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From: debray@megaron.UUCP
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: An Independent Sikh State
Message-ID: <1228@megaron.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Oct-86 13:44:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: megaron.1228
Posted: Wed Oct  8 13:44:36 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Oct-86 02:48:17 EDT
References: <1232@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU>
Distribution: world
Organization: Dept of CS, U of Arizona, Tucson
Lines: 51

Martillo:

> From my reading of this news group and from acquaintanceship with many
> Indians of various ethnic origins including my relatives, I have the
> impression most Hindus casually equate Indian with Hindu.

You're mistaken.  Maybe you've been hanging out with the wrong people?!

> Further the Government of India has at various times claimed the right
> to legislate Hindu religious law.

Presumably, you're referring to things like the effort to ban cow
slaughter.  Yes, the amendment was proposed, and no, it didn't go
through.  What of it?  There's been legislation in the USA to make
the value of pi be 3!  Point, if you can, to laws that force
non-Hindus in India to follow Hindu religious laws.

> The Muslims have already carved their own state out on the Indian
> subcontinent.

Ah! The path to peace and harmony ... give everyone their own state.
Hey, I'm considering founding this religion that has these really
interesting rituals involving large quantities of grass and pretty
sixteen year old virgins ... can I have my own state too?

> Further, most Indians as far as I can tell, give knee-jerk support to
> carving a Muslim state out of the land of Israel ...

My impression is that the official pro-Arab policy of India at the
UN (which I, personally, don't think is right) comes from the
near-monopoly the Arabs enjoyed (in the 70's, at least) on oil.
It's also my impression that Indians, as individuals, have no
quarrel with the Jews.  So what's your point?

> I do not believe Hindus or any other ethnic group has historical
> reason to fear the creation of an independent Sikh state ...

My understanding is that most Indians (including me) who oppose the
creation of an independent Sikh nation (as opposed to a Sikh state
within India) do so not because they fear the notion of a Sikh nation,
but because they think that such a move could lead, eventually, to
the disintegration of India.  And this is true not only of the Sikhs,
but also of the Nagas and the Mizos (who've been fighting for
independence quite a bit longer than the Sikhs, by the by).

---
Saumya Debray
University of Arizona, Tucson

  debray@arizona.edu
  {allegra, cmcl2, ihnp4, ucbvax}!arizona!debray