Salute to Sikh community
RAMEEZ MAKHDOOMI
Amid the heartrending scenes of wars in Middle East from Iraq, Syria to Yemen and Libya and Rohingya carnage by Burmese authorities to the pain of Kashmir one has seen humanity getting butchered to core in recent times, leaving this world nearly a meaningless place to exist.
In the ongoing upheaval since past few days Kashmiris are facing threatened but one community that has healed humanity is Sikhs , From discounts to free coaching and medical treatment offers, Kashmiri Muslims are showering their affection on “Sikh brethren for their bravery.”
Across all the social media platforms, the Sikh community is being applauded for sheltering and helping Kashmiri Muslims under attack from mobs in different parts following the deadly Pulwama bombing on February 14 that left 40 CRPF men dead. The community of Sikhs rose above religion and caste, by setting up free kitchens and accommodation in Gurudwaras for Kashmiri students and general public, after their dwellings were pelted by stones and hundreds of vehicles set ablaze.
A local Kashmiri trader stuck in Jammu had stated , “The Sikhs have made it easy, like always. They make us believe that humanity exists. Our vehicles were set ablaze and stones are thrown on our rented rooms after the Pulwama attack ,we had no food, no accommodation, our Sikh brothers came forward and arranged langar, open Gurduwaras for us
Humanity voices may be in minority currently But as it is said Every cloud has a silver lining same has been the case here too with Khalsa aid and Sikh community at forefront in these places rendering a helping hand to humanity and rendering valuable services to those in dire needs irrespective of their colour, creed or religion.
The Khalsa Aid working on the Sikh principle of “Recognise the whole human race as one” has warmed the human hearts with its great work.
In Iraq Yazidi villages had been occupied by extremist fanatics , grown men in their community killed, and older women bussed away to empty land; they were considered useless. Since 2016, Khalsa Aid had seen trickles of Yazidi girls and young women have managed to flee their captors and return to the local community. But most return in the clothes the extremists forced them to dress in. Shopping for new clothes was the last thing they could imagine, let alone afford.
So, Khalsa Aid decided to act with an innovative approach: to give each one a budget to pick exactly the outfits they wanted, after months or years of violent brutal oppression. “We wanted to give the girls the freedom of choosing the clothes themselves” – Kanwar, Khalsa Aid project coordinator had stated . Each trip also offers a social outlet for a group with whom psychological trauma is rife.
Be it Kashmir or Iraq, Yemen or Burma the Sikh community and Khalsa Aid have risen to the occasion to heal the wounds of suffering humanity . As a Kashmiri we are all indebted to the efforts put in by the Sikh community in ensuring the safe return of people of kashmir to their native land amid all challenges .