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{{short description|Members of an Indian untouchable caste}} | {{short description|Members of an Indian untouchable caste}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2013}} | {{Use Indian English|date=March 2013}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} | ||
{{Infobox caste | {{Infobox caste | ||
|caste_name = Mazhabi Sikh | |caste_name = Mazhabi Sikh | ||
|classification = | |classification = | ||
|populated_states = [[Punjab]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Haryana]] | |populated_states = [[Punjab]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Haryana]] | ||
|languages = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] | |languages = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] | ||
|religions = [[Sikhism]] | |religions = [[Sikhism]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Sikhism sidebar}} | |||
'''Mazhabi Sikh''' (also known as Mazbhabi, Mazbhi, Majhabhi or Majabhi) is a community from Northern India , especially Punjab region ,who follow [[Sikhism]]. The word ''Mazhabi'' is derived from the [[ | '''Mazhabi Sikh''' (also known as Mazbhabi, Mazbhi, Majhabhi or Majabhi) is a community from Northern India, especially Punjab region, who follow [[Sikhism]]. The word ''Mazhabi'' is derived from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] term ''mazhab'' ([[Madhab|Mazhab]] means religion or sect), and can be translated as ''the faithful''. They live mainly in [[Punjab (India)|Indian Punjab]], [[Rajasthan]] and [[Haryana]]. | ||
==Origins== | ==Origins== | ||
When [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], the [[Sikh gurus|ninth Sikh guru]], was martyred by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] in Delhi, lower caste member recovered his dismembered body | When [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], the [[Sikh gurus|ninth Sikh guru]], was martyred by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] in Delhi, lower caste member recovered his dismembered body and brought it back to his son, [[Guru Gobind Singh]]. His name was Bhai Jaita Ji. In recognition of their act, he admitted the [[Untouchability|untouchables]] into the [[Khalsa]] (the Sikh faith), giving them the name ''Mazhabi'' ("faithful").<ref name="yong">{{cite book |last=Yong |first=Tan Tai |year=2005 |title=The Garrison State: The Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab, 1849–1947 |publisher=SAGE |page=73 |isbn=978-8-13210-347-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5ZiMV7rqWUC&pg=PA1897}}</ref> | ||
==Divisions== | ==Divisions== | ||
Within the present-day Mazhabi community, one group calls itself the Ranghreta and claims a higher status on the grounds that one of their ancestors was [[Bhai Jiwan Singh|Bhai Jaita Ranghreta]], who carried the head of Tegh Bahadur from Delhi to Guru Gobind Singh in [[Anandpur Sahib]] On seeing this act of bravery and self renunciation Guru Gobind Singh uttered "Ranghreta Guru ka beta", which means Ranghreta is son of Guru.<ref>{{cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |author-link=W. H. McLeod |year=2009 |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA171 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=171 |isbn=978-0-81086-344-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=W. Owen |last=Cole |title=Understanding Sikhism |publisher=Dunedin Academic Press |year=2004 |page=153 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/119495281/understanding-sikhism |via= | Within the present-day Mazhabi community, one group calls itself the Ranghreta and claims a higher status on the grounds that one of their ancestors was [[Bhai Jiwan Singh|Bhai Jaita Ranghreta]], who carried the head of Tegh Bahadur from Delhi to Guru Gobind Singh in [[Anandpur Sahib]] On seeing this act of bravery and self renunciation Guru Gobind Singh uttered "Ranghreta Guru ka beta", which means Ranghreta is son of Guru.<ref>{{cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |author-link=W. H. McLeod |year=2009 |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA171 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=171 |isbn=978-0-81086-344-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=W. Owen |last=Cole |title=Understanding Sikhism |publisher=Dunedin Academic Press |year=2004 |page=153 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/119495281/understanding-sikhism |via=|access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906091954/https://www.questia.com/read/119495281/understanding-sikhism |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
The definition of ''Mazhabi'' today is somewhat blurred because of the influence of Valmikism. While Sikhism is in theory an egalitarian faith that takes no notice of caste, gender and other social demarcations, Fenech and Singh note that "there is often a level of hypocrisy between what is taught and what is actually put into practice." Mazhabis are discriminated against by Sikhs whose origins lie with higher-ranked castes and many [[Chuhra]]s have turned to Valmikism but are still referred to as Mazhabi. While young [[Valmiki caste|Valmikis]], who accept Valmiki as their guru, increasingly object to being labelled as Sikh, their elders are less concerned.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Fenech |editor1-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Singh |editor2-first=Pashaura |year=2014 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=356 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA356 |isbn=978-0-19100-412-4}}</ref>{{efn|The vagueness of the Mazhabi-Valmiki relationship was exemplified by tribunal rulings in 1953 and 1955, where an election candidate variously declared himself as a [[Harijan]] Hindu, a Mazhabi Sikh, a Valmiki, and a Valmiki Hindu. The first ruling determined him to be Valmiki Hindu and the subsequent one decided he was Mazhabi Sikh.<ref>{{cite book |first=Marc |last=Galanter |title=Competing Equalities: Law and the Backward Classes in India |publisher=University of California Press |year=1984 |page=307 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/87180543/competing-equalities-law-and-the-backward-classes |via= | The definition of ''Mazhabi'' today is somewhat blurred because of the influence of Valmikism. While Sikhism is in theory an egalitarian faith that takes no notice of caste, gender and other social demarcations, Fenech and Singh note that "there is often a level of hypocrisy between what is taught and what is actually put into practice." Mazhabis are discriminated against by Sikhs whose origins lie with higher-ranked castes and many [[Chuhra]]s have turned to Valmikism but are still referred to as Mazhabi. While young [[Valmiki caste|Valmikis]], who accept Valmiki as their guru, increasingly object to being labelled as Sikh, their elders are less concerned.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Fenech |editor1-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Singh |editor2-first=Pashaura |year=2014 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=356 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA356 |isbn=978-0-19100-412-4}}</ref>{{efn|The vagueness of the Mazhabi-Valmiki relationship was exemplified by tribunal rulings in 1953 and 1955, where an election candidate variously declared himself as a [[Harijan]] Hindu, a Mazhabi Sikh, a Valmiki, and a Valmiki Hindu. The first ruling determined him to be Valmiki Hindu and the subsequent one decided he was Mazhabi Sikh.<ref>{{cite book |first=Marc |last=Galanter |title=Competing Equalities: Law and the Backward Classes in India |publisher=University of California Press |year=1984 |page=307 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/87180543/competing-equalities-law-and-the-backward-classes |via= |access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=13 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013014053/https://www.questia.com/read/87180543/competing-equalities-law-and-the-backward-classes |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} At least one of their organisations, the Valmiki-Mazhabi Sikh Morcha, conflates the terms.<ref>{{cite news |title=12 Vakmiki-Mazhabi Sikh Morcha Members Injured in Police Action |work=Hindustan Times |date=31 July 2014 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3388153601/12-vakmiki-mazhabi-sikh-morcha-members-injured-in |via=|access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=12 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012202409/https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3388153601/12-vakmiki-mazhabi-sikh-morcha-members-injured-in |url-status=dead }},</ref> | ||
Mazhabis who converted from Sikhism to Christianity under the influence of Christian missionaries in the later years of the [[British Raj]] are sometimes referred to as Christian Mazhabi Sikhs.<ref name= | Mazhabis who converted from Sikhism to Christianity under the influence of Christian missionaries in the later years of the [[British Raj]] are sometimes referred to as Christian Mazhabi Sikhs.<ref name=ht20141203>{{cite news |title=Despite Akali Stand, RSS Set to Bring Back 30 Mazhabi Christians Back to Sikh Fold |work=Hindustan Times|date=3 December 2014 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3539251631/despite-akali-stand-rss-set-to-bring-back-30-mazhabi |via=|access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=13 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013013341/https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3539251631/despite-akali-stand-rss-set-to-bring-back-30-mazhabi |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some also profess Hinduism but call themselves Mazhabi, as do a small number who follow the tenets of [[Buddhism]].<ref name="2011 census" /> | ||
==Military service== | ==Military service== | ||
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The Mazhabi Sikh soldiers have a reputation for their loyalty and reliability. During [[Operation Blue Star]] in 1984, when the Indian Army entered the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]], Jat Sikh soldiers broke out in mutiny against their officers in the [[Sikh Regiment]] and Punjab regiments A total of 2,000 Sikh personnel took part in the mutinies. In the most sensational case 1,400 mainly Jat Sikhs deserted after killing their commanding officer and armed themselves. A significant number of those were also new recruits who were incited easily into mutiny and some were forced at gun point to take part in the mutinies.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Ron E. |editor-last=Hassner |year=2013 |chapter=India |first=Amit |last=Ahuja |title=Religion in the Military Worldwide |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=171 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffE0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171 |isbn=978-1-10751-255-9}}</ref>{{qn|date=June 2016}} Despite that, the Indian Army officers were correct when they expressed confidence to journalists that the Mazhabi Sikhs of the Sikh Light Infantry would not mutiny.<ref>{{cite book |title=Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy Since Independence |first=Steven I. |last=Wilkinson |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-67472-880-6 |page=221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-qaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA221}}</ref> | The Mazhabi Sikh soldiers have a reputation for their loyalty and reliability. During [[Operation Blue Star]] in 1984, when the Indian Army entered the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]], Jat Sikh soldiers broke out in mutiny against their officers in the [[Sikh Regiment]] and Punjab regiments A total of 2,000 Sikh personnel took part in the mutinies. In the most sensational case 1,400 mainly Jat Sikhs deserted after killing their commanding officer and armed themselves. A significant number of those were also new recruits who were incited easily into mutiny and some were forced at gun point to take part in the mutinies.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Ron E. |editor-last=Hassner |year=2013 |chapter=India |first=Amit |last=Ahuja |title=Religion in the Military Worldwide |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=171 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffE0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171 |isbn=978-1-10751-255-9}}</ref>{{qn|date=June 2016}} Despite that, the Indian Army officers were correct when they expressed confidence to journalists that the Mazhabi Sikhs of the Sikh Light Infantry would not mutiny.<ref>{{cite book |title=Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy Since Independence |first=Steven I. |last=Wilkinson |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-67472-880-6 |page=221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-qaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA221}}</ref> | ||
In Punjab, [[Khalistani groups|Sikh militants]] had stepped up their attacks on law enforcement as well as civilians, including minority groups. The Punjab had now reached a state of emergency and [[Director General of Police]], [[Kanwar Pal Singh Gill]], responded by raising Mazhabi Sikhs as "Special Police Officers". This tactic was designed both for community protection and to dull any incentive for Mazhabis to join with the militants, although in fact Mazhabis had often been victims of attacks by those people. Their loyalty was to the government and was never questioned.<ref name="journals.hil.unb.ca">{{cite journal|url=http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/4293/4888 |title=Counter-Insurgency in India: Observations from Punjab and Kashmir |journal=Journal of Conflict Studies |access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> Mostly unemployed people, they were provided with guns by the state and were literally given a licence to kill. Gill received heavy criticism<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/police-chief-k.p.s.-gill-turns-the-tide-in-punjab-with-controversial-and-ruthless-methods/1/302060.html |title=Police chief K.P.S. Gill turns the tide in Punjab with controversial and ruthless methods |work=India Today|date=1993-04-15 |access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> for the brutality and ruthlessness of his tactics but the Sikh militants were neutralised. A large number of these special police officers were said to have been used during the February 1992 elections. An open season was declared on Sikh terrorists and the police were able to use whatever means deemed necessary to achieve victory. Major Sikh militant leaders were targeted, and many did not survive.<ref name="refworld.org">{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a83b1c.html |title=Punjab Human Rights Update |publisher=UNHCR |access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> | In Punjab, [[Khalistani groups|Sikh militants]] had stepped up their attacks on law enforcement as well as civilians, including minority groups. The Punjab had now reached a state of emergency and [[Director General of Police]], [[Kanwar Pal Singh Gill]], responded by raising Mazhabi Sikhs as "Special Police Officers". This tactic was designed both for community protection and to dull any incentive for Mazhabis to join with the militants, although in fact Mazhabis had often been victims of attacks by those people. Their loyalty was to the government and was never questioned.<ref name="journals.hil.unb.ca">{{cite journal|url=http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/4293/4888 |title=Counter-Insurgency in India: Observations from Punjab and Kashmir |journal=Journal of Conflict Studies |date=August 2001 |access-date=2016-06-17|last1=Telford |first1=Hamish }}</ref> Mostly unemployed people, they were provided with guns by the state and were literally given a licence to kill. Gill received heavy criticism<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/police-chief-k.p.s.-gill-turns-the-tide-in-punjab-with-controversial-and-ruthless-methods/1/302060.html |title=Police chief K.P.S. Gill turns the tide in Punjab with controversial and ruthless methods |work=India Today|date=1993-04-15 |access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> for the brutality and ruthlessness of his tactics but the Sikh militants were neutralised. A large number of these special police officers were said to have been used during the February 1992 elections. An open season was declared on Sikh terrorists and the police were able to use whatever means deemed necessary to achieve victory. Major Sikh militant leaders were targeted, and many did not survive.<ref name="refworld.org">{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a83b1c.html |title=Punjab Human Rights Update |publisher=UNHCR |access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> | ||
==Social status== | ==Social status== | ||
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During the numerous discussions, conferences and proposals that preceded Indian independence, the Mazhabis sought to obtain an autonomous region within [[Partition of India|partitioned Punjab]] which they proposed to be called "Mazbhistan". This was one of many instances reflecting the lack of coherence among adherents of Sikhism at that time.<ref>{{cite book |title=Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850 |first=Ayesha |last=Jalal |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-13459-938-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=az6CAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA436 |page=436}}</ref> | During the numerous discussions, conferences and proposals that preceded Indian independence, the Mazhabis sought to obtain an autonomous region within [[Partition of India|partitioned Punjab]] which they proposed to be called "Mazbhistan". This was one of many instances reflecting the lack of coherence among adherents of Sikhism at that time.<ref>{{cite book |title=Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850 |first=Ayesha |last=Jalal |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-13459-938-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=az6CAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA436 |page=436}}</ref> | ||
Many Jat Sikhs continue to look down upon the Mazhabis,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_7-9-2004_pg3_2 |title=400 years of Guru Granth Sahib |first=Ishtiaq |last=Ahmed |date=7 September 2004 |work=Daily Times |quote=Unfortunately Sikhism did not succeed in eliminating caste prejudices. Most Jat Sikhs look down upon the inferior castes and the former untouchable ranks, known as Mazhabi Sikhs. Still the egalitarian message of Sikhism is undeniable.}}</ref> and they are also considered to be of lower status by the other Dalit communities, being the Ramdasia and [[Ravidasia]].<ref name="ram">{{cite journal |title=Untouchability in India with a Difference: Ad Dharm, Dalit Assertion, and Caste Conflicts in Punjab |first=Ronki |last=Ram |journal=Asian Survey |volume=44 |issue=6 |date=November–December 2004 |pages=895–912 |doi=10.1525/as.2004.44.6.895 |jstor=10.1525/as.2004.44.6.895 }}</ref>{{efn|Both the Ramdasia and the Ravidassia are converts from the [[Chamar]] caste.<ref name="ram" />}} The internal division between Jat Sikh and Mazhabi still broadly follows the economic distinction between farmer and landless labourer.<ref>{{cite book |first=Ian A. |last=Talbot |chapter=Politics and Religion in Contemporary India |title=Politics and Religion in the Modern World |editor-first=George |editor-last=Moyser |publisher=Routledge |year=1991 |page=139 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/103911813/politics-and-religion-in-the-modern-world |via= | Many Jat Sikhs continue to look down upon the Mazhabis,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_7-9-2004_pg3_2 |title=400 years of Guru Granth Sahib |first=Ishtiaq |last=Ahmed |date=7 September 2004 |work=Daily Times |quote=Unfortunately Sikhism did not succeed in eliminating caste prejudices. Most Jat Sikhs look down upon the inferior castes and the former untouchable ranks, known as Mazhabi Sikhs. Still the egalitarian message of Sikhism is undeniable.}}</ref> and they are also considered to be of lower status by the other Dalit communities, being the Ramdasia and [[Ravidasia]].<ref name="ram">{{cite journal |title=Untouchability in India with a Difference: Ad Dharm, Dalit Assertion, and Caste Conflicts in Punjab |first=Ronki |last=Ram |journal=Asian Survey |volume=44 |issue=6 |date=November–December 2004 |pages=895–912 |doi=10.1525/as.2004.44.6.895 |jstor=10.1525/as.2004.44.6.895 }}</ref>{{efn|Both the Ramdasia and the Ravidassia are converts from the [[Chamar]] caste.<ref name="ram" />}} The internal division between Jat Sikh and Mazhabi still broadly follows the economic distinction between farmer and landless labourer.<ref>{{cite book |first=Ian A. |last=Talbot |chapter=Politics and Religion in Contemporary India |title=Politics and Religion in the Modern World |editor-first=George |editor-last=Moyser |publisher=Routledge |year=1991 |page=139 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/103911813/politics-and-religion-in-the-modern-world |via= |access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=23 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823163724/https://www.questia.com/read/103911813/politics-and-religion-in-the-modern-world |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is land-ownership rather than varna's stress on occupational status that defines discrimination within the Sikh communities of the Punjab, and Ronki Ram notes that the nature of untouchability itself in Punjab differs from the rest of India because it is "related more to prejudice than pollution". Many Mazhabi are still exploited in low-status jobs, they are often forced to live in less desirable areas of villages, cannot use the gurdwaras frequented by higher-caste Sikhs and must use special cremation grounds.<ref name="ram"/>{{efn|As of 2003, around 10,000 of the 12,780 villages in Indian Punjab had separate gurdwaras for Dalit Sikhs.<ref name="ram"/>}} | ||
===Politics=== | ===Politics=== | ||
The outcome of the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee]] (SGPC) elections in December 1954 favoured [[Punjabi Suba]], a Jat Sikh-dominated movement. Akali Dal, a religio-political party founded in 1920 and dominated by Jat Sikhs,<ref name="ram"/> won all 111 seats that it contested and Khalsa Dal – a new party created with government support – managing to win only three of the 132 in which it put forward a candidate. The campaign saw the Arya Samaj and [[Jan Sangh]], who were both opposed to Punjabi Suba and believed in | The outcome of the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee]] (SGPC) elections in December 1954 favoured [[Punjabi Suba]], a Jat Sikh-dominated movement. Akali Dal, a religio-political party founded in 1920 and dominated by Jat Sikhs,<ref name="ram"/> won all 111 seats that it contested and Khalsa Dal – a new party created with government support – managing to win only three of the 132 in which it put forward a candidate. The campaign saw the Arya Samaj and [[Jan Sangh]], who were both opposed to Punjabi Suba and believed in Hindu upper caste domination , stressing a fear of Sikh domination. They encouraged Hindu Punjabis to lie by claiming [[Hindi]] to be their first language even when it was almost always in fact [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]. This attempt to cause a division along religious lines had the tacit support of the government and its impact echoed down the years.<ref name="martha_crenshaw_context"/> In 2005, 56 expelled employees of the SGPC abandoned Sikhism and alleged that they were being discriminated against because they were Mazhabis.<ref>{{cite news |title=56 Sacked S.G.P.C. Employees Give Up Sikh Religion |first=Vishal |last=Rambani |work=The Hindustan Times |date=17 April 2005 |url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_041705a.html |access-date=2009-03-12}}</ref> | ||
According to a report published in ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'' on 16 March 1966, a spokesperson for the Federation of Mazhabi Sikhs stated that "the Sikh Scheduled Castes had been reduced to a position of mere serfs by the Sikh landlords who would literally crush the Mazhabi Sikhs if Punjabi Suba was formed." The federation offered support for Arya Samaj and Jan Sangh in opposition to the Punjabi Suba.<ref name="martha_crenshaw_context">{{cite book |chapter=Terrorism in India: Identity, Culture, and Territorial Claims |title=Terrorism in context |editor-first=Martha |editor-last=Crenshaw |publisher=Penn State Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-271-01015-1 |page=377 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nFyZaZGthgC&pg=PA377}}</ref> | According to a report published in ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'' on 16 March 1966, a spokesperson for the Federation of Mazhabi Sikhs stated that "the Sikh Scheduled Castes had been reduced to a position of mere serfs by the Sikh landlords who would literally crush the Mazhabi Sikhs if Punjabi Suba was formed." The federation offered support for Arya Samaj and Jan Sangh in opposition to the Punjabi Suba.<ref name="martha_crenshaw_context">{{cite book |chapter=Terrorism in India: Identity, Culture, and Territorial Claims |title=Terrorism in context |editor-first=Martha |editor-last=Crenshaw |publisher=Penn State Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-271-01015-1 |page=377 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nFyZaZGthgC&pg=PA377}}</ref> | ||
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===Modern-day conversions=== | ===Modern-day conversions=== | ||
In 2014, both the SAD and the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) voiced their opposition to Christian Mazhabi people being reconverted to the Sikh faith in a ceremony organised by the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS). [[Parkash Singh Badal]], then [[List of Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]] and an SAD elder, said that such conversions are "unfortunate and against the basic tenets of Sikhism as Sikh gurus sacrificed their lives resisting conversion", while [[Amarinder Singh]] of the INC considered the move by the [[Hindutva]]-centric RSS to be "forced conversion". The RSS said that it was not sponsoring conversion to Hinduism but rather to Sikhism and that the SGPC had been lax in stemming the tide of poor Sikh families switching to Christianity.<ref name= | In 2014, both the SAD and the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) voiced their opposition to Christian Mazhabi people being reconverted to the Sikh faith in a ceremony organised by the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS). [[Parkash Singh Badal]], then [[List of Chief Ministers of Punjab (India)|Chief Minister of Punjab]] and an SAD elder, said that such conversions are "unfortunate and against the basic tenets of Sikhism as Sikh gurus sacrificed their lives resisting conversion", while [[Amarinder Singh]] of the INC considered the move by the [[Hindutva]]-centric RSS to be "forced conversion". The RSS said that it was not sponsoring conversion to Hinduism but rather to Sikhism and that the SGPC had been lax in stemming the tide of poor Sikh families switching to Christianity.<ref name=ht20141203/> It was claimed by an RSS colleague, Ram Gopal, that 2,470 people had already been converted in the year prior to the controversy being commented upon and that the SGPC had initially supported the idea.<ref>{{cite news |title=SGPC Supported Ghar Wapsi Programme Initially: Ram Gopal |work=Hindustan Times |date=2 January 2015 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3541935211/sgpc-supported-ghar-wapsi-programme-initially-ram |via=|access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=23 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823115902/https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3541935211/sgpc-supported-ghar-wapsi-programme-initially-ram |url-status=dead }}</ref> There were also protests by Christians, who claimed that the conversions were an attempt by the RSS to drive a wedge between their religion and Sikhism where previously there had been a harmonious relationship.<ref>{{cite news |title=Christians Protest, Lambast Ghar Wapsi Agenda of RSS |work=Hindustan Times |date=4 January 2015 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3543744271/christians-protest-lambast-ghar-wapsi-agenda-of-rss |via=|access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=23 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823162045/https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3543744271/christians-protest-lambast-ghar-wapsi-agenda-of-rss |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
===Reservation=== | ===Reservation=== | ||
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[[Category:Dalit communities]] | [[Category:Dalit communities]] | ||
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]] | [[Category:Punjabi tribes]] | ||
[[Category:Sikh communities]] | [[Category:Sikh communities]] | ||
[[Category:Sikh groups and sects]] | [[Category:Sikh groups and sects]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Delhi]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Himachal Pradesh]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Rajasthan]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Haryana]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Punjab]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttarakhand]] | ||