The Hidden Persecution of Sikh Women in Afghanistan and Pakistan
October 4, 2024
| By Jagbir Jhutti-Johal
Sikh women, Ermess, Dreamstime.com

As a Sikh, I am constantly reminded of how our Sikh Gurus, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadhur and Guru Gobind Singh, made sacrifices to protect freedom of religion or belief.

These spiritual masters of Sikhism helped establish the religion over about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. Defending human rights, but especially the right to freedom of religion or belief of all people, was a central tenet for the Sikh Gurus.

It is a sobering thought that we don’t have to look far in today’s news to see how Article 18, which states that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” is being violated. While I think of Uyghur Muslims in China or Baha’is in Iran, there are many other instances around the world where the rights, and even the very lives, of religious minorities are at risk.  Defending and protecting religious freedom is as relevant and necessary today as it was in the 17th century when the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, sacrificed his life to protect the religious freedom of the Kashmiri Pandits, Hindu Kashmiris native to the Kashmir Valley, who experienced religious oppression under Mughal rule.

The violation of women’s right to freedom of religion and belief around the world highlights the intersection of religious persecution and gender-based violence that leave women particularly vulnerable and marginalized. Protecting and supporting women demands urgent action, including from the international community and especially human rights and women’s organizations and advocacy groups.

Sikh women particularly need such support. They have faced severe challenges to their freedom of religion and belief, including in Afghanistan and ongoing in Pakistan. Their challenges are not an abstract issue but a daily, lived struggle that largely has been ignored.

Gendered Religious Persecution in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Throughout the turbulent history of Afghanistan, whether it was under the Mujahideen, Taliban or leadership of President Karzai or President Ashraf Ghani, Sikhs as well as Hindus, have seen their non-Muslim ‘Kafir’ religious identity result in violence and discrimination. Sikhs and Hindus historically have had to pay the jizya, a religious tax for their non-Muslims status, wear a piece of yellow cloth in public, or mark their homes and businesses with a yellow label/mark to identify their religious identity. Their places of worship have been attacked and women subjected to abductions and forced conversions, further marginalizing the community and forcing them to flee Afghanistan for good after the fall of Kabul in 2021.  As of now, only nine Afghan Sikh men, and no Afghan Sikh women, remain in Afghanistan.

Sikh women in Pakistan now endure similar violations that Afghan Sikh women faced. While Sikh men frequently are subjected to verbal and physical abuse due to their visible religious identity, such as wearing a turban and beard, Sikh women face even greater danger. These include abduction, forced conversion, and marriage. The situation is so dire that Sikh women in Pakistan, as they did in Afghanistan, feel compelled to stay indoors or wear the Islamic burkha—a practice contrary to Sikh teachings but considered necessary to avoid unwanted attention and violence.

Forced Conversion and Marriage

Sikh women in Pakistan face stark conditions, with numerous cases of abductions, forced conversions and marriages highlighting ongoing persecution. One prominent case is that of Jagjit Kaur, a Sikh girl who was kidnapped at gunpoint, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to a Muslim man. This violation, which occurred in 2019 in the city of Nankana Sahib – a place of great religious significance to Sikhs, is not an isolated one. It represents a broader pattern of targeting Sikh women for forced conversion, which serves as a potent tool of oppression against the Sikh community as a whole.

The legal and social aftermath of such cases often exacerbates the trauma these women experience. In Jagjit Kaur’s case, after months of being confined in a government hostel, the Pakistan judiciary ruled that she could return to her husband. This decision reflects the systemic bias within the legal system, which often fails to protect the rights of religious minority women. Moreover, when housed in government safe houses or hostels, while awaiting an investigation, some women have been coerced into accepting their forced marriages, further stripping them of their autonomy and reinforcing their victimization. Furthermore, many women may choose to remain with their Muslim husbands out of fear of retaliation against their family or because they feel they have no other options, given the stigma and dishonour associated with returning to their communities after such violations.

The impact of these forced conversions and marriages extends beyond individual women: it strikes at the heart of the religious communities to which they belong. These acts of violence are not just personal attacks but are intended to weaken and demoralize entire religious communities by undermining their cultural and social integrity and in turn a community’s ability to have Sikh children. The targeting of women in this manner is a form of intersectional discrimination, where gender and religious identity intersect to create a particularly oppressive experience which eventually will lead to the eradication of a community.

Broader implications for Sikh communities

As in the past, the plight of Afghan Sikh women continues to remain almost invisible, even though their struggles are profound and unique. Afghan Sikh women not only faced persecution as religious minorities while living in Afghanistan, but now endure gender-specific challenges as they seek resettlement in other countries. The trauma of living in constant fear, with limited access to education and healthcare, has led to severe mental health consequences, including PTSD. Scholars like myself have highlighted women specific issues in reports such as the UK Home Office Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) 2021, calling for a greater focus on the rights and mental health needs of Afghan Sikh women. Despite these efforts, Afghan Sikh women, as a minority within a minority, still do not receive the attention or advocacy their situation desperately warrants and they remain underrepresented in the discourse.

The systematic targeting of Sikh women in Pakistan has led to significant changes in social practices within Sikh families. Many parents, driven by a desire to protect their daughters from these threats, are resorting to early marriages and denying them their education. This shift represents a tragic reversal of progress that had been made toward gender equality and highlights how religious persecution can force communities into adopting patriarchal practices that further restrict women’s rights to maintain social and religious honour (izzat).

The psychological impact of these experiences on Sikh women cannot be overstated. The trauma of abduction, forced conversion, and marriage can lead to deep feelings of fear, shame and social isolation.

The need for international attention and intervention

Throughout the turbulent history of Afghanistan, persecution of the Afghan Sikh community has existed. When American forces entered Afghanistan in 2001, there was a period of relative security for Afghan Sikhs. However, the situation drastically deteriorated following the fall of Kabul in 2021. Yet, due to the small size of the Sikh population, particularly in comparison to other minority groups, their suffering remained underreported and largely unnoticed by international advocacy groups.

Efforts were made by the global Sikh community to bring attention to their struggles. These include documentaries, like the 2013  Mission Afghanistan documentary on Hindus and Sikhs of Afghanistan by The Flying Dutchman, which shed light on the community’s difficult circumstances, and efforts by advocacy organizations such as the Sikh Coalition, USA and the Bhullar Foundation, Canada.

While violations increasingly are being raised by Sikhs and Hindus in India and the global diaspora—including figures like Lord Singh in the UK—the discourse is not without its complexities. On one hand, these communities are advocating for the rights of persecuted minorities, bringing much-needed attention to issues that have been historically overlooked. On the other hand, there is concern that some of these efforts are being co-opted to fuel nationalist agendas and Islamophobia, rather than focusing solely on the protection of vulnerable women and communities.

The Pakistan situation for Sikhs, along with the Hindu minority, presents a difficult challenge: How do we ensure that the voices of persecuted minorities are heard without their plight being used as a tool for furthering divisive political narratives? It’s crucial that advocacy remains grounded in the genuine desire to promote human rights, rather than becoming entangled in broader political or religious tensions.

The path toward a world in which religious freedom and human rights of all women are fully protected remains challenging. Targeting women for their religious identity is a clear example of how religious persecution and gender-based violence intersect to create severe violations, which are not only attacks on individual human rights, but also deliberate efforts to undermine and oppress entire religious minority communities. The international community must act, including advocating for legal reforms so that justice for victims of forced conversion and marriage is ensured. Protecting women against violence and upholding their rights must be central to the broader fight for religious freedom and gender equality.

As a Sikh, the sacrifices made by the Sikh Gurus, such as Guru Arjan Dev or Guru Tegh Bahadur, in their pursuit of justice and defence of religious freedom, remind us of our collective moral responsibility. We must embody the principles of Sant Sipahi, the saint-soldier, and stand resolutely against such injustices, hold violators accountable, advocate for the protection of all communities, and commit to collective action that upholds the rights and freedoms of all people, in the spirit of Sarbat da Bhala (well-being of all).

 

Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal is a professor of Sikh Studies at the University of Birmingham, author, member of ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and media commentator.

 

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