Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

15 I was asked as to what, in our tradition in particular, promotes peace and reconciliation and, to answer this, I refer to our history. The Sikhs have ten Gurus. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, had to sacrifice his life to uphold the spiritual principles that he stood for. The emperor at that time, Jahangir, ordered the Guru’s tor- ture and pronounced a death sentence. Now, this was an act of mercy in which, to show us a way of life, the Guru gave up his own life and stood by his preaching as well as that of his predecessors. The next most beautiful example is that of the ninth Guru who stood up to uphold the right to religious free- dom, not for our community but for others. The story takes place in Jammu and Kashmir, a province in the North of India. The Kashmiri pandits – Hindu Brah- mins – were being forced to convert to Islam by emperor Aurangzeb, so they sought the help of the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. The Guru asked the pandits to tell Aurangzeb that if he, the emperor, could make Guru Tegh Bahadur change his religion then they, the pandits, would change theirs too. When Aurangzeb summoned the Guru, he asked Aurangzeb to promise that he would not force the Kashmiri pandits to change their religion if he, the Guru, could not be persuaded to convert to Islam. Aurangzeb agreed and used various methods to force the Guru to accept Islam. He was tortured, his companions were killed before his eyes but he remained impervious to all hardships. As a last resort, Aurangzeb ordered the Guru’s execution and he was beheaded. True to his prom- ise, Aurangzeb did not try to force the Kashmiri pandits to change their religion and their tradition lived on. This is a beautiful example of sacrifice for another’s right to live their life with their beliefs. This story is relevant today and needs to be repeated everywhere when we discuss peace and reconciliation. Everywhere, religion presents a common thread and we have to take its positive attributes. Regarding exemplars of mercy in our tradition, every individual has the duty to be one, in that we have to donate one tenth of our earnings to help others. There is the tradition of Sikh temples having community kitch- ens. I would not call them free kitchens because that would diminish the spirituality of the food served there. Not only is the food blessed, but there is food for the homeless, for the hungry, and for the poor. So, in a small and individual way, every Sikh reaches out as an exem- plar of mercy, each creating everyday stories which make society more beautiful and more harmonious. THE FOUNDAT IONS OF MERCY Bibi Kiranjot Kaur Bibi Kiranjot Kaur is actively involved in the religious, social and political affairs of Sikhs. She is the first Sikh woman to hold the position of General Secretary of the most influential Sikh religious organization, the Shi- romani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) in its 96 year history. The SGPC Trust, also called the Sikh Parliament, is the product of the Sikh religious reform movement in the late 19th century. She is a member of the advisory committee to the head of the highest Sikh religious seat, Akal Takht. She is invited as a speaker on gender issues in schools and colleges run by Sikhs.  A founding member of Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, she is regularly invited to departments of religion in various Punjab universities as a speaker and participant in seminars. She is director of a training college for Sikh preachers, Bhai Vir Singh Gurmat Vidyala in Amritsar, India. She is also director of the Central Khalsa Orphanage and High School in Amritsar.