Sikhs Across Borders by Jacobsen Knut A.; Myrvold Kristina;

Author:Jacobsen, Knut A.; Myrvold, Kristina;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2012-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Sociopolitical issues arising from the discussion boards

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most research and publications on Sikhism were conducted within a historical framework (Jakobsh, 2006, p. 1), and much research has been carried out in the field of Sikh identity (see McLeod, 2004; Singh, 2004). However, little has been researched in the field of sociopolitical views and activities among contemporary European Sikhs. This section will explore the political views of the young Sikhs in relation to recent Punjab history and their social views in regard to their parents’ generation.

The members on Sikhsangat.com seem to be more interested in politics and international issues of the Sikh community compared to the members on Sikhawareness.com. Sikhsangat.com can be said to follow a global trend of revitalizing the idea of Khalistan (Axel, 2002, p. 412), and the subject is, therefore, occasionally discussed on the forum where most of the members seem to be in favor of Sikh sovereignty in the form of an independent Khalistan state. The discussions about Khalistan on Sikhsangat.com are normally conducted within the frames of the guidelines which state that “insulting the Sikh Shaheeds [martyrs] of the 1980s is certainly not allowed under any condition” and “supporting the Indian government for attacking Darbar Sahib [the Golden Temple] and justifying the 1984 massacre [is forbidden and could result in a ban from the forum]” (Sikhsangat.com, 2005).

A great majority of debates can be narrowed down into a notion of Khalistan as an idea and entity separated from India. There has not been much focus on judicial and practical issues related to the state of Khalistan itself, for example, how the state should be governed, which laws should be implemented, politics, and so forth. The events of 1984 are commemorated annually by changing the website’s visual design as well as the appearances of many topics discussing the events and the need for a separate Sikh state. Some members express a negative view of the Indian government and still believe it is conspiring to weaken the Sikh community and enfold Sikhism into the wider fold of Hinduism. As such, there are many theories of false flag operations in which the Indian government launches bomb attacks and then blames the Sikhs in order to slander their name in the global media. Most of the debates regarding 1984 are not based on literary documents and human rights reports, but rather on what is considered common knowledge and popular misconceptions among young Sikhs today. As Brian Axel discusses, ideas and narratives of Khalistan in the form of images of tortured and mutilated bodies circulated transnationally in the 1990s. According to him, these images were scattered globally, particularly on the internet, to reveal the massive human rights violations that took place in the 1980s with the intention of inspiring Sikhs worldwide to become supporters of Sikh sovereignty (Axel, 2002, p. 414). Though these images are not presented on Sikhsangat.com, it is interesting to note that the similar ideas and narratives produced by the elder generations are repeated on the discussion forum among young people.

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