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Socialist Group Statement en Sikh protests against Behzti (Dishonour) The tragic events in the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day last year expose the ways in which a natural event is transformed into a humanitarian catastrophe because of the refusal of the rich countries to invest in a tsunami warning system in the region: because of the failure of those who did know the waves were coming to alert the localities which were hit; and because of the degradation of coastal regions where mangrove swamps have been There is an urgent appeal for money from the NSSP. the group in solidarity with the Fl in Sri Lanka. Cheques made out to NSSP Solidarity Fund can be sen: to PO Box : 109. London, N4 20U. Money transfers can be made to NSSP Solidarty Fund. Sort Code 086001. Account Number 20131917 We are opposed to the cancellation of the play Behzti, written by Gurpreet woman from a Sikh back- Bhatti. a support the right of ground. and we its author to decide where it should be shown. The right of free speech is a basic democratic right and as such an important gain for the working class and the oppressed. This means that those who oppose certain ideas also have the right to demonstrate their opposition, and the theatre was right to facilitate the distribution of leaflets explaining the protesters' reasons for opposing the play. But the protestors did not have the right to use violent intimidation to achieve their aim of censorship. It is true that because of the so-called war on terror, Sikhs have been targeted alongside Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities by the state and by racists, and we defend them against such attacks. But this does not any mean that those with criticisms within the Sikh or any other community have to keep their mouths shut. There is nev- NSSP Tsunami Appeal cleared for tourist development or industrial shrimp farming. alist Outlook "Our live than their profits talismi AL FORUM er a 'good time for women and young people within the ethnic communities to voice their criticisms of and opposition to abuse and violence against women and children. Racism is always present and cannot be used as a way of deflect- ing the rights of the doubly oppressed to speak out. There is no hierarchy of oppressions: feminist issues are just as important as anti-racist ones. We should not assume that there is such a thing as a homogenous Sikh (or any other religious or other) community. All communities are divided by class. gen- der, race. age, sexuality, disability and sometimes religion: the Sikh community is no exception. While the conservative religious leaders try to retain control over the young who are angry at the levels of racism they suffer. they wrongly direct their anger against those in their com- and munity such as women, lesbians gays. who try and speak out against their oppression within the community. It was clear from the comments about the play and its censorship by some from a Sikh UK = £10 International background that the Sikh community is divided in its response. The same was true within the Muslim community during the Rushdie affair. The level of anger displayed in the dem- onstrations. and the refusal of the Sikh "leaders to guarantee peaceful protests, shows all the more clearly that the play touched a powerful nerve in the issues it raised. We are not surprised that such issues as rape. violence. corruption and abuse of power are present in the Sikh Why should a conservative Gudwara. religious group with minority ethnic sta- tus be any different from other religious groups such as Christian churches? Over the past twenty years there have been exposures of the abuse of power in other hierarchical. male-dominated religions such as the Catholic Church. including the sexual abuse of children in Ireland. the US and and women Britain. It is no coincidence that the Catholic church was one of the first to spear out in defence of the Sikh reli- gious leaders and the protests. Subscription & Back Issues Make cheques payable to Socialist Outlock. Send to P.C. Box 1109, N4 2U0, London, UK. Subscription includes 1 years quarterly issues and postage & packaging. International = {15 Europe = £13 Issue 1: Capitalism means War: Politics by other means Issue 2: Movements, broad parties and the revolutionary party Issue 3: 'Our Lives are worth more than their protits Issue 4: The Politics of resistance
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