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Good morning If you had to decide between being true to what you believed and being punished for taking a stand, what would you do? That was a decision that England, Wales and other European World Cup teams had to face when it came to wearing the ‘OneLove’ armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights, this week. Ultimately, the football associations decided that they could not put their players in a position where they would be on yellow cards before the game had even begun. In another conundrum, the long hours of negotiating at COP27 finally resulted in a decision to establish a loss and damage fund with a focus on those nations most vulnerable to the climate crisis. The idea is that the richer countries will look after the poorer ones which are at far greater risk. This idea of remaining true to one’s principles, whatever the costs, is something that is very dear to Sikh theology. The 9th Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was known for his humility, and he was approached one day by a group of Hindu leaders from Kashmir who were under attack because of their faith. Their communities had been told by the Mughal Emperor to convert to Islam on the pain of death, and they had come to ask the Guru for his help. The Guru thought carefully and eventually came to the realisation that the only way to help them was for him to go to Delhi and offer himself in place of the Hindu leaders. Sikhs are today marking the anniversary of the martyrdom of the 9th Guru, a unique sacrifice that was made not to save his own faith but the faith of others. To protect the rights of another community that he himself didn’t belong to. For him, the idea of human rights were universal, and if they were under attack, then he had a duty to protect them. If that meant paying the ultimate price, he was willing to do so. He came to be known as the Shield of India, and his martyrdom is seen as a watershed moment in Indian history. It reminds Sikhs that we need to be willing to defend the rights of everyone in society and do whatever possible to shine a light on the discrimination and abuse experienced by people, whoever they may be. Amongst his compositions in the Sikh scriptures, this line from Guru Tegh Bahadur is very striking for me. Give up both praise and blame, and discover a state of nirvana O servant Nanak, it’s such a difficult game that only a few gurmukhs will understand For me, these verses illustrate that it’s only when we move away from our self-interests and focus on the greater good that we can truly create change. That being a strong ally means moving beyond mere performative gestures and standing united in the face of injustice. If you can’t do that, you’ve already lost the game.