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Vienna's Sikhs Still in Shock

28/05/09May 28, 2009

Sikhs all over the world are still shocked by last Sunday’s killings in Austria. A clash between rival Sikh groups in the capital Vienna resulted in a shooting in a Sikh temple. Attackers armed with knives and guns had stormed the gurdwara where some estimated 300 people had gathered to listen to two visiting sants from India. The clashes then triggered riots in the Indian state of Punjab. Trains and cars were torched, thousands took to the streets and more people were killed.

https://p.dw.com/p/LrsS
Balwant Singh has lived in Austria for years -- he says the attack should not have happened
Balwant Singh has lived in Austria for years -- he says the attack should not have happenedImage: DW

Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism. One of his verses says that one has to learn to control one's desires and one’s ego. But his teachings seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

For centuries, there has been tension between mainstream Sikhs and the Dera Sach Khand sect, which has mainly lower-caste Dalits as its followers.

Last Sunday, fundamentalist Sikhs from a higher caste are said to have attacked two visiting preachers from the Dera Sach Khand sect because they were supposedly being disrespectful of the holy book.

The 57-year-old Sant Rama Nand died in hospital. His colleague, the 68-year-old Sant Niranjan Dass, is recovering from his injuries.

Most of the world’s 26 million Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab. Sikhs make up 2 percent of the total Indian population.

Vienna’s Sikhs number 3,000

The Austrian capital Vienna has a Sikh population of about 3,000. There are three gurdwaras or Sikh temples.

Sardar Balwant Singh has lived there for years: “I feel ashamed to be part of the Sikh community after this incident. This shouldn’t have happened.”

But Sardar Balwant Singh also strongly believes that the members of the Dera Sach Khand were blasphemous: “Generally, the Guru Grant Sahib, our holy book, is kept on one side of the temple. These saints from India were on the other side and people had started worshipping them. But worshipping individuals is forbidden by the Guru Grant Sahib.”

“When people in the gurdwara saw others worshipping the saints they felt instantly provoked and resorted to violence. I agree that the matter could have been resolved through talking but nobody was ready to talk at that time.”

Ramesh belongs to the Dera Sach Khand sect. Although higher caste Sikhs in Vienna deny this, he believes that members of the sect are often discriminated against because they are from lower castes.

He was very upset by the attack: “Why did they do this to our saints? We would do anything for our religious leaders. These saints are what made us come so far -- we have progressed only thanks to them.”

Community hopes to resolve internal problems with outside help

The Sikh community abroad is considered to be a peaceful community. Many of the Sikhs in Vienna are concerned that not only that their image but that of India as a nation will suffer. The attacks have been headline news for days all over Austria.

There are some rumours among the Sikhs in Vienna that the attack was part of a conspiracy to divide Sikhs and harm their image. Some say the caste system is to blame even if it has officially been abolished. Others say that there is tension for historical, social, ethnic and religious reasons.

But overall the Sikh community has agreed that it wants to resolve any internal problems with the help of the Indian embassy in Vienna, the Indian government and various NGOs.

Author: Shiv Prasad Joshi
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein