Gurpreet Singh writes from Vancouver

WHILE 9/11 has become an easily identifiable trigger point for the Western world that needs no explanation some of the worst human tragedies that happened much before the hijacked airplanes destroyed the World Trade Center in New York passed unnoticed if not deliberately ignored. The anti Sikh massacre of November, 1984 was one of those many catastrophes that saw thousands of innocent people killed with the connivance of the state machinery in India, whose constitution is based on the principle of secularism.

The mass murders followed the assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. The assassins were seeking revenge for the controversial Operation Bluestar that was launched by the Indian Army to flush out the religious extremists who had fortified the Golden Temple Complex, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs in Amritsar. Shortly after her murder, the goons led by Gandhi’s Congress party members began targeting the Sikhs in the national capital and other parts of the country. The Sikh men who could be easily recognized because of their turbans and beards became an easy prey for them. The police looked the other way while the Sikh men were roasted alive and their women were gang-raped. The states that were ruled by the ``secular'' Congress Party became the most unsafe zones for the minority community.

Ironically, the country had a turbaned President when the killers were hunting for the Sikhs. Zail Singh’s official car was also attacked in New Delhi. Even the first Sikh president of the country became vulnerable and could not come to the rescue of his compatriots. In New Delhi alone, about 4,000 Sikhs had died.

This year when the victims in particular and the Sikhs in general are commemorating the 25th anniversary of that barbarity, India is led by a Sikh Prime Minister. Of course Manmohan Singh also made a history like Zail Singh by becoming the first Sikh Prime Minister of the country where the Sikhs make two percent of the total population. Despite the fact that India had two turbaned men holding high offices neither they could stop the turbaned men from being killed nor this has helped in bringing the big Congress leaders involved in the carnage to justice.

Whereas Manmohan Singh has the blessings of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her husband and the former Prime Minister, late Rajeev Gandhi (Indira’s son) had tried to rationalize the massacre by equating it with an earth shaking impact of a falling tree. What he tried to emphasize was that the violence was a natural reaction to the murder of his mother. However, these were not Hindu Sikh clashes as many Sikhs were saved by the Hindu families. Besides, such incidents did not happen in West Bengal, where the communists are in power. The Congress propaganda of this mayhem being a reaction was aimed at dividing the two communities and coverup their misdeeds.

What can be more mocking that the Congress party continued nominating leaders who were actively involved in the massacre in the elections alongside selling Manmohan Singh’s image to the Sikh vote bank? Following the pressure from the communists, who supported the previous minority Congress government from outside two tainted Congress MPs, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar were removed from the ministerial berths they held. In the last election when the communists had broken ties with the Congress, the later again tried to nominate these two men, but they were dumped because of angry protests from the Sikh community. One Sikh journalist attacked the Indian Home Minister with a shoe.

Although the killers of Indira Gandhi got the punishment, but the murderers of the citizens on the streets were rewarded. One bodyguard was killed instantly while the other one was hanged but the delay in bringing the big leaders involved in the massacre to book has only brought a sense of humiliation among the members of the community which had significantly contributed to the development and freedom movement of India.

Their ninth master, Guru Teg Bahadar had sacrificed his life for the sake of the Hindus who were being forced to covert to Islam by the Mughals. The mob had also tried to attack the shrine where he was beheaded in Delhi. The off duty and unarmed Sikh soldiers in their uniforms who were travelling by trains were also murdered. This whole episode had not only alienated the community from the national mainstream but had provided the Sikh separatists new generation of recruits from among the victims and hot headed youth. The victim of this violence, Karamjeet Singh, who had no association with any separatist group for instance tried to assassinate Rajeev Gandhi. Former Police officers of Punjab also acknowledge this fact.

A number of Sikh terrorists and suspected extremists were killed in fake encounters and detained under repressive laws but the ``state terrorists’’ who had killed the Sikhs in the streets of Delhi and other big cities of India never met the same fate. This gave some credence to the separatist propaganda of India being a biased state. Till now the Sikh extremists are taking advantage of this situation. In Canada, the Sikh separatists organize annual events to remember the dead and glorify the killers of Indira Gandhi. This year they honoured the ``shoe journalist''. All the campaigns such as save life, donate blood are good way of protesting but the hidden agenda behind them is a cause of worry. Thanks to the indifference of the moderate Sikh leaders of Canada, who are mostly aligned with the Congress party this human rights issue has been hijacked by the extremists.

One thing that Manmohan Singh said about this whole issue being used for political advantage by certain forces is correct but he must also agree that the denial of justice is helping the cause of the Sikh hardliners who have kept the pot boiling. Instead of making symbolic gestures, the Indian establishment should bring a dignified closure to the issue to not let the new generation of the Sikhs being misguided by the enemies of the unity and integrity of the country. The Congress that keeps on accusing the Hindu nationalist BJP of engineering anti Muslim pogrom of 2002 cannot get away by simply showcasing a Sikh PM to the world. The previous BJP led coalition government had appointed a Muslim President. Does that exhonerate the BJP from the allegations of mass murders in Gujarat? Although some small reconciliation efforts of the Congress Party which have won the confidence of the Sikh voters are welcome but these are not enough. The Indian government which had expressed its outrage over the acquittal of the two Sikh suspects in the Air India bombing by a Canadian court should instead punish its own mass murderers. Until then the 84/11 will continue to haunt the memories of the Sikhs and keep reminding the civil society that the mass murders can go unpunished in the world's largest democracy.

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Karzai’s victory is Afghanistan’s loss

Dr Sawraj Singh writes from Washington

KARZAI’S victory in Afghanistan’s Presidential election is a complete mockery of democracy and the electoral process. This also shows hypocrisy of the West which is trying to legitimize the sham election. The runoff election was made necessary because there were charges of fraud and corruption in the primary election. His rival Abdullah withdrew from the election because the election was going to be conducted by the same corrupt officers who committed fraud and corruption in the first election. How can such an election be fair?

Abdullah had a lot to say on the live TV when he made the announcement to withdraw from the election but this was all in the local language and no English translation was provided by the channels I watched. The channels said that he decided to withdraw from the election but did not give a call to boycott the election. He bitterly complained about the fairness of the election and repeatedly questioned that under the present situation how it was possible to conduct a proper and fair election. When Abdullah withdrew from the election then there is not even a semblance there is not even a semblance of legitimacy and credibility of the election.

People of Afghanistan are extremely frustrated with the Karzai’s Government. It is totally ineffective and is thoroughly corrupt. Karzai, his family and his government officials seem interested in only making money from the miseries of the people of Afghanistan. His brother is said to be working for the CIA.

People of Afghanistan are now being ruled by the War lords. There is no security or law and order.

About half of Afghanistan is now under control of the Taliban. The other half is not under complete control of the government. The Taliban can strike anywhere. They have repeatedly struck in the areas of Kabul which are considered most secure. The main highway of the country connecting Kabul to Kandhar is extremely unsafe and insecure. Some people call it the highway of death because the Taliban can strike anytime anywhere on this highway. Many truck drivers when they have to drive on this highway say that they do not know if they will make the drive alive.

The Western countries agreed that the last election was fraudulent that is why the present election was needed but now Karzai has been declared the winner based on the results of that election. How can he be considered a legitimate winner?

In reality the Taliban have won the election because the western countries did not want the election because of the fear that there will be a big violence by the Taliban. Therefore, the decision not to have the election is a victory of the Taliban because they threatened that if there is election then they are going to escalate the violence. By not holding the election the western countries conceded that the Taliban can dictate what happens in Afghanistan.

There is no end in sight for the war in Afghanistan. One thing looks certain that the West cannot win this war. Karzai could not even hold a mock election therefore it is not his victory but it shows that he is completely ineffective and powerless in dealing with the Taliban.

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Did America really win the cold war after the fall of Berlin Wall?

Dr Sawraj Singh writes from Washington

TWENTY years ago the Berlin wall fell and Ronald Regan claimed victory in the Cold war. Regan felt that he had destroyed “The Evil Empire”. Twenty years later we can see the effects of Reaganomics, the so called free entrepreneurship which means unadulterated capitalism. In the final analysis the American victory in the cold war was not against the Soviet Union alone but was also against the European Union which has been following a different concept of capitalism than America. Regan and his followers advocated a system in which you are free to make profit without worrying for the social consequences. Regan and his followers not only despised communism but also despised soft capitalists who can be called Socialized Capitalists.

I have used different terms for the American and the European styles of capitalism. I have called the American capitalism “Consumerist Capitalism” and the European capitalism “Utilitarian Capitalism”. In the consumerist capitalism there is a complete freedom to make profit without worrying for the social consequences while in utilitarian capitalism making profit is balanced with social concerns. Regan and his followers believe that the market forces (capitalism) have inherent strength of correcting themselves. Therefore, no government controls are required. The American victory in the cold war was considered to be the victory for this “Golden Principle”.

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall and the so called American victory in the cold war, we are seeing that the “Golden Principle” does not work. The World is facing a severe recession. America is the worst affected country by the recession. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is gradually rebuilding itself and regaining its lost influence. However, the most interesting fact is that the European model of capitalism has beaten the American model. The European GDP is now bigger than the American GDP. The European currency Euro is 37% stronger than the dollar. European Union has grown from 12 countries to 27 countries with a total population of more than 500 million people. Europe is more united than ever. The division between the old Europe [France and Germany] and the new Europe [former eastern block countries] is diminishing. The new Europe was leaning toward America where as the old Europe wanted to be more independent from America. Now the new Europe is falling in line with the old Europe. ; Therefore, Europe is more and more asserting its independent role in the World.

America is not only suffering the Worst effects of recession but also is facing deep political, racial, cultural and social divisions. Europe has now an unemployment rate of about 8.5% whereas American unemployment rate is more than 10%. Europe is moving more and more toward unity in spite of many national ethnic and cultural divisions. On the other hand, in America all the divisions are becoming deeper than ever. President Obama was elected because the Reaganomics policies were failing. Obama is trying to change the American consumerist capitalism, which has failed, to a system closer to the European pattern. However, he is meeting a very tough resistance from the right. The rightists have started a very heated campaign against Obama which is much bigger and passionate than ordinary campaigns of opposition in democratic countries. The goal of this campaign is to make sure that Obama does not get reelected in 2012 and a rightist such as Sarah Palin wins the election and brings back the Reaganomics.

The hate these rightists are promoting against Obama is so intense that there is a risk that somebody can assassinate Obama. This is the worst thing which can happen to America or the World at this time. America has a history of intolerance and violence far more than the other industrialized countries. The Fort Hood tragedy in Texas is a reminder that any kind of violence is not inconceivable. People who are promoting hatred should be aware that they can cause more harm than they intend to do. We should be promoting tolerance and accepting Diversity. Whether we like it or not the fact remains that we are a multicultural society.

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The lessons of fort hood

Dr. Amrik Singh writes from Sacramento

SHOOTING rampage at the largest military installation has sent tremors all over the world. Fort Hood was no combatant zone, it was no enemy territory, but it was a 340 square mile military base for more than 40, 000 fellow US soldiers. The shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan was no teenager brainwashed to act as a suicide bomber, but a high ranked military officer in the medical corps who was trained in etiquettes of the elite force that educated and employed him. He took two guns in the fashion of a Virginia Tech killer and positioned reportedly like a Jihadist to inflict the maximum damage on fellow soldiers. He wantonly killed 13 and injured more than two dozens others. He may face death sentence for his crimes.

The brutal massacre has raised many questions, the answers for which are not easy to find. The foremost is the mental health of soldiers who are sent in the combatant zone.

The fight against terrorism that the former President George W. Bush had vowed to take to the enemy’s home ground, has struck a tragic note in our own home. The phrases like axis of evil or a crusade against America’s enemies had earlier evoked weird associations with early medieval times. In an effort to decipher the shape and size of the monster of terrorism, Bush administration came under heavy criticism for putting American troops in the harm’s way. Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from mental agony interpreted as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a physician Nidal Malik Hasan assuaged their frayed feelings and suggested the ways to cope with their fears and obsessions The therapeutic practice rests on the premise that when the patients narrate the contours of their obsession, mental health starts returning. But this kind of practice needs time. Major Hasan appeared to have no time for increasing number of wounded soldiers. He might have become bearer of so many gruesome stories from the field. It reportedly leads to “compassion fatigue” or second hand post traumatic stress disorder. The evaluation of mental health of the psychiatrists is non-existent.

The training to keep everything private might have created an overload of hypersensitive secret knowledge. Patients’ narratives might have been hard for him to grasp. No evidence shows that other military officers discussed with him any strategies that could have put salve on their emotional and psychological wounds. He had no family to share his grief with. He sought a discharge when he couldn’t handle himself.

408 psychiatrists in the cadre of more than 500 thousand soldiers reveal a reality that remained overlooked during war times. Caught in the trauma of the battlefield, some soldiers had more than a year wait time for consulting a psychiatrist. In 2009, about 117 soldiers suffering from unspeakable emotional and psychological setbacks committed suicide. The rising number of physically wounded and mentally hit could not be practically accommodated in psychiatrists’ schedule. Overwhelmed and affected with the secondary trauma, Major Hasan might have sought comfort in religion. But finding no cure for his inner afflictions, Hasan allegedly became obsessed with stories of suicide bombers.

He went to a Mosque to make sense of his mental agony. But he was not able to communicate what he felt deep inside. It is said when feelings become pent up, it leads to disaster. Investigation points out to his communication with radical leaders, but tone and tenor didn’t arouse any suspicion. The catastrophe that befell too soon on unarmed, unsuspecting and welcoming group of soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas was unimaginable. It is not clear what triggered such a hostile behavior.

On August 15, 2009, John Van de Walker, a soldier who returned from Iraq scratched the passenger side of his car and ripped the bumper sticker “Allah is love.” The incident caused a damage of $ 1000 and resulted in a police case. The accused was evicted from the apartment. But Major Hasan could not afford to be angry during Ramadan fast that lasted from Aug 21, --September 19, 2009.

It is reported that Hasan gave two week notice to the apartment Manager before the shooting rampage. If the ripping of the bumper sticker “Allah is Love” is the trigger, Hasan probably planned massacre after September 19 to the day when he gave two week notice on October 23. The alarm signals were already there. The incendiary feelings raging inside his mind only needed a trigger. Once ignited flames engulfed whatever was in the vicinity.

Today, the US policy makers are struggling to identify goals to be achieved in Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But during the primaries, the Iraq war was projected as unnecessary and avoidable. The candidate for President Barack Obama promised to bring troops back home and protect them from harm’s way. Hillary Clinton’s judgment of supporting the unjust war in the Senate became the rallying point for Barack Obama’s criticism. The talk of withdrawal now having been replaced with the question of surge in Afghanistan is totally a reversal of the situation.

There are very serious questions before the investigators. The fact that the psychiatrist indulged in killing spree due to his weak mental health should draw serious attention. Many massacres earlier occasioned only a momentary reflection. Due to their disturbed family life, such criminals find alibi for their depression in violence. Since they have no sense of good and bad, they pick their target randomly. As obsessed with their action plan, they only think of themselves and their grievances, and has no sense of what is chivalrous and what is cowardly behavior? For them, their very act of shooting is a brave gesture that supposedly would attract the attention of the entire world. They become apathetic to the feelings of their victims. They find refuse in some kind of their own martyrdom for their fellow beings. Since they have not been confronted with opposing views, they are convinced in their own righteousness. Major Hasan might have been victim of such a mindset.

Suicide bombs have been causing a heavy toll both in Afghanistan and Iraq. Several thousands of Muslims have lost their lives inside mosques, public squares and office buildings. American troops’ success is predicated on the cooperation of Muslim populations. American media’s effort to malign all American Muslims as would be terrorists may jeopardize US Military’s plans to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most American –Muslim organizations have condemned the massacre as a heinous crime. But still the fear of backlash bothered the army mandarins. One brutal act should not result in hitting American tradition of diversity in the military. It is easier to stereotype all Muslims for what Major Nidal Hasan has done, but it will be disastrous for the American forces. The patriotism of Muslims who are serving the US army can’t be doubted simply because Major Hasan involved his faith to attack his fellow soldiers. Every mental wreck would find cover in the archetypes of what he believes in, whereas the real culprit maybe wounds of the psyche which are not unique to Muslims alone. The alienation and malignity exists within. The manifestation often results in painful moments. Major Nidal might have been treated badly for his faith at Walter Reed. But it is no justification for what he did. There are many acceptable ways of voicing one’s grievances.

It is sad that alarm signals were ignored for long. The military top brass should have intervened on time. Mental health of soldiers should be a top priority. The psychiatrists involved in the process should have some evaluation or exit strategy. The chaos of mind often causes a bigger chaos in the society.

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