Current Events

Sikhism & The Just War Theory

Dr GURNAM SINGH

 

 

 

The text of an address delivered at The National Memorial Service held in St Martins-in-the-Fields, London, UK, on Monday, June 8, 2015, to commemorate the contributions of the Sikh Regiment at the Battle of Gallipoli and through the course of the Great War of 1914-18.


 

Human history can be understood in many ways, but one way is to see it as products of a dialectics of war and peace.

However much we might be committed to peaceful co-existence, the evidence so far is that this remains a utopian dream rather than practical reality.

For some, war is utterly unacceptable and any use of violence simply makes things worse. M K Gandhi, famously noted, ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth will make the whole world blind’. Though one cannot deny the moral appeal of such proclamations on the sanctity of human life, in reality, moral choices in conflict situations are much more difficult to resolve.

This is especially so for leaders of nations that claim to uphold the rule of law and higher principles, be they derived from non-secular (human rights discourse) or secular (divine sanction) sources, or both.

We can see many examples in human history, but perhaps the most significant one was the Second World War and the need to confront the Nazis. But more recently, we have many controversies about when war might be a justified option.

Should the U.S. and other nations have intervened when Saddam Hussein seized Kuwait in 1990? Was NATO right to bomb the Serbians who were carrying out ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Kosovo? When Hutus started slaughtering Tutsis in Rwanda, why did NATO or the UN not intervene?

The list is endless, but the key question is, when, if ever, is non-violence less moral than violence?

And it is this somewhat paradoxical problem that that just-war theory purports to answer.

Just-war theory has a troubling history; one of its originators, the fourth century cleric Saint Augustine, for instance, was keen on holy wars waged by Christians against infidels. He argued that killing sinners and non-believers is righteous because it stops them from sinning.

We see similar justifications being proffered today by ISIS in their quest to re-establish an Islamic Caliphate.

Just war theorists have also argued that war should be waged ruthlessly to end it as quickly as possible. It could be argued that the decision by Truman to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki or Churchill’s decision to bomb civilian populations in Germany, come under such a rationale.

If we turn to Sikhism and its position on just war, the first point to make is that as an ideology, though peace is always the preferred option, there is a recognition, as a last resort, that violence cannot be discounted.

This central principle is captured in a couplet by Guru Gobind Singh, in his letter to the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb:

“When all efforts to restore peace prove futile and no words avail, Lawful is the flash of steel, it is right to draw the sword.” [Zafarnama]

Along with accepting the principle of ‘last resort’, Sikh teachings also affirm the principles of ‘Just Cause’, ‘Right Intention’ and ‘Proportionality.’

Indeed, the martyrdoms of the Fifth Master, Guru Arjan, and the Ninth Master, Guru Tegh Bahadar, and the subsequent decisions by Sikhs to adopt armed struggle against tyranny further confirms the primacy given to these principles.

The principle of proportionality is captured in a poem by Guru Nanak, which is enshrined in the Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Sahib is scathing of the war tactics of the invading Mogul emperor Babar who had adopted something of a scorched earth policy as he invaded Khorasan, the ancient name for the region we now know as Afghanistan.

‘If one powerful man strikes out against another man, then no one feels any grief in their mind. But if a powerful tiger attacks a flock of sheep and kills them, then its master must answer for it.” [GGS:360]

There is a concept of dharam yuddh within Sikhism, which literally means ‘defense of righteousness.’

Under these rubrics, one would identify such things as protection of non-combatants, women, children and rights of prisoners. Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa or the ‘brotherhood of the pure’ to establish the concept of the ‘saint/soldier’ or the ethical warrior.

S/he is required to operate under a very strict code of conduct (Maryada) that disallows them to violate the human rights of the enemy. In other words, a Sikh must always act with the intention of self-defense and proportionality.

Moreover, in accepting the essence of equality of all human beings, one has a very strong basis for the rejection of using war for imperial gain, but rather to challenge those that may seek to do so. Hence, whilst fighting the Moguls the Sikh Gurus never sought to establish their own kingdoms, but to oppose oppression.

Indeed, these sentiments are captured in a poem attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, which seeks God’s blessing to die for the sake of righteous deeds.

“Grant me such a boon, O Almighty,
I may never deter from righteous deeds.
And when fight I must, I fight for sure to win.”
[Dasam Granth]

In terms of Ethics in the Battlefield, there are very clear injunctions, which are captured and verified by the Muslim Qazi Nur Muhammad of Gunjaba who accompanied Ahmad Shah Durrani on his seventh expedition against the Sikhs in the winter of 1764. He has given full detail of Sikh ethics adopted during the battle between Sikhs and Shah Durrani. He says:

“Do not call the Sikhs ‘dogs’ because they are lions and are courageous like lions in the field of battle. In no case would they slay a coward nor would they put an obstacle in the way of a fugitive. They do not plunder the wealth or ornaments of a woman, be she a well-to-do lady or a humble servant. There is no adultery among them nor are these people given to thieving nor are there house-breakers among them.”

As we gather here today in the serene splendour of St Martins-in-the-Fields to pay homage to the 14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs we are once again reminded of the breathtaking amalgam of extreme courage underpinned by an unwavering commitment to noble virtues.

As General Sir Ian Hamilton who led the battle of Krithia in Gallipoli notes:
 
“The history of the Sikhs affords many instances of their value as soldiers, but it may he safely asserted that nothing finer than the grim valour and steady discipline displayed by them on the 4th of June has ever been done by soldiers of the Khalsa. Their devotion to duty and their splendid loyalty to their orders and to their leaders make a record their nation should look back upon with pride for many generations."

To conclude, for some people the idea of just-war is an oxymoron. How can ‘war’ ever be justified? For Sikhs, war is an unfortunate necessity where one is left with no alternative, where any possibility of dialogue and peaceful resolution has
become impossible.

Under such circumstances, Sikhs are required to engage in proportionate armed struggle, and it is with this moral imperative in mind that we saw the hundreds of thousands of Sikh soldiers fight for the Allies in Europe during the two wars.

Today we have gathered to pay homage to their sacrifice of their futures so that we could have ours.

 

Dr Gurnam Singh is Principal Lecturer in Social Work, Coventry University, and Visiting Professor of Social Work, University of Chester.

[Edited for sikhchic.com]

June 12, 2015
 

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