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From: martillo@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU (Yakim Martillo)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: An Independent Sikh State
Message-ID: <1236@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU>
Date: Mon, 6-Oct-86 21:54:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-tril.1236
Posted: Mon Oct  6 21:54:56 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Oct-86 03:14:40 EDT
References: <1232@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU> <5924@ut-sally.UUCP>
Reply-To: martillo@trillian.UUCP (Yakim Martillo)
Distribution: world
Organization: MIT Project Athena
Lines: 29

In article <5924@ut-sally.UUCP> raghu@sally.utexas.edu.UUCP (Raghu Ramakrishnan) writes:
>>India is an artificial creation and has really only been unified in
>>the past under alien conquerers.

>>Hindus and other non-Muslim groups).  My knowledge of the history of
>>the subcontinent may be faulty but I do not believe Hindus or any
>>other ethnic group has historical reason to fear the creation of an
>>independent Sikh state, and therefore no demonstration of good faith
>>should really be required except for the cessation of terrorism.

>The considerable weight of your opinion to the contrary, many of us
>believe that India has a distinct identity. 

I would say the weight of opinion is on my side.  The subcontinent has
already been divided into 3 states, and the Sikhs are hardly the only
secessionist movement in India itself.  Besides what is this Indian
identity besides the superficial Anglo-Indian culture created by the
British?  

>					     Opposition to a Sikh
>nation is not based on fear alone (although that is a significant
>factor in any geopolitical issue, and one which is ignored only
>by the naive and the unscrupulous). It is seen by us in the
>same light that Gandhi saw Partition, and that Lincoln saw secession.

I would tend to see the breakup of India as perhaps more similar to
the breakup of the Holy Roman Empire where the superficial imperial
culture was unable to hold together diverse peoples of different
culture, religion and language.