LONDON, UK—Sikh Relief, an international Sikh humanitarian and aid organization has condemned the killing of Jordanian pilot – Moaz al-Kasabeh. Sikh Relief stated that al-Kasabeh’s killing had shocked the entire world, as he was doused in petrol and trapped in a cage before he was set alight by Islamic State terrorists.
In a press statement, Sikh Relief stated that, in the past and present, Sikhs have always stood for freedom and justice for all. “The Sikh nation is no stranger to barbaric acts carried out against them, in the name of religion,” stated the UK based organization.
“In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th Guru of the Sikhs) was publicly beheaded on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, for his opposition to the forced conversion of Kashmiri Hindus to Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s sacrifice for the religious freedom of India earned him the title ‘Hind di Chaddar’ (Shield of India).” Along with Guru Tegh Bahadur, three of his accomplices were also martyred by the regime in different barbaric ways.
Sikh Relief also gave example of number of Sikh women and children were kidnapped from their villages and imprisoned in the jails of Lahore by Mir Mannu during mid-1700’s. These women and children were murdered ruthlessly, similar to the assassinations carried out by the Islamic State today.
The organization also compared IS’s barbaric acts with the 1984 Sikh genocide, where Sikhs were singled out and burnt alive. “For 3 days and nights, public executions of Sikhs continued in broad daylight on the streets of India’s capital city. Just as the IS terrorists have swept through Iraq brutalizing the minority Yazidi women, in 1984 Sikh women and girls who had been left vulnerable and unprotected were kidnapped and gang raped. Those who were not killed, were left as good as dead.”
Sikh Relief stated that “Terrorists have no nation, state or religion. They are the enemies of entire humanity and therefore, a threat to us all. Sikh Relief (SOPW) strongly condemn the barbaric killings by IS and we stand united against any ideology that preaches hatred and intolerance.”
