Hello, Rose - You posted some interesting information in the music forum at the Mudcat Cafe, but I'm afraid you may have posted too much of a good thing. I combined all the threads you started into one. If you wish to post any more information, please post it in the one remaining thread. When people are posting information about a single topic, we ask that they keep it all in one thread.
Thank you very much.
-Joe Offer- (e-mail sent)
Sat Siri Akaal -Truth Is Undying!
The Sikhs thank Flib Breskin and Linda Allen for working so hard in our behalf.
And Jai Jai (Hail Hail) the Freedom of Information Act! This makes us proud to be Americans! Thank you USA Social Activists for your websites. And Sikhs want you to know that the book and website "Acid Dreams" is very fascinating...how do you say? WOW! Far Out! TRIPPY!
And Sikhs salute and admire USA women having read "A World Split Apart" by Ruth Rosen. Sikhs respect Noam Chompsky's sites too.
Hey when you write a daily column you end up sharing about just about everything!
Sikhs would like to share Patwant Singh's book "The Sikhs" with you, also Dr. Nikky Kaur's book of translations of our scripture/Guru called "The Name of the Beloved".
Other than Nikky's translation, we must apologize that our beautiful Sri Guru Granth's poetry has been very poorly translated. The language it is written in does not have gender words for God and God concepts. Most translations are full of He and Lord. Sikhs do not believe in original sin and for us the Creator and the CREATION are ONE and the same, Ik Ong Kaar (ONE Creator/Creation literally)
IJ Singh's books "Sikhs and Sikhism" and "The Sikh Way" are excellent. And we have wonderful websites to share with you (search SIKH), but I do not like Sikhnet personally.
We pray you support Sikhs in our Platform and share this with your friends everywhere.
Most of all Thank You Silicon Valley Heros for getting the Internet up before it could be monitored or controlled. You have saved the culture and healed the hearts of the Sikh people. Our debt to you is so large it humbles us deeply.
On Behalf of the Sikhs- Kamalla Rose Kaur
Kamalla Rose Kaur On Behalf Of The Sikhs Daily Columnist, Global Sikh Daily News Online
In the last 10 days I have experienced the 2 most horrific events of my life, the terrorist attack on the United States of America and the racial backlash and attack on USA Sikhs and Muslims. Sikhs, who wear turbans and have beards, are being attacked more than Muslims. A Sikh gas station attendant has been murdered in Arizona.
Sikhs are not Muslims. The great religion of Sikhi is a Universalist path from India. We believe all religions are wonderful and good IF they are practiced with love. Sikhi is an anti-caste movement; not racist and not sexist either.
Today, on behalf of Sikhs everywhere I wish to thank USA Jews for leaping in to help Sikhs who are being racially targeted and for educating ignorant Americans on just who the proud Sikhs are. I thank Unitarian Universalists for rushing to assist in every reported case of harassment or violence towards Sikhs. I honor our World War 2 Veterans for remembering and telling the stories of Sikh's contribution to fighting on behalf of the Hebrew people, a mere 60 years ago. How soon Americans seem to forget.
I applaud Canadians and the people of the United Kingdom for putting effort towards educating Americans about who Sikhs are and who we always have been.
Sikhs are peaceful warriors, we can only defend and we are under vow to never attack. Yet a Sikh is also under vow to defend all people from oppressors. 500 years ago Sikhs took up arms to fight the Muslim Inquisition for freedom of religion for the Hindus, the Jains and yes for ourselves too. And as much as the British admired Sikhs and spread Sikhs all around the British Empire, we Sikhs felt it morally right to practice nonviolent resistance to the British Raj when Gandhi was still in South Africa. Sikhs know deep in our hearts that Great Britain's decision to return India to self-rule was much impacted by the massacre of Sikhs by British troops, a scene that many Americans may remember from watching the movie "Gandhi".
During the time of Partition between India and Pakistan, Sikhs allowed the boundaries of these two countries to pass through our lands so that the Hindus and Muslims might sooner stop slaughtering each other.
And in 1984 the predominately high caste government of India sent troops to attack the most central of Sikh's Gurdwaras, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. On THAT horrible day of my life I watched from afar as many more people died than we have seen die this week.
Let us be clear that Sikhs everywhere are clear that Hindus are not our enemies. We have lived with Hindus and Muslims as our neighbors for hundreds of years.
Sikhs have also recently defended Christians against terrorist attacks in India. *
Bullies and tyrants come in all ages and pop up in all races and religions to test our humanity.
On behalf of Sikhs everywhere it is my honor to assure Americans citizens that Sikhs are proud to be the targets of your painful reactions and spontaneous racism. We will stand to defend the safety of American Muslims, our neighbors who have worked so hard, like Sikhs have, to NOT have to live in the countries from which we have fled. Had we not longed to be Americans we would not have suffered so much to become Americans.
I am an American convert to the Sikh religion. My own family arrived from Ireland 3 generations ago. We were starving to death. There were no jobs for the Irish. I ask Catholics everywhere to help Sikhs. I ask all USA citizens who have ever wondered what they would have done had they been living in Germany when the Jews first got targeted, to ask no more. Decide instead.
Sikhs are very happy that fellow Americans share our horror of terrorism and oppression and that Americans are ready now to fight attacks on innocent people everywhere in this world.
And Sikhs salute the British for giving up the need to rule the world. Thank you for letting your Empire go. Now we feel confident that the USA is ready to make the same commitment to our Earth. Sikhs honor fellow USA immigrants, past, present and future, for taking a stand against oppression everywhere, anytime, anywhere you see it. Terrorists beware, we are ALL sick and tired of dealing with bullies on the playground. We all must share this Earth. Sikhs join love-awakened people everywhere in the fight against terrorism, organized crime, corrupt governments, tyrants, and all the forces that are harming our Earth's beauty and ecological balance.
Fellow Americans we ask you to reach out to USA Muslims immediately. This is our heartfelt request, and be assured that Sikhs will be proudly deflecting racial hatred from Muslims onto ourselves to the best of our abilities. It is our goal that not one Muslim will die in the USA nor be put in a concentration camp. It is our prayer that no more Sikhs die either.
Yet remember please, when a Khalsa Sikh draws his or her sword, our sacred Kirpan, in defense of anyone suffering from oppression, THAT is the moment a Sikh dies. No mere human has any say in what happens after that. Sikhs are consecrated to the Beloved ONE. Sikhs find the infinity of the All-That-Is, the IK ONG KAR, vastly humbling. How ridiculous to be egotistical and selfish and self-serving and destructive and greedy given the vast reality of our cosmos? On our death days we must all review the truth and honor behind all our decisions in life.
This is the meaning of the Sikh's greeting.
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa! Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
Sikhs belong to the Beloved ONE, the Creator/Creation, GOD. May the Beloved ONE's Divine Plan win over humanity's absurd egotism!
PREM KI JIT! (Prem Kee Jeet!) Sikh Battle Cry which means: MAY LOVE BE THE VICTORY!
(A Hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib, The Sikh Scripture)
The world is going up in flames! O God! Save it. Shower it with Your Mercy.
By whatever method it takes. Save it! Deliver it! The True Enlightener reveals the way to peace, reflection on the True Word of the Divine
The world is going up in flames! O God! Save it. Shower it with Your Mercy.
Nanak can think of none other that you, O God! who can save it!
(The Daily Sikh Collective Prayer) Nanak says! Through the Divine Name, may our spirits rise, and By your will, O God! may humankind prosper in peace.
Disclaimer: These are interpretations of Gurbaani that try to remain as literal as possible. Gurbaani, the Divine Word revealed to the Guru, can never be translated. All so-called translations are in fact interpretations.
* Convent attacked in Panipat, one held
http://www.indiaserver.com:80/thehindu/2000/03/13/stories/0213000b.htm
NEW DELHI, MARCH 12. Two days after an alleged attack on a church in Haryana's Samalkha town, armed dacoits looted a Christian convent in Panipat district in the wee hours of Saturday, a Christian organisation alleged here today.
An armed gang of 10 persons barged into the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Graces convent in the wee hours of Saturday, broke the doors and looted petty cash kept in the rooms, United Christian Forum for Human Rights alleged.
No one was injured in the attack as five Sisters (nuns) who were shocked saved themselves by locking themselves inside another room, the forum's national convenor, Mr. John Dayal, told PTI.
Hearing the cries of the Sisters, a Sikh family staying in the neighbourhood came to their rescue and caught one of the attackers and later handed him over to the police, Mr. Dayal said.
Police had registered a case of dacoity and deployed security guards outside the convent in the aftermath of the incident, he said.
Unidentified intruders had allegedly looted the Isht Mata Catholic church in Samalkha in the wee hours of Thursday and made off with about Rs. 60,000.
No one was injured in the attack and Father Aseem Raj, the priest, saved his life by bolting himself in the bathroom of his bedroom.
``We are deeply concerned at the increasing number of threats that our church and schools have received in recent days from communal elements, who have remained anonymous,'' Mr. Dayal said.
- PTI