1984
Hitler Had No Monopoly on Evil: The Role of AIPAC and USINPAC in India's Affairs
by JOHN DICKERSON, et al
Note: There have been rumours in Punjab for several years that India's anti-Sikh operations have been carried out under the tutelage of the Israelis. It made sense because the Indians, on their own, have never had - and still don't - the capability, maturity, commitment, efficiency, skill or intelligence to carry out such operations on their own with success. I came across the following story, and then discovered a string of related stories confirming it ... with rising alarm, I must confess ... [Col. (Retd.) Amarjit Singh, Chandigarh, Punjab]
If someone asked you what the mission of America's Pro-Israel Lobby, AIPAC's mission was, you might say: lobbying for Israel; bringing politicians and journalists to Israel; promoting Israel's interests in American society; strengthening Zionism among college students.
[AIPAC - American Israel Public Affairs Committee ]
But would you ever in your wildest dreams answer that one of AIPAC's missions was to side with Indian Hindu extremists in their holy war against Islam? I thought I knew about a lot about AIPAC. But even I was bowled over when I read this from M.J. Rosenberg (he should know since he worked for the group for 10 years or more):
AIPAC actually works closely with Hindu religious parties in the Indian government to teach them how to lobby effectively on Kashmir and the rest of the Hindu nationalist agenda. In fact, the Israel lobby trained the Indians on how to lobby effectively.
This takes the chief Israel-lobby organization far afield from its supposed mandate to promote Israel's interests in the U.S. How can you possibly argue that taking the side of Hindu nationalists in their fight against India's Muslims and Pakistan is part of a pro-Israel agenda?
Unless of course, the cause of Israel must now be yoked to any cause that slimes Muslims.
Is that what AIPAC's neo-con agenda has come down to? Jewish Jihad against Islam?
The following 2002 Forward article fleshes out a lot of M.J. Rosenberg's claim about the closeness of the Israel lobby to Hindus nationalists:
Mirroring close ties between India and Israel, Jewish organizations have begun assisting Indian-American groups in their efforts to become a potent force in both domestic and foreign policy.
Leaders from the two communities have been coming together in recent months to discuss hate-crimes legislation and political activism. A major catalyst for the cooperation, however, is the perception that both communities face a common enemy in Muslim extremism. [...]
"We're fighting the same extremist enemy," said the capital region director of the American Jewish Congress, Charles Brooks, referring to Jews and Indian Americans. "We want to help them become more effective in communicating their political will."
Brooks is working closely with the Indian American Political Action Committee, or INAPAC, a new organization that has just been formed, primarily by Indian Americans from New Jersey. Brooks is helping the new organization develop relations with the U.S. Congress and other political leaders.
[INPAC is now functioning under a new name: USINPAC - United States-India Political Action Committee - and is primarily packed with desis, but virtually no Sikh-Americans.]
[Courtesy: Tikun Olam, Facts About Israel, and Forward]
December 1, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Waryam Singh (Ludhiana, Punjab), December 01, 2009, 12:49 PM.
All it'll do is turn India into a worse hell than it already is. See what the Israelis have done for themselves: it took them thousands of years to get their "promised land". And having got it - by nefarious means - they have turned it into the closest thing to hell on earth. They have been in constant war with their neighbours - not a day goes by when they don't kill or be killed. Oh yeah, we need the Israelis to teach us how to be more miserable! I'm sure God has a special hell for all such war-mongers.
2: Mlle S. (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), December 01, 2009, 5:56 PM.
I am writing in response to this article as a strong supporter of the Sikh community and as an American Jew. The Jewish community and the Sikh community have much in common, and I am disturbed by the content of the article and its placement in the series on 1984. I want to be clear that I am not a knee-jerk supporter of Israeli policy. I do not agree with the settling of the west bank, and I sincerely wish to see in my lifetime a Palestinian homeland co-existing peacefully side by side with Israel. I take exception to the following aspects of the article: Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany is the favorite metaphor of anti-Semites. As the title of the piece screams out, "Hitler had no monopoly on evil". This is true, but the reference to Hitler is an inexcusable slur attempting to equate two situations that are not even remotely comparable. If Israel's actions are sometimes repugnant, using Hitler's name is also repugnant. Hitler not only murdered 6 million Jews, but also countless political prisoners, gypsies, persons with mental handicaps, and homosexuals. They were gassed and burned or buried in mass graves. It was not a two-sided war. Israel may be engaging with India on how to stop terrorism within its borders - I don't know because I haven't studied this - and the American pro-Israel lobby may support the alliance, but this is a far cry from sliming Muslims or a "Jewish Jihad", as the article proclaims. If both countries are facing terrorist threats from Islamic extremists, it would make sense that they would work together to combat this threat. Most important: the content of this article, while stating that the Israelis and the Indians are working together against a common threat, has no facts or evidence relating to the horror of 1984 except the quote at the top about "rumors". Does the author want readers to assume that because the Israelis defend their borders today against incursions, that they helped massacre innocent Sikhs in 1984? I am dismayed by many Israeli policies, and I am horrified that civilians are caught in the middle of fighting. I am even more saddened by the state of Palestinian refugees as a whole. But exactly how does a country defend itself from groups that continually state their aim as the destruction of said country? How does a country defend itself from deliberate attacks on its citizens? If the Sikhs were to ever be granted a Khalistan, would they stand idly by if neighboring countries shot rockets over their borders day after day? The situation is complicated, and Israel may have much to answer for. However, the author of this article who has written countless other anti-Israeli articles has no business belittling the suffering of the victims of 1984 by bringing his anti-Israeli agenda into this sacred space. May God continue to bless the Sikh Sangat, which has much in common with the Jewish Diaspora around the world - our belief in one God, our dedication to lives of service and truth, and our resilience in the face of adversity and persecution. Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh.
3: Santosh Singh (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), December 01, 2009, 6:37 PM.
I must admit I am also shocked and dismayed by this article. This is the first time I have ever heard of any Israeli involvement in any Sikh massacres! I was under the impression that Indira Gandhi acted under the tutelage of the Russians when she decided to storm the Golden Temple in 1984! Although it would make sense that the Israelis are providing advice to India on how to handle Islamic terrorism, it is a stretch of the imagination that they would provide advice or participate in the genocide of the Sikhs. The responsibility lies squarely with India and its Hindus as to how and when this advice is applied! Let's not try and shift the responsibilities of the massacre of innocents, and Sikhs in particular, to anyone else. That would be deliberately muddying of the waters and propaganda! India as an independent country is solely responsible for its own crimes ... let's not blame the British, Russians, Americans, Pakistanis or Israelis.
4: Nehla Kaur (U.S.A.), December 02, 2009, 12:16 AM.
I have also heard other such 'rumours' about Naxalites being involved in the genocide of Sikhs from a so-called ex-police officer from the Punjab Police. Interesting that this current 'rumour' about Israeli involvement is being circulated by an ex-Indian Army officer! Both these Indian institutions were instrumental in the atrocities that have occurred in the Punjab over the last 25 years and unfortunately both have their fair share of so-called Sikhs who are prepared to participate in propaganda to further their own self interests! This is all part and parcel of the 'divide and rule' strategy and an attempt to deflect blame from India itself! In history, the hindus were instrumental in eradicating Buddhism from India; as well as creating and perpetuating the cruel and de-humanizing caste system ... we should give them credit where credit is due ... it doesn't take a lot of ingenuity to massacre innocents!
5: G.C. Singh (U.S.A.), December 02, 2009, 12:40 AM.
Prior to the attack on the Golden Temple in June 1984, a high level Indian delegation had visited the Soviet Union and was assured of full cooperation, including security guarantee for the Indian state if the conflict escalated. There were reports that during Operation Blue Star, Russian intelligence agents and military advisers were stationed in Ambala. However Israel, which at that time was not even recognized by India, never helped Indian security forces during this period in 1984. Right from the time of Nehru, India was in the Soviet camp which supported an independent Palestine. India changed its policy under the right wing Government of Atal Behari Vajpayee. Hindu fundamentalists who are against minorities - and especially against Muslims - found a convenient partner in Israel because of a "common enemy" in so called "Islamic terrorism". Since then, both countries have developed close relations. Israel has supplied India with the latest military hardware/surveillance equipment and has trained its forces in anti militancy operations. Additionally, the cunning hindu has very successfully ridden on the coat-tails of the powerful Jewish lobby in making inroads into the political and financial arena in the U.S. Because of geopolitical conditions, and its massive propaganda and disinformation machine, India has escaped international scrutiny for its horrific human rights abuses and its funding of hindu terrorist organizations.
6: Jagjit Kaur (New York, U.S.A.), December 02, 2009, 10:03 AM.
I note that a number of commentators above confirm, a) the active involvement of Israeli military and intelligence in arming and training the Indians, especially its right wing lunatics, over the course of several years; and that 2) the Indian authorities have actively participated in or turned a blind eye to the wholesale massacres of minorities in their own country - Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Dalits, etc. So, it is nothing but a Pontius Pilate gesture on the part of the Israelis or their apologists to say that all they are doing is helping in the war against Islamic terrorism. Yeah? The guns and bullets only go in the direction of Muslim insurgents? Can't the Israelis read newspapers and see what the Indians are up to? Haven't they heard of the massacres of 1984 or the subsequent genocidal campaign against the Sikhs? Haven't they heard of legal concepts such as "accessory", "Accessory after the fact", "wanton recklessness", "criminal negligence"? And all this I ask while giving them the full benefit of the doubt that they are indeed fully cognizant of all that is going on, and will continue to go on, once they hand over the military hardware to a third-world, corrupt war-mongering nation, and train them in all the nefarious methods they themselves use against the poor Palestinians. Come on guys ... let's call a spade a spade and shame these shameless mercenaries and merchants of death! They have our full sympathy for all that they suffered at the hands of the Nazis, but when they turn around and themselves start behaving like oppressors, they should be given no quarter!
7: Mlle. S. (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), December 02, 2009, 11:03 AM.
Jagjit, I don't believe there are Israeli apologists who have posted. Again, using a term like "Pontius Pilate", just like referencing Hitler, is a sure sign of anti-Semitism and not a real discussion. No one is disputing that Israel may have policies today that are unacceptable. However, the author of this article, well known for his anti-Israeli stance, is trying to link Israel to the killing of Sikhs in 1984, when in fact the Indian government did not recognize the state of Israel and was actively anti-Israeli at the time of the Sikh Holocaust. Someone is clearly attempting to cloud the issue - someone with an anti-Israeli agenda. His article may be appropriate for another site. Indeed this issue is important, but it is sad that he feels the need to muddy the memory of the innocents slaughtered throughout India in 1984 with his own agenda. When has the author ever before expressed an interest in the Sikhs? He is using you, and it is sad. You have taken the bait.
8: Karamjeet Singh Lamba (Ahmedabad, India), December 02, 2009, 11:09 AM.
This site has become a 1984 encyclopedia. Initially, there were beautiful articles, but now as if all everyone has to talk about is 1984. I advise sikhchic to be chic and not concentrate on 1984.
9: Dr. Balbir Singh (Hong Kong), December 02, 2009, 11:47 AM.
I feel compelled to step in here and clarify something: Two things will never wash with Sikhs. First, any suggestion of anti-semitism against them. I can say with authority that you will have difficulty in finding a Sikh who has the slightest degree of anti-semitic feelings in him. Quite the opposite: Sikhs feel total affinity with the Jews. They have parallel histories. Their religious beliefs are closer to each other than any other two religions. They understand each other's sufferings. They share each other's sense of self-deprecating humour. They understand each other's need to survive in a hostile world. I have never heard anything but total sympathy for the Jewish experience amidst any gathering of Sikhs. Second: Sikhs will never accept being told not to use this term or that, merely because it has become monopolized by someone. I know that the weak-kneed North American media has been cowered into refraining from certain types of references to "Hitler", "Nazis", "Holocaust", etc. ostensibly to give in to Jewish sensibilities. Sikhs will accept no such restriction to one's Freedom of Speech, and I laud sikhchic.com for not having given in. These terms are not a monopoly to anyone. Also, why should we be required to limit any analogies with Hitler when the situation warrants it, if the world will not refrain from referring to the corrupt Indra Gandhi as anything but what she really was. After all, she was indeed a Hitler to us. To sum up: no dialogue is going to go anywhere if one party has the right - the sole right - to stop everything its tracks by waving the "anti-semitism" flag. Let's be careful about others' right while protecting our own.
10: Rani Kaur (London, United Kingdom), December 02, 2009, 12:18 PM.
I applaud sikhchic.com for its 1984 articles and for having the courage to provide those that suffered with a voice! Please carry on with this enormous service to the world. Do not become intimidated by any threats or advice to the contrary! By the way, I do not subscribe to the views expressed in the above article as I believe them to be propaganda and an attempt to shift blame from India and its crimes against humanity! This is not the first time that any country has provided expertise and military equipment to another country ... if one has the means, then these things can be purchased on the open or black market. What matters is what one does with this equipment and intelligence and we all know what India has chosen to do ...
11: Mlle. S. (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), December 02, 2009, 12:34 PM.
Dr. Balbir Singh: You are so right and I agree with you one hundred percent. No one has a monopoly on words or terms, but some terms are emotionally charged and are used purely to hurt others. For example, some call the Sikh separatists terrorists. This is only done to disparage them and cloud the issue. It is wrong and it is hurtful. I have not encountered anti-Semitic Sikhs either; however, the author of the article is not a Sikh; his motives are to cast doubt on to who is responsible for 1984 by disparaging another group. As to whether or not the Israelis or the world knew about the Sikh Genocide, probably not to a large extent because the Indian Government hid it so well. I obviously care very much about both communities, so I will close this note by saying, May God bless us all - the Israelis, the Palestinians, the Sikhs, the Hindus ... and may those who have been wronged find justice.
12: Dr. Birinder Singh Ahluwalia (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), December 02, 2009, 8:39 PM.
What I have learned from all the comments made so far re: this article is: Muslims are committing wrongs because they believe they are being wronged; Jews are committing wrongs because of the wrongs committed by Muslims; Sikhs are doing wrong things because they have been wronged; Hindus are committing wrongs because of the wrongs they perceive by others; Christians too are doing their fair share of wrongs, also ostensibly because of the wrongs by others ... Where's all of this going to end, if ever it will? Aren't we better off by just doing the right stuff? By not entering unholy alliances or conjuring up conspiracy stories or ... Or maybe I am just a simple Sikh who does not know how the world works. If it's true, I'd rather remain ignorant of all these wrongs and righted wrongs!
13: Jessie Singh Parmar (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada), December 03, 2009, 2:08 AM.
Thanks for sharing this article with considerable insight. Keep up the good work. We as Sikh youth look to your site for guidance. May God bless sikhchic.com.
14: Darshan Kaur (Orange, California, U.S.A.), December 03, 2009, 12:58 PM.
With all the suffering the Jewish community went through at the hands of the Nazis, within living memory, and all the support it then received, and continues to receive as a result from much of the world, one would have thought they would've become leaders in moving against oppression of minorities anywhere. Instead, it appears, they have adopted the ways of their Nazi oppressors - just look at what they have done, and are doing to the Palestinians. There is no excuse or justification, just as the Nazis had none, which could or would hold water. What really breaks my heart is to see them as bedfellows with Hindu right-wingers, knowing full well how the Hindu majority in India behaves towards its own minorities. It is doubly shameful that it is the Israelis that are aligning themselves with these rogues. True, it is a machiavellian principle that "the enemy of your enemy is your friend". But, one would have thought that, having gone through the hell of the World War II years, they would have learnt that there are bigger and better principles to abide by. What a shame! What a pity!
15: Natalee Singh (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), December 03, 2009, 2:13 PM.
This has occurred because we have 1) failed to tell our own story; 2) failed to reach out to the Jewish community to get their support. Who knows what lies the Hindus have told the Israelis! Considering there is so much misinformation about Sikhi and Sikh history, why are we surprised if the Israelis genuinely see the Sikhs as terrorists and a problem for the 'gentle, peace-loving' Hindus. Isn't this what PM Manmohan Singh would have told them - that there were and are no human rights violations against Sikhs! Isn't this what he told the UN in 1993? There are even Sikhs who still to this day believe that Harmandar Sahib was attacked because there were 'terrorists' inside it ... so why are people blaming the Israelis for not knowing any better!
16: Harjit Kaur (Albany, New York, U.S.A.), December 03, 2009, 3:52 PM.
Natalee: So, in effect, what you are saying is that the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis could have been averted if they, the Jews, had told their story(ies) better to the German people and the world. "It is the victims' fault!" The fact is that decision makers in the West knew exactly what was happening in Germany - even the Pope did; yet, all either turned a blind eye or became accomplices. That is exactly what the Israelis are doing now in their "unholy alliance". And also, you are then accepting the classic excuse given by the German people that they had no idea what was going on at the hands of the Nazis. The Israelis know exactly what the Hindus are doing, but it is convenient for them to enter this conspiracy - they themselves use the argument of "the enemy of your enemy ...!" If your points were valid, both of these conclusions would have merit ... and they don't!
17: Ajay Singh (Rockville, U.S.A.), December 03, 2009, 8:10 PM.
Wow! There is a good relationship between AIPAC and Hindutva/ U.S.A. or whatever Hindu Org it is called. Mein Kamph sells very well in India. The RSS founder Gowalkar was a fan of Hitler. If I were a Jew, I would be nowhere near such an organization. I don't understand the reason for this alliance, could it be that India now buys weapons from Israel and perhaps this is a Value-Add of some sort?
18: Natalee Singh (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), December 04, 2009, 2:43 PM.
Harjit: What I am saying is that the Sikh community as a whole needs to take a long and hard look at itself and stop playing the 'victim' (and by that I am not referring to those impacted by the 1984 pogroms or the Punjab disappearances) and stop blaming others, including the Israelis! Let's look at our community - the likes of K.P.S. Gill and S.S. Virk who are essentially different sides of the same coin ... these people have bled the Sikhs to feed the Hindus! Let's look at our so-called intellectuals who at our time of crises failed to provide guidance to the community, instead preferring to 'sell' their services to the ruling majority! Let's look at this so-called philosophy of 'saving others' which typically translates into 'saving' Hindus ... which is a joke coming from a community who can't save their own from injustice, casteism, female infanticide and domestic violence as well as drugs and alcohol! Let's look at those endless debates (or non-debates rather) about the Dasam Granth and worshiping of idols when it is clear that Sikhi speaks very loudly and clearly on those issues! If the majority Hindus have abused and brutalized us ... perhaps it is because we have allowed it by our behaviour!
19: Manjit Singh (Canada), December 05, 2009, 12:43 AM.
It would be a stretch of the imagination to make a link of Israel's support of India for the 1984 events in Punjab and Delhi. Relationships between India and Israel were not that warm during those days. However the Russians supporting India in the action against Sikhs is widely talked about. Israel started to have warmer relationships with India in 1990s. It was mainly because Israel wanted to have trading relationships with India, and perhaps, also in addition to that, Israel sensed a growing anti-Muslim opinion in India. As they say, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!". India also has been blaming Pakistan to be supporting Sikhs in their struggle. Even the slightest criminal acts done by individuals belonging to the Sikh community in Punjab often get politicized and presented to have been done with the support of Pakistan agencies. Some recent events in Punjab and surrounding states (like the crash of a helicopter believed to be operated by Israeli personnel over a no-fly-zone) have been of concern to Sikhs in Punjab. The Government of India, and some political and religious groups in India (who often call themselves true "patriots", have been trying to present the Sikhs to the international community as separatists/ terrorists supported by Pakistan. The fear in Punjab is that Israel may apply the principle of "friend of my enemy is also our enemy" to please India in order to gain more favorable trading conditions (as France seems to be exploiting the Sikh turban issue in order to get better trading facilities with India). I have been in the U.K., U.S.A. and Canada for the last 45 years and had many from the Jewish community as acquaintances and friends. I have not met any one of them having anti-Sikh views so far. In quite a few cases, even without knowing my views on the issue, some individuals have expressed sympathy for the Sikh struggle as a matter of principle. But, how the governments see the situations is altogether a different matter. I hope AIPAC does not become influenced by the Hindu so-called 'patriots' against Sikhs.
20: Dharamveer Singh (Mumbai, India), December 22, 2009, 10:34 AM.
I have the habit of not only reading your articles but also run my eyes through the comments on the articles and I am sad at Mr Lamba's comments from Ahmedabad. Mr Lamba, I just want to tell you that you and all your loved ones might have escaped the heat of 1984, but next time these criminal anti-Sikh elements come out of the woodwork ... you, like all of us, will be in jeopardy of having a tyre put around the neck and burnt to cinders. At that time, the thugs will not consider whether or not you have any empathy with Sikhs or that your head is not crowned with a turban. I hope and pray that some day Sikhs unite and collectively address this menace. Je Sikh nu Sikh na maare, eh kaum kadey na haare.