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Kabul Terror Attack: On Wednesday 25 March, Terrorists bombed a Gurdwara in Afghanistan’s Kabul, killing 27 Sikhs. ISIS has claimed responsibility. Soon after the attack,  Hindutva supporters in India like BJP’s Kapil Mishra began taunting Sikhs

Killed in Kabul, Trolled in India: Why Bigots Love to Hate Sikhs

Two Twitter handles followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also used the attack to drag in Sikhs who were serving langar at Shaheen Bagh. In Afghanistan, some attribute it to the glorification of Durrani king Ahmad Shah Abdali, who is associated with some of the worst massacres of Sikhs in Punjab. For extremist outfits in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the sentiment can also be traced to the efforts of Syed Ahmed Barelvi and Shah Ismail to establish an Islamic State in the Pashtun dominated areas of the North Western Frontier in the early 19th Century and their eventual death at the hands of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army at the Battle of Balakot in 1831. First, given existence of multiple domestic and international power centres in Afghanistan, attacking Sikhs or Shia Hazaras has become an easy way for any force which wants to create instability in the country. Second, terror groups like ISIS as well as some local militia are engaged in a battle of competitive extremism in which killing visible minorities like Sikhs and Hazaras becomes a way to expand one’s power. These two assumptions often lead to virulent attacks on Sikhs whenever they assert their separateness as a religion or when they refuse to join in Hindutva’s battle against Muslims. According to him, the Satyarth Prakash describes Gurus as “fraud, sly and mischievous”, Sikhism as a “trap to dupe people” and Sikhs as “arrogant and slaves to lust”. The current acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, is particularly hated by Hindutva supporters for vocally criticisng the Modi government and RSS regarding treatment of minorities. Even as the trolling by Hindutva handles began on Twitter, several people came forward to express their solidarity with the Sikh community and condemned those behind the terror attack. Sikhs are a transnational community who have gained huge respect across the world for their hard-work, industry, and above all, their sense of humanity stemming from the spirit of Sarbat Da Bhala.

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