History

Justice Mota Singh Speaks Out

 

The following is the full text of the address delivered by Mr. Justice Mota Singh, Britain's first and senior-most Judge of Indian/South Asian  origin, at the Vaisakhi celebrations hosted by, and at, the U.S. Embassy in London, England, on Vaisakhi Day, April 14, 2008.  

 

 

543 years ago, when England was in the throes of the Wars of the Roses and Henry the VIII was on the throne, and 307 years before the US Declaration of Independence, there was born in the then far off India, a man of peace  -  Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs, to whom the religion traces its origin.

Sikhism, now the fifth largest world religion, is a revealed religion and not, as is sometimes thought, the offshoot of one faith or the syncretic blend of different and often conflicting faiths.

Guru Nanak was succeeded by nine Gurus and by this process of succession,  Guru Gobind Singh became the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. It was Guru Gobind Singh (until then, Guru Gobind Rai) who, on the day of Vaisakhi 309 years ago, with unparalleled zeal to raise the down-trodden and to fight against repression and injustice, initiated the Khalsa  -  a mighty force, belonging to God, of self-respecting , dauntless, brave and disciplined Sikhs, a powerful body with a resolve of steel accompanied by a saintly temperament, a body which in unity, loyalty and courage.

These  very qualities will strike a responsive chord in the hearts of the Americans - they have helped Sikhs throughout history to struggle against overwhelming odds and survive the cruelest of persecutions.

Now, the festival of Vaisakhi is generally considered to be a Punjabi festival. It is therefore entirely right that Punjabis, wherever they are, should celebrate it. It coincides with the harvest season festival which is observed on 13 April each year.

We are meeting today, not in India, but in England and, notionally, on American soil;  both are multi-faith societies, like India.

Here, the great faith communities meet in mutual respect and dignity. Dialogue has replaced disputation. Friendship has taken the place of suspicion. That is the way forward. Multiplicity of faiths is not a tragedy, but the gift of God, who is closer to us than we are to ourselves, and yet who lives in lives quite different from ours. This is consistent with the command of Guru Gobind Singh who said:

"Consider the whole of humanity as one; we are all children of the One Father!"

Sikhs are now to be found in every part of the world. Many of them settled in the U.S.A. They have been there for many years; they are part of the fabric of society; they have shown a remarkable faculty for adaptation into the societies where they have made their homes. Many of them know no other home.

In 1956, Mr Dalip Singh Saund became the first Sikh and Indian to be elected a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sikh are now to be found in all walks of life  -  politics, commerce, the professions. They have identified themselves with the interests of the countries where they have settled. Their loyalty to their countries of adoption is unquestioned.

I believe it is necessary to emphasise this in view of the events of 9/11 which stunned the world. Sadly, we are all too familiar with scenes of carnage and violence and of the consequent human misery and suffering, sometimes as a

result of natural disasters but often inflicted by humanity on itself. Too often we pass by other disasters because they are distant from us, less immediate and less visible to us.

But in its immediacy and intensity, the human-created horror of  September 11, 2001, and concern over its awesome potential repercussions evoked a particularly deep response from us all. Our hearts went out to the people of America.

No one can quarrel with the Americans' relentless pursuit of those involved in the perpetration of that tragedy  -  to see that they are brought to justice.  

At the same time, one cannot ignore the view, being constantly expressed

now, that an unfortunate, and inevitable, consequence of this, otherwise legitimate policy, has been the escalation rather than curtailment of terrorist activity. It is that realization that has, we believe, led to the adoption of the policy, aimed at winning the hearts and minds of those carrying out acts of violence. That will, no doubt, involve consideration of issues such as the causes of violence.

May I also say that we have been appalled by incidents of people being targetted for revenge attacks simply because of their physical appearance?

Sikhs, with their turban and beard, bear a closer visual resemblance to Osama Bin Laden than do American, or for that matter British, Muslims and Arabs, who are generally clean-shaven. The Sikhs are thus more vulnerable.

There have been instances of threats and abuse to individuals and of actual violence resulting in death against some. We are pleased to place on record our appreciation of the attempts by the State and Central Governments in America to ensure that perpetrators of these acts of violence are brought to justice.

Both America and Britain are multi-cultural, multi-faith societies, with many dimensions to their diversity. We can rightly celebrate this as a source of richness which provides us with resources, which help us to understand both our world and ourselves and to deal with its problems. The clear commitment of the political and religious leaders of the two countries to endorse the need to respect this diversity, while seeking unity within it, is much to be welcomed. To sustain a world community, we need unity of spiritual outlook and aspiration.

This is consistent with the message of Vaisakhi.

Your Excellency, you may or may not recall that on 17 March 1999, President George Bush, then Governor of Texas, issued a Proclamation, when he said this  -  

"Texas is blessed with a diverse population embracing peoples from around  the world. As Sikhs in the Lone Star State celebrate this important anniversary, I encourage all Texans to recognize that our diversity is one of our great strengths and to salute our Sikh neighbours for their deep faith and their many contributions to the cultural and economic prosperity of our State."

Your Excellency, this, I believe, is the first time that Vaisakhi is being celebrated here in the American Embassy. May I, on behalf of all those present here and countless others, Sikhs and non-Sikhs, thank you for agreeing to do so.

It is a decision which could not have been more carefully made. It symbolizes (a) a commitment on the part of Sikh-Americans to identify themselves with the interests of their adopted country, and (b) the endorsement by the American authorities of the principles of equality and justice for all American citizens in accordance with their Constitution.

April 16, 2008

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