A Sikh’s perspective on the ‘Allah’ row
FMT LETTER: From Premjit Singh, via e-mail
I refer to Aidil Khalid’s reply to Uthaya Sankar’s article over the use of the word ‘Allah’. I am a reluctant entrant to this discussion and am only doing so to correct general misconceptions that keep appearing again and again in the public domain. I wish only to touch on one matter, to offer the following points to the above learned gentleman, that he may consider them. For clarity, I will take the questionable passages and offer my views.
On usage of the grounds of judgement of a judge from Calcutta from a trial in 1943, Khundkar J, who has portrayed Sikhism not as a stand-alone religion, but as an off-shoot of Hinduism, and with a further claim that only the 10th Guru proceeded to declare a new religion whilst all the others were disgruntled Hindus in effect. The writer has quoted and depended heavily on the judgement of this one judge.
The writer: “I have a general idea of the history of those religions insofar as the law is concerned”.
My comment: I accept his sincerity, but religion is not a case in law, to be interpreted by all and sundry, no matter how well read or esteemed, based on their own religious beliefs and paradigms.It is about as absurd and tantamount to one reading a few books on Islam, and then proceeding to offer judgements in a Shariah Court!
On the matter of the admissibility of the learned judge Khundkar J’s comments on Sikhism and Guru Nanak, Khundkar J is entitled to his opinions, but they cannot be touted as a benchmark for a discussion on the Sikh religion. What he opines may have served his purpose to resolve a dispute in his courtroom, but the truth is that his opinion will be challenged the minute he stepped out of his court.
He may be a learned judge, just like you are a learned lawyer, but how does that make him an authority on the Sikh religion, authorised and empowered to interpret, while you yourself of equal learning as him, by your own admission acknowledge and rightly so assess that you are no authority on the Sikh religion?
If you, being from the same profession have generously admitted that you are no authority on the Sikh religion, despite the fact that you are a person of high learning as evident, why are you so comfortable to accept the opinions of another man of similar circumstance over a religion that neither of you belong to?
Khundkar may say whatever he likes, but who has authorised him to interpret and pronounce judgements on the Sikh religion? And why should they be imposed on the rest of us? Is it not possible that his opinions and beliefs are just that, opinions and beliefs possibly based on the last book that he may have read on Sikhism, written by a bigoted Hindu historian as they almost always are? What would you say to a similar ‘opinion’ on Islam by a Jewish or Christian judge?
