how one country tries to overrun other countries in laws to restrict the rights of muslims.

recently i've noticed that many of the european proposals were already enforced in Sikh kingdoms earlier such as:

- Banning halal meat

- Banning calls to prayer

- Banning burkas/purdas

- testing the loyality of muslims by making them do something contrary to their belief (in Holland it has been implemented that new immigrants has to watch the bodies of naked women) , - prem sumarag shows how muslims had to eat pork.

[Mithar]

recently i've noticed that many of the european proposals were already enforced in Sikh kingdoms earlier such as:

- Banning halal meat

- Banning calls to prayer

- Banning burkas/purdas

- testing the loyality of muslims by making them do something contrary to their belief (in Holland it has been implemented that new immigrants has to watch the bodies of naked women) , - prem sumarag shows how muslims had to eat pork.

I can see the other laws being enforced except the "banning calls to prayer" part. I've only read this in Muslim propaganda which as we all know will not be in favour of the Sikhs. Is there a third party source, like from a contemporary European or Hindu account which says Sikhs banned the Muslim call to prayer? From all the 3rd party accounts I have read they usually always say how tolerant Sikh rule was over non Sikhs.

[shaheediyan]

Amardeep, could you please provide Sikh sources which say the things you mentioned were banned in the raj of M Ranjeet Singh. It seems odd/contradictory, especially as he had appointed Muslims to high positions in his Government.

Thanks.

[amardeep]

Banning halal meat

Aurangzeb had ordered in his raj that only the halal method of slaughter was acceptable and Maharaj then forbade halal slaugther replacing it with Jhatka.

Banning calls to prayer

Dalsingh had an account of this from a european source saying that adhaan was forbidden in panjab.

Banning burkas/purdas

This was forbidden during Guru Amardass times.

[shaheediyan]

Amardeep, those things were forbidden for Singhs or Gurus sangat, not from the entire land, your example is not comparable to secular government. Re the ban to call on prayer, I only recall one source it was Hari Singh Nalwa who enforced this in one territory he was governIng rather than M Ranjit Singh across Punjab?

[amardeep]

Yes you do have a point there.

[chatanga1]

Banning halal meat

Aurangzeb had ordered in his raj that only the halal method of slaughter was acceptable and Maharaj then forbade halal slaugther replacing it with Jhatka.

Guru never banned it, he just banned it for Sikhs to consume. If Guru Ji had banned it wholesale how would he be different fro Aurangzeb in this respect?

[Mr Sardar]

[REMOVED]

Edited December 10, 2015 by sarbatdapala

[Xylitol]

burkas were not banned everywhere. The rule was that when a woman came into sangat her face should not be veiled.

[dalsingh101]

Amardeep, those things were forbidden for Singhs or Gurus sangat, not from the entire land, your example is not comparable to secular government. Re the ban to call on prayer, I only recall one source it was Hari Singh Nalwa who enforced this in one territory he was governIng rather than M Ranjit Singh across Punjab?

According to the account azaan was banned in Amritsar. I've always presumed this was down to nihangs myself. M. Ranjit Singh seemed to be more concerned about banning beef eating in his kingdom than this type of stuff?