(Press statement from Global Sikh Council dated 29 Oct 2021)
UNETHICAL CONVERSION OF SIKHS TO CHRISTIANITY – LETTER TO BIBI JAGIR KAUR JI
Bibi Jagir Kaur Ji,
President, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)
Subject: Unethical and unlawful conversion of Sikhs in Punjab to Christianity
1. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee of Amritsar (SGPC) is the Spiritual and Religious head of Sikhs. Sikhs look to it for guidance in such matters.
2. Reference is made to our successful Zoom meeting about 2 months ago between some GSC members led by the President with yourself as President of SGPC. Further reference is made to our phone conversation (Dr. Kanwaljit Kaur & Bibi Jagir Kaur Ji on 16/10/2021) relating to proselytization by some Christian Missionaries and as promised, herewith a letter highlighting the issue and action points to overcome the problem.
3. It has come to the attention of the Global Sikh Council that various Christian missionaries in Punjab are very actively converting Sikhs to Christianity by unethical means including giving allurements to convert by offer of money, free education, healthcare, compensation etc. There is also clear evidence that when proselytising among Sikhs, unethical and unlawful methods are used as detailed below:
(i) The Punjab Pulse (July 21, 2020, by Paramjit Singh – “Alarming rise in conversion of Sikhs to Christianity”.
“Missionaries often publish false information about the person’s native faith to make them believe that Christianity has more to offer. There have been reports that they go
to the extent of wearing saffron robes and making statutes of Jesus doing yoga. The churches being constructed in the shape of temple and Gurdwaras, Christian hymns are being sung in the form of the “Kirtan” (Musical recitation of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib). So much so there is now a body by the name of “Shiromani church Parbandhak Committee” to organise its Christian community in Punjab.”
(ii) Dilpreet Kaur @ kaurageousdil.1d
“In Punjab the symbols of Sikhism are used to confuse rural Sikhs, Sabu Mathai Kathilita wrote a whole book with strategy for converting Sikhs. He proposed using terms such as Satsangs, Langars, Jesus Gurdwara, name of Satnam Waheguru for God and Satguru for Jesus.”
Note:
(a) “Satsang” is ““ ਸਤਸੰ ਗਤਤ ਕੈਸੀ ਜਾਣੀਐ॥ ਤਜਥੈ ਏਕੋ ਨਾਮ ਵਖਾਣੀਐ॥ ਏਕੋ ਨਾਮ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਤਤਗੁਰ ਦੀਆ ਬੁਝਾਇ ਜੀਉ॥ ਅੰਗ 71 SGGS) “(Satsang kaisi janeeh, Jitheh eko naam vakhaneeh)”. The Sikh converts are asked to chant name of Lord Jesus during “Satsangs”. Word Satsang can only be used for reciting “Gurbani”. It cannot be used for Christian worship.(b)
(b) “Satguru” can only be used for the 10 Gurus and for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Sikh converts are told to call Jesus as “Satguru”, which is blasphemy against the Sikh faith and Sikh Gurus.
(c) Re – viral video clip showing an alert Sikh village leader Gurmel Singh village “Dhanoor Pind” rounding up about 20 girls and women who were proselytising to Sikhs in his village. Most of these girls/women were wearing white kameez with black Salwars and black dhappatas. They were told to leave the village as they were trying to break the faith of the villagers in Sikh religion and putting down and defaming Sikh Gurus which is a Penal Code offence under section 298. The Christians want to propagate their religion they should propagate to own Christian community and not use unethical means to confuse and convert Sikhs. Village leaders should be alert to keep such preachers out of their village for it can result in the breach of peace, for defaming Sikh religion, Sikh Gurus & Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
(d) Reports have also come into the effect that the Christian missionaries target poor, illiterate and innocent villagers. They tell them that your Sikh Gurus cannot help you and only Lord Jesus or Satguru Jesus can save you to go to heaven. That Jesus was the son of God, and the Sikh Gurus were ordinary people. The Sikh belief is that Almighty has no form and is not born contrary to the Christian faith.
(e) The Tenth Guru of the Sikhs had created the Khalsa Panth on April 14, 1699 and had ordained that the Male Sikh should carry name of “Singh” and the female “Kaur”. The Guru also ordained that the Sikhs should keep unshorn hair, Kirpan, Kara, Kanga & Kashyra. Any Sikh after conversion becomes a Patit and has no right to carry the name of Singh and Kaur. So once one converts to Christianity one has denounced the Sikh faith and thus has no right to carry the articles of Sikh Faith. Their doing so is a fraud and deception on the Sikhs and is creating ill-will.
In view of the above, especially from numbers (i) to (iv) above, it is clear, the Christian missionaries are acting in violation of Section 298 of the Indian Panel Code, which says: “Whoever, with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person, utters any word or makes any sound in the hearing of that person or makes any gesture in the sight of that person or places any object in the sight of the person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either detention for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.”
4. RELIGIOUS&CULTURAL Appropriation:
The Christian Missionaries engaged in proselytization of Sikhs in Punjab are not only maligning the Sikh Gurus and the Sikh faith in pursuing their attempts to convert Sikhs but also are guilty of an unholy agenda to confuse the Sikhs by committing RELIGIOUS & CULTURAL appropriation of the Sikh faith and its practices, customs, Gurbani and traditions some of which have been stated above.
These include:
(i) Missionaries wear saffron robes and making statutes of Jesus doing yoga. Churches are constructed in shapes of Gurdwaras, Christian hymns, being sung in forms of “Gurbani Kirtan”.
(ii) Setting up a body called “Shiromani Church Parbandhak Committee” mimicking the Historical and Sikh religion based “Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee”.
(iii) Using Sikh holy or religious words such as “Satsang, Langar, Yishu Gurdwara, name of Satnam Waheguru for GOD, “Satguru” for “Jesus”, etc.
(iv) Naming a Church as “Chamkaur Sahib Church”, knowing well Chamkaur Sahib Battle was fought by the Sikh Guru and Sikh forces and that it has nothing to do with Christianity.
5. The Proselytization by Christians of Sikhs is causing great ill – will towards the Sikh religion as they are defaming the Sikh Gurus when brainwashing Sikhs to become Christians and this has led to anger amongst the Sikhs. There is freedom to practise one’s religion and freedom for one to convert to another religion of own free will but when unethical means and allurements are used when proselytising, then one is committing an offence by hurting the religious feelings of other religions in this case of Sikhs which is a criminal offence under section 298 of the Indian Penal Code.
6. The Global Sikh Council therefore calls upon the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to take concrete measures aimed at stopping this proselytising and unethical conversion of Sikhs by defaming the Sikh Gurus, Sikh Religion using Sikh terms like Satsang, Satguru for Jesus, using Sikh identity and retaining Sikh names of “Singh” and “Kaur” even after conversion. The measures to be taken should include:
(i) Issuance of a “Sandesh” by Akal Takht for Sikhs to boycott Christians who are engaged in carrying out unethical conversions.
(ii) All villages to be alert so that those coming to their village to convert Sikhs by unethical means and defaming the Sikh Gurus and the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji are asked to leave the village as was done by the alert villager of “Dhanoor Pind”. The Christian Missionaries have no right to enter Sikh villagers for preaching without getting permission from village heads. Freedom of propagation does not include freedom to defame Sikh Gurus, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the Sikh religion in order to convert Sikhs.
(iii) The village heads should report such unethical conversions whereby Sikh Gurus, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the Sikh faith is defamed to the Police as causing ill-will towards the Sikh faith and which is likely to cause a breach of the peace when Sikh feelings are hurt. This is an offence under Section 298 of the Indian Penal Code.
(iv) The use of name “Chamkaur Sahib Church” for a Christian Church is a slap in the face of the Sikhs as “Chamkaur Sahib” has only Historical and religious significance to the Sikhs. It has nothing to do with Christianity. The “Battle of Chamkaur Sahib” in 1705 was fought between the Khalsa led by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji with the Mughal forces led by Wazir Khan. In this Sikhs numbered only 48 whilst the Mughal forces were few Lakhs. In this battle Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh and 42 other Sikhs were martyred. Thus “Chamkaur Sahib” is of great religious and Historical significance to the Sikhs whilst it has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity. Thus, the Christians must remove the word “Chamkaur Sahib” for their church and name it as a Christian Protestant, Catholic Church etc. and Chamkaur Sahib can be stated as town in address of the church only.
(v) The purported formation of a body by name of “Shiromani Church Parbandhak Committee” mimicking the Historical and Sikh Heritage Committee of “Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee” is against Sikh sentiments and such name cannot be used by the Christians. “Shiromani” has religious and Historical value for Sikhs only. It has nothing to do with Christianity, other than to confuse and deceive Sikhs.
(vi) Issuance of Sandesh that word “Satguru” is related to the Sikh religion and can only be used for the 10 Sikh Gurus and the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It cannot be used for “Jesus” as it will mean the commission of a blasphemous Act against the Sikh faith which is an offence under section 298 of the Indian Penal Code.
(vii) Setting up a welfare committee under the SGPC to help the needy and the poor Sikhs to look into their welfare including poverty eradication and meeting their educational needs.
(viii) To recruit sufficient qualified Parcharaks from Missionary colleges to oversee Sikhi and Gurmat Parchar in Sikh villages.
7. Finally, the Global Sikh Council wishes to remind the Akal Takht Sahib and the SGPC that they are the protectors of the Sikh Faith. Any inaction or silence on the matter is not an option. The Global Sikh world is looking to the Akal Takht and SGPC to take effective steps as proposed above to check proselytising of Sikhs in Punjab by unethical means which is an offence under the Indian Panel Code.
The Global Sikh Council wishes to appeal to all Sikh organisations and Sikh Parcharaks in Punjab who have the love of Sikhi in their hearts to take note of above and take steps to stop the unethical conversion of Sikhs and the defaming of the Sikh Gurus and the Sikh religion whilst trying to proselytise among Sikhs.
(Signatories)
Lady Singh, Kanwaljit Kaur (UK), President, Global Sikh Council (Deputy Director, Network of Sikh Organisations UK)
Jagir Singh (Malaysia), Chairman, legal Affairs Committee (President, Malaysian Gurdwaras Council)
Paramjit Singh Bedi (USA), Chairman Afghanistan Affairs Committee (Coordinator, Sikhs in Afghanistan)
Ram Singh Rathor (India), Chairman Media Relations (President, United Singh Sabha Foundation, India)
Gurdial Singh (France), Chairman European Affairs (Coordinator Europe)
(The letter was confirmed by the sender. Some of the numbers have been adjusted to reflect the flow of the letter. The text is as received).
RELATED STORY:
Christian Invasion of Punjab: A Major Demographic Change in Offing (Asia Samachar, 9 Nov 2021)
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