New Delhi, February 18 – Several videos of Islamic religious programs in Pakistan have surfaced, allegedly containing objectionable remarks about the Sikh community and the Sikh Gurus, according to a report by Khalsa Vox.
The report states that a recent video shows a Pakistani cleric claiming that Guru Nanak Dev Ji accepted Islam, was buried in Baghdad by Muslims, and that a grave was constructed there. The cleric allegedly claimed that Sikhs "did not even have the courage" to take the funeral of their Guru from Muslims.
The same Pakistani cleric further asserted that after Guru Nanak's alleged conversion, Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Maharaja Ranjit Singh feared that Sikhism would be endangered and therefore got "false and fabricated history" written. These claims have drawn strong reactions from Sikhs around the world.
Khalsa Vox reported that other videos show Mufti Tariq Masood Deobandi, head of Jamia Tur Rasheed, and a self-proclaimed Sufi cleric, Maulana Professor Muhammad Suleman alias Hafiz Pir Muhammad Suleman Misbahi Alkhadmi, making remarks against Sikhs and the Sikh Gurus. The videos, described as containing hateful statements, are reportedly being widely circulated on social media by followers of these clerics.
The report further notes that in some speeches, derogatory terms were allegedly used for the Sikh community, along with claims that one day Sikhs would be made to accept Islam. It adds that similar controversial remarks have been made in the past by certain religious leaders in Pakistan.
Gunjeet Singh Bakhshi, head of Sikh Brotherhood International, has demanded that the Government of India raise the issue at the international level and seek action against those responsible. Meanwhile, some members of the Pakistani Sikh community, speaking anonymously, have urged the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and Akal Takht to take up the matter internationally and pursue legal action against the clerics accused of making objectionable remarks about the Sikh community, its Gurus, and articles of faith.