麻豆社

Good morning.

Sikhs all over the world are observing the start of year-long celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The 9th Guru is famed throughout India as 鈥楬ind di Chadar鈥� or the 鈥楽hield of India鈥�. In 1675, he was visited by a group of Hindu leaders who wanted his help. There were in danger of being forcibly converted to another faith on pain of death, and they feared that if they were converted, the majority of their Hindu followers across India would feel they had no choice but to do the same. The Mughal Emperor had told them that if they could find someone more holy than them to sacrifice his own life instead, they would not have to convert. The Guru agreed to their request and travelled to Delhi knowing that he was going to die. He was arrested by the authorities, his companions were tortured and killed in front of him. He was then beheaded, but he and his companions had retained their own Sikh identity.

The Guru gave his life to defend the freedom of religion, and his martyrdom helped to make human rights and freedom of identity central to Sikh faith. He fought to save pluralism, and rejected the idea of monoculturalism being imposed by force on others. For him, the idea that a single faith should dictate the views and opinions of people of other faiths was something to be opposed at all costs. Sikhs have sought to embody that spirit ever since then, defending the rights of all in society regardless of religious differences.

Four centuries on from his birth, and religious discrimination remains commonplace the world over. Nationalism can at times become entangled with religious ideology, and the pluralist and richly diverse identity of nations can be eroded. Yet the real test of faith and humanity is the ability to defend to the very end the rights of others, even if we ourselves profoundly disagree with their views or beliefs.

The next 12 months will see many leading figures - Sikhs and others - honouring the Guru. However, if they have true reverence for his teachings their actions must speak more loudly than words. Defending the vulnerable in society, supporting the freedom of religion and belief, and removing institutional discrimination against minority communities are just some of the acts which would be a lasting legacy to the Guru who 鈥� in the words of his son - 鈥渓aid down his life but not his creed鈥�.

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