Anti-Sikh Hindutva

[Premi]

 

https://www.sikhpa.com/sikh-orgs-condemn-ongoing-australian-hindutva-hindu-extremist-anti-sikh-campaign/

Sikh orgs condemn ongoing Australian Hindutva (Hindu extremist) anti-Sikh campaign

February 11, 2023/in News /

Various Australian Sikh organisations have spoken out about an ongoing anti-Sikh campaign being pushed by Hindutva (Hindu extremist) Indian ultranationalists in the country, which includes boycotting Sikh businesses and attempting to have the kirpan banned.

Note- Hindutva is entwined with Indian ultranationalism as it believes Hinduism must dominate India.

The Sikh Council of Western Australia and the Miri Piri Gurduara both released statements this week detailing community concern about the anti-Sikh campaign. The statements come on the back of a call made by Indian Hindu groups to boycott Sikh businesses and a petition by Australian Hindu asking Australian authorities to “deport” Sikhs and have basic faith practices “banned”.

The business boycott plan has been pushed by the “HinduAmericans” group in response to incidents in Australia, as well as the “Indians in Melbourne” Facebook page. Lists of Sikh owned businesses and/or businesses with Sikh and Punjabi sounding names have been circulated online, with some owners noting the negative impact with news outlet SBS.com.

The petition, which had seven demands including “deport every Nihang (Sikh warrior faction)”, was allegedly handed over to MP Clare O’Neil when she visited Durga Temple in Melbourne, according to a tweet by Hindutva org Australian Hindu Media. However, the format of the demands – scruffily hand written on paper with several mistakes and signed “Victorian Hindus” without any specific organisations or individuals putting their name to it – suggests the petition was created on the spot and does not have any official consensus backing. MP Clare O’Neil has also not made any reference to the petition, making it unclear if it was ever even presented to her.

The petition also comes on the back of false claims Sikhs used “knives” (likely a reference to the Sikh article of faith the kirpan, a small sword) during the skirmishes with the Indian ultranationalist mob on 28.01.23. No kirpans or knives were seen in use or reported by police after the incidents. However, Indian ultranationalist Hindutva supporters have made this false claim to try to attack the Sikh practice of carrying weapons for selfdefence and to protect others.

The statement from the Sikh Council of Western Australia highlighted “Hate Crimes” against Sikhs from “Hindutva extremist outfits” that are targeting “Sikhs and our children”. This came as Hindutva supporters began circulating pictures of Sikh children online they claim were involved in the skirmishes against Indian ultranationalists, even though some look no older than 10-years-old.

 

The Sikh Council of Western Australia also highlighted a history of Australians being victim to India’s Hindutva issue, citing the murder of an Australian missionary by Hindu extremists in India.

See their statement in full below.

Miri Piri Gurduara stated “The Sikh community have been repeatedly targeted”, whilst also highlighting that accusations Sikhs were behind graffiti on Hindu temples came “without a thorough police investigation” (and no evidence of Sikhs being behind the crimes since). See their statement in full below.

The anti-Sikh campaign in Australia has been vehemently upped by Indian ultranationalists ever since a Sikh backlash against an attempt to disrupt the recent Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) referendum in Melbourne. The incident saw an Indian ultranationalist mob storm the area where the referendum was being held, chanting anti-Sikh slogans and intimidating all in sight, which included women and children. Minor skirmishes then broke out as Sikh men retaliated against the mob.

The mob invasion was just one of several incidents in the lead up to the Khalistan Referendum in Melbourne, including a spate of vandalism which saw one group of anti-Sikh Indians caught red-handed in an attempt to graffiti Gurdwara property. Read more on these incidents here- Indian vandals caught red-handed amid ultranationalist attempts to disrupt Khalistan Referendum | SikhPA.

With another Khalistan referendum event announced for Brisbane for 19th March, the anti-Sikh campaign is likely to continue. Speaking on the issue, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said:

“There is no doubt that these attacks on not just the Sikh community but the Sikh faith itself are driven by Hindutva Indian ultranationalist antagonism towards the Khalistan referendum. Similar incidents in Ontario (Canada) indicates there is some kind of fascist template that Indian ultranationalists follow to disrupt movements of Sikh sovereignty.

“It should be of great concern to Australian authorities that Hindutva and its twin Indian ultranationalism are trampling on the freedoms which allow Sikhs in Australia to hold the Khalistan referendum, just as Sikhs have done in the UK, Italy and Canada. Politicians and media need to ensure they are not coerced into speaking in support of the fascism that upholds India’s regime creeping into Australia.”