Was the bombing of Air India Flight 182 by Talwinder Singh good or bad?

answered 2018-01-11 00:45:53 -0500

strongKaur
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updated 2018-01-11 10:21:07 -0500

Guruka Singh
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It was a very bad thing. Yes, it was a terrorist attack. It is so sad how many hundreds of people died, innocent men, women and children, and the psychological trauma to their families. Just think about if one of your family members had been on that flight. So I think it’s important to recognize this:

In Sikhism there isn’t space for revenge. There is an understanding and belief in God’s justice. When the sword was raised, it was always in defense. Only when all else fails. The enemy is not physical, but the mind of an individual which has fallen. Bhai Kanhaiya is a great example of compassion- he gave water and medicine to wounded and ally souldiers alike, why? He saw God in everyone. The Sikhs would take in the Mughal soldiers and help them heal, sending them back to the battlefield. Guru Hargobind Sahib is said to have been TEACHING the man he was fighting how to fight properly with his sword. When we read the Zafarnama, we read how Guru Ji praises Aurangzeb first, then speaks lowly of his ACTIONS. Aurangzeb himself is a creation of God, to speak against him would be to speak against God’s creation. I love this article : http://srec.gurmat.info/srecarticles/...

I understand where your question is coming from, because it is hard to figure out history when we weren’t alive then. What side of the story do we believe when there is biased information out there. So its good to keep asking and questioning. Don’t lose that quality.

I hope that answers your question- we should condemn this type of violence! It’s ok to have a different opinion than your friends. You can choose to express it or not express it, that’s up to you, but if you are solid in what you know about Sikhi it doesn't matter if others try to shun you. I would be careful about spending time with people who do really disagree on these matters though because they aren't seeing the innocent lives as valuable. And it is a great conversation to have with your mom too.