Offensive video of prophet mohammad, what if it was our guru sahiban?

[Bundha]

Agree with Mehtab Singh, it needs to be more coordinated though.

We need to organise and coordinate better. What we need is a small organisation (not another one!) who can coordinate. We have a network of people across the land(s) who can be directed to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc and they can then set up opposing views/information to tackle misinformation/lies. It needs to be a concerted effort and not just rely in individuals.

Get together and organise. Sangat volunteer and their emails taken down. Create a network. The organising group need to trowel the net and direct the network of sangat adn then the sangat get to work to re-buff the lies. The Jewish community do this, as soon as any hint of anti-semitism is seen anywhere in the media they are on them like a ton of bricks, and they have big organisation and big money behind them, no one dare say anything against them, we should take notice and follow.

[Beginner]

The Onion parody newspaper made a shocking poster, depicting Budha, Ganesha, Jesus, and Moses together in an adulterated pic with the caption saying "no one was killed cause of this poster" in response to the killings of the us ambassador by Muslims. So yeah, never follow the crazy fundamentalists' view.

[dalsingh101]

I agree with the general sentiment that under similar circumstances we, as a community, should exercise restraint.

That being said, we also have to face up to the fact that compared to the past we are infinitely more passive as a community today. I disagree with veer Mehtab's notion that generally no attempts to ridicule our Guru's would be made on the strength of our communities reputation. We've all seen 'pi55 taking' videos put up on youtube from time to time. And it doesn't take much for someone to do this. Some people actually think it is hilarious to offend people's sensitivities like this and would do it for no other reason than a laugh!

These days I try to restrain myself from judging angry Muslim reactions to perceived attacks on their faith from westerners. Let's be frank, white Europe and Islam have been at it for a long time now. And although I'm not particularly sympathetic towards, or even remotely any kind of admirer of Islam, I can understand why they take 'robust' measures to try and dissuade western sources from attacking their faith in this way.

Truth is, our lot would probably do similar if they had the numbers and courage - but we don't - and that is a whole other issue in itself.

If people read Orientalism by Edward Said they'd get an idea of the longstanding animosity by western media (formerly in print but now emerging in film) towards Islam/Arabs.

To me sometimes elements of the white west seem to behave like a very devious older brother who periodically agitates and irritates his younger more emotional brother in a way that has him react loudly and angrily (knowing full well that he will!) and then stepping back as if he was innocent, when the younger brother has thrown an angry fit and smashed up the room.

The problem with this is that it actually helps push Muslims on the periphery into extreme action and bolsters the organised/committed extremists. If we look at it from a historical perspective, the west, through their dubious political maneuvers (historically and in the recent past), have played as much a part in stimulating Islamic fundamentalism as any mullahs have.

I guess if we ever got important and powerful enough to pose a challenge to the west (which we most certainly aren't today) our own Guru's/faith may well be under attack too!! But thankfully at the moment we've only got fruit and veg in our homeland and not oil, so we are safe for the moment.

Look at what rubbish Ernest Trumph wrote about Sikhi just after the Anglo-Sikh wars for an example of our own faith being ridiculed and attacked in the past, when we were a potential threat.

[Mehtab Singh]

^^^ All great points above. Please brainstorm and contribute more.

Thanks!

[HeatSikhingMissile]

Even if the majority of the panth understood that riots and violence would play right into the cards of the movie producer, I have no doubt the RSS would send in their resident clown Paramjeet Pamma (the <banned word filter activated> whose always in the middle of 'protests') such as also the one that happened after the Wisconsin shooting, to defame Sikhs in the media/general public.

[singher23]

Every Sikh would be angry, but protests would take place in India, not in the west. At least here, people realize the importance of free speech, and although they would get angry, the most that would happen is maybe a petition or a small protest

[Bundha]

When there was that play set in the gurdwara a few years ago there was disturbances with windows broken in the UK which was exploited by the press.

We need to avoid this.

[N30S1NGH]

I agree with everyone here, some good response here.

I think if similar depiction happens here in Sikh community, its going to be hard to control or direct a calculated opposite reaction of what director anticipated as sangat would highly emotional charged. So what can we do?

Well, we can try minimizing the chances of this potential negative depiction of our guru's happening at the first place in west. I don't know about European countries but in US after Wisconsin Sikh massacre people are start becoming aware of Sikh community and start sympathizing with us being part of mistaken identity..Vahiguroo works in mysterious ways, we got full much needed coverage on CNN for three straight days..I think overall given the sad massacre we held ourselves in restraint and in very positive light..it gave us quite bit of edge in the media as victims of horrible tragedy..no doubt rightly so. But this is not end, we must keep capitalizing on this portrayal of victims in media in favor of our community.

So fast forward to recent events...Sikhs should have stepped up, make themselves available to media to make calculated statement (rightly as they should as per Sikh principles)...we should have rhetoric speech like:

Whilst, we condemn the film (mocking of Prophet Mohammad) which cause offense to Islam. We vehemently condemn the killing of US diplomats by Islamic fascist. No other community knows- freedom of speech and die defending freedom of speech in hands of Islamic fascism as much Sikh community did, as our own guru's were brutally murdered by Islamic fascisms to fight up for other rights by refusing to convert to Islam.

Our American Sikh brothers need to step up and grow a pair, play little rhetoric here and there to change perception of sikhs in the media. This is very good time, to disconnect the perception- Sikhs are just another violent group like Muslims (general perception in Canada)..We need to keep feeding media we were victims in hands of Islamic fascism...now I m not saying go to total extreme lenghts and join groups like BNP so on and so forth or totally suck up American Islamic congress in interfaith, just be independent..!!

So we need to subtly keep feeding the much deserved portrayal of Sikhs being victim in hands of Islamic fascism..if we have to show Islamic fascism examples so be it..we shouldn't have any sympathy for these scums who blow up kill up innocents and their own- bomb sufi places..make no mistake, these are some islamic scums (same ideology) our guru's and our shaheeds fought and died for..!!

So if we do this portyal in the media of Sikhs are victims..it’s not guarantee it will help us to prevent similar sticky situations like this one but it will minimize the chances that’s for sure..!!

God forbid, if director does decide to portray Sikh Guru's in such disguisting manner as much we hate to use islam fascism as scape goat we need keep sending pictures or animated videos of our guru's being murdered by these islamic extermist to change the direction of warm air (twisted logic of freedom of speech without any responsiblity).

We need to be pro-active, less politically correct, take hard position stands and most importantly- we need to be cunning- need to take advantage of suitations..if poison can be turned in to amrit by our guru's so as every difficult, sticky situations..!!

It's a dirty game and dirty pond, either be part of it and make some hard trivial decisions or suffer in hands of twisted western media whose main goal is sensationalist juicy stories all in name of freedom of speech.!!!!

[Guest]

"what if it was our guru sahiban depicted in such offensive manner in west? "

NO , they won't ever abuse our guru sahibs like this !

They do this because they want to show the irony of these people ... they say ours is a peaceful religion and we are all about peace , but once you show disrespect to their religion , then they come to ur neck with swords !

I saw that video . Most of it is historical mocking on mohammad becoz of his perceived murderer , misogynist and homophobic attitudes !

Our gurus have always given a message of peace and love . Why would they mock our history ?

they may , however, mock us and question our religion if we allow ourselves to be immature , hurt savages over trivial things !

:biggrin2:peace

[N30S1NGH]

NO , they won't ever abuse our guru sahibs like this !

They do this because they want to show the irony of these people ... they say ours is a peaceful religion and we are all about peace , but once you show disrespect to their religion , then they come to ur neck with swords !

Have you seen the protest in India with potential rss agents dressing like sikhs or sikh right wing nut bar fanatics with naked swords??..Our tribal punjabis put these sullehs to shame when it comes to getting angry in protest..!!..lol

We are only 2% of Indian population..we got too much rajas and tamas in us..lol..!!...I think its matter of time when $h#@ hits the fan for us....It's wise to learn from other mistakes than our own....!!