Gurpreet Singh 

The recent arrest of a suspect for hijacking a small plane from Victoria to Vancouver has sparked unnecessary verbal attacks on social media.

Shaheer Cassim allegedly committed this act for ideological reasons. Some media reports suggest that he was probably “driven by climate emergency” and did this as a “messiah of Allah”. Cassim has been charged and is going to face trial, but some folks on X have already started asking for his deportation and slamming his religious identity. This is nothing but blatant racism, even though we aren’t yet sure about his citizenship status.

Let’s not jump the gun. His action reminds us all of the crisis the world is going through because of global warming. We should direct our anger at politicians who lack the will to address this problem urgently, instead of going after this individual based on his ethnicity.

Also, let’s keep in mind that the reasons being attributed for his action aren’t ethnocentric, but humanist, since the issue at hand affects everyone alike, including the sons of Allah. The politicians, particularly those who love to call men like him “eco-terrorists,” should know that if they do not wake up and accept the reality, more people will be inclined to follow him, trying to keep this struggle alive and make our governments accountable.        

Gurpreet Singh 

This past weekend, as I was walking by the sea wall in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, I noticed a lone female biking with  a huge tricolour of black, white and green, and a red triangle at the corner

She parked near the roundabout leading to the park and let the Palestinian flag flutter to seek the attention of drivers passing by. Some of them honked in support while others ignored her, but the woman remained determined to make her point. I approached her and received her permission to take some pictures. She was friendly enough to allow me to do so, but I didn’t ask her name. However, her compassionate smile and dedication left a deep impression on me.

The world continues to watch an ongoing barbaric attack on Palestine by the Israeli forces, leaving many innocent women and children dead. But there are many who remain indifferent to the sufferings of those unfortunate civilians, enjoying their privilege to live in a country like Canada. During these depressing times, such small gestures give us some hope for a better future.

That woman reminded me of what the tenth master of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, said to uplift the spirits of his disciples during wars. The essence of his message was that he considered each of his warriors to equal more than one hundred thousand enemies in the battlefield. The power of the one and only cannot be ruled out. Even American Indian movement leader Leonard Peltier has said that he believes in a one-man army when it comes to a fight against heavy odds. I therefore salute this woman for opening the eyes of many who are either too consumed by their daily life, or have chosen to look away when it’s time to speak out. 

Gurpreet Singh 

Nishant Upadhyay has taken a lot of pain to document the history of First Nations and their cross-cultural connection with settler immigrants, particularly those coming from India.

“Indians on Indian Lands: Intersections of Race, Caste and Indigeneity” provides a nuanced and well researched analysis of both the tensions and solidarities between the two groups of people, and tries to situate the whole issue in the broader context of colonialism. 

What is so unique about this book is that Upadhyay, of Indian origin, born in an upper caste Brahmin family, has also questioned their own caste privilege. Through a boldly written chapter “Unsettling Brahminism,” they have dared to challenge the upper caste immigrants who perpetuate racial stereotypes against Indigenous peoples, trying to present themselves as a “model minority” to survive in the oil and gas industry in Alberta. 

Although an atheist, Upadhyay recognize their own caste dominance back home, and also within the South Asian diaspora. They try to make reader understand how the caste privilege of the skilled immigrants has helped to entrench right wing Hindu nationalism in Canada, and the way it works against the collective interests of the oppressed communities of the Indigenous peoples, not only in Canada, but also in India, where attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents have increased under Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Upadhyay illustrates the recognition of International Yoga Day on June 21 by the B.C. government as an example. This wasn’t just an appropriation of Canada's National indigenous Peoples Day, but an attempt to create false equivalency between Hindu spiritual experience, and the aspirations of Indigenous peoples fighting to revive their languages and culture. They emphasize that much like decolonization, the dismantling of caste privilege is also needed in anti-racism work. They give a detailed account of their conversations with some people who are very outspoken against any affirmative action to help Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the oppressed communities, like Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis in India .                  

While the book gives hope for a better future and cross-cultural bridges between Punjabi working class immigrants and Indigenous communities through initiatives such as Idle No More, the author doesn’t try to romanticize the issue. They critically look at the ugly history of Indigenous women being exploited and abused by men from the Punjabi Sikh community seeking immigration. They have amplified the stories of “dreamers” and authors like Burnaby-based Sadhu Binning, for writing short fiction about the abandonment of indigenous women by Punjabi men, or his brother Paul Binning’s efforts to bring the two communities together through the Punjabi folk dance of Bhangra.

Radical Desi declares Senator Baltej Singh Dhillon as Person of the Year 2025, for standing up against Canada’s invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the recent G7 summit. Dhillon made history in 1991, becoming the first turbaned Sikh RCMP officer despite facing blatant racism. He was one of the few prominent Canadians who raised his voice against Modi’s visit, which sparked angry protests.

Gurpreet Singh

The news of the passing away of the towering leader of India’s Marxist Communist Party came as a personal shock.

I had known Comrade Sitaram Yechury, and had an opportunity to spend some valuable moments with him.

He died at the age of 72, following an illness, leaving behind a rich legacy of his tireless commitment towards a secular India.

He had visited Vancouver a few times, to attend events hosted by the Indo-Canadian Workers’ Association. I had a long chat with him on a range of issues, and learnt a lot about threats and challenges facing the left movement in India.

He often used to say that the majority is not always right, in the context of the growing power of Hindu supremacy under current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He saw him coming, before 2014, when Modi got elected as leader of the world’s so-called largest democracy. He used to remind people that the majority in Germany also committed a similar mistake by choosing Hitler as their leader.

Such candid and unpopular statements need courage and conviction, and Yechury had both.

On another occasion, when Hindu chauvinist leader Bal Thackrey, died, the Indian parliament passed a condolence motion and gave him the state honour. But Yechury opposed it vehemently in the face of threats from Thackrey's supporters.

During COVID 19, when his son died, I called him to pay my condolences. Within a minute, he changed the course of our conversation to the pitiable situation of the poor who weren’t able to get oxygen cylinders because of mismanagement by Modi's government. More than his personal tragedy, he was worried about the people on the street. This small episode continues to sit with me and defines Yechury as a statesman.

He came under constant attack from the followers of Modi for speaking out the truth. He wasn’t spared either when the family was grieving the loss of their loved one. They mocked him for being a supporter of Communist China, which was being blamed for COVID 19 by the right wing forces all over the world.

His demise comes at a time when majoritarianism is on the rise and secularists are fighting hard to recapture their space in Indian politics. He has left a vacuum which cannot be filled easily.

Gurpreet Singh

In July, I had an opportunity to visit a Chicago historic site, where those who had laid down their lives in 1886 in the fight for the right to work for eight hours a day.

Known as the Haymarket produce district, a permanent memorial greets visitors at the place where a bomb was thrown at a meeting organized by the workers, leaving seven policemen and four civilians dead. It remains unknown who was behind the attack, while the meeting was being addressed by speakers from atop a wagon.

However, four participants were hanged to death, including two organizers and two speakers, while one activist died in custody.

The event left a permanent mark on the workers’ history across the world. May 1 is observed as the international workers’ day since then. India, the country of my birth, also celebrates this day with a lot of enthusiasm.

The memorial bears the names and pictures of the slain workers, George Engel, Adolph Fischer, August Spies, Albert Parsons, and Louis Lingg.

One of the plaques reads, “Imagine one world, one voice, a global union”

Ironically, the history of May Day has its roots in the bloody events of Chicago, and yet North Americans holds Labour Day on the first Monday of September, which many see as an attempt to maintain a distance from the Communist movement.

I am really blessed to be one of those who could make it to Haymarket memorial with my wife Rachna and two children. On that note, I would like to recognize that it was Rachna, who introduced me to this important piece of history we should be aware of.

Being born in a family of committed leftists, and a former trade unionist, who is now a minister in the BC NDP government which has close ties to the labour movement, she has a great influence on me. She makes sure to buy services from businesses where the workforce is unionized and does not miss an opportunity to go to the cashier at stores rather than vending machines to make any purchase so that their jobs are protected.   

This Labour Day weekend, let’s take a moment to remember the heroes of Chicago. We must not take for granted the rights we have today because of their sacrifices. In the current economic liberalisation environment, and with the constant growth of right wing politics, whatever concessions they got for us are in danger of being taken away.   

...

Gurpreet Singh

“An injury to one is an injury to all’. This trade unionist slogan coined to bring international solidarity is best represented by a memorial in Bellingham.

An Arch of Healing and Reconciliation was erected in 2017 to recognize the violent acts of racism against immigrants from India, China and Japan. 

Plaques acknowledging the historic wrongs committed against these groups at different times greet visitors from both sides of the arch.

One of them is about the ugly events of 1885, when the Chinese people were driven out of Whatcom county. Another two are about the 1907 riots against Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims from India, and the removal and incarceration of Japanese people in 1942.

A 2007 proclamation recognizing the September 4, 1907 violence is also framed among the plaques. Made by the City of Bellingham to mark 100 years of the riots, the proclamation had laid the groundwork for the monument. In fact, September 4 was proclaimed as a Day of Healing and  Reconciliation. 

Although the proclamation acknowledges the government policies’ impact on Indigenous communities, a plaque dedicated to Indigenous peoples in the US would have made the arch even more meaningful, considering that we are all on their traditional lands and yet they continue to suffer systemic racism.

The floor of the structure has brick slabs with greetings in different languages. The ones in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu say welcome to everyone. The most remarkable part of the memorial is that it’s not just confined to any one particular community, and has tried to include the stories of all the diverse groups of people speaking different languages and following different religions and customs. That makes this place special and worth visiting for any newcomer who needs to know the racist history of the US, and to understand how white supremacy doesn’t discriminate between people of colour and everyone who is vulnerable. 

Redistributing wealth is akin to redistributing water. Consider what happens to water when it remains stagnant and confined to one place: it becomes dirty, stagnant, and polluted. Conversely, when water flows freely in multiple directions, it stays clean and fresh and sustains life, nourishing the creatures and plants around it.

The redistribution of wealth works similarly. Hoarding wealth primarily benefits only the individual and fails to maximize its potential to uplift society. When money is concentrated in one place, it is not efficiently used to help everyone reach their potential and flourish.

If the wealthy distribute their resources through taxes or philanthropy, they can sustain entire communities, just as flowing water sustains life. This movement of wealth ensures that more people can thrive and contribute to a healthier, more vibrant society.

Alex Sangha MSM

Social worker, counsellor, and documentary film producer

Delta, BC

On Friday, June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day, a special event was held at a Sikh religious space where its president was assassinated last year.  

Hardeep Singh Nijjar is believed to have been murdered at the behest of the Indian government for asking for a separate homeland of Khalistan.

Close to his first death anniversary, which was on June 18, prominent artists Jarnail Singh and Jennifer Sherif, presented a multimedia joint artwork to the gurdwara officials, amidst Sikh religious slogans raised by those present in the congregation. Nijjar's son Mehtab Singh was also in attendance to receive the gift. 

Singh is a well-known Sikh painter, whereas Sherif is an indigenous educator and beadwork artist.

Sherif wanted to express her gratitude to Nijjar for organizing prayers for the indigenous kids whose remains may have been detected at the former site of the so-called Indian Residential School in Kamloops in June, 2021.

He had invited Sherif to talk about the history of cultural genocide of the indigenous peoples. She wanted to contribute to anything meaningful in his memory. Based on her discussions with Singh, the two decided to come up with a multimedia artwork, which includes Nijjar’s water-colour portrait in an orange shirt recognizing the truth and reconciliation day. Sherif has previously made orange shirt pins, studded the painting with beads.  

Those who spoke at the event included Gurdwara Secretary Gurmeet Singh Toor, BC Sikh Gurdwara Council leader Moninder Singh, eminent TV broadcaster Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal, social justice activists and independent journalists Bhupinder Malih, Imtiaz Popat and Gurpreet Singh. They unanimously paid tributes to Nijjar and remembered his legacy for standing up for human rights of everyone, including the First Nations.

Gurpreet Singh

One of the motivations behind my going to Seville, in the summer of 2023, was to visit the monument built in memory of the author of The Devastation of the Indies, a first-hand account of the repression of the indigenous peoples of the Americas by Spanish conquerors.

Bartolomé de las Casas was born in 1484 to a merchant father, Pedro de las Casas, who had accompanied Columbus on one of his voyages. Columbus had given a young Indian slave to Pedro, who then gave him away to his son as a companion, but Bartolomé handed him over to the authorities so that he could be returned to the Indies.

Bartolomé thereby showed early signs of his disapproval of the mistreatment of the indigenous peoples whose lands were stolen by the Spanish.

As he grew older, he was ordained a deacon and became a priest in 1512. During his time in the Indies, he not only preached against the abuse of the natives by the colonists, but liberated his own slaves and began campaigning for their rights. His open denunciation of the slaughter of the indigenous peoples turned him into an enemy of the officials who were part of the exploitative structure. He faced death threats for seeing the whole affair as against his own Christian values.  

He remained steadfast in his resolve until his death in 1566. 

A sculpture stands on the bank of the Guadalquivir River, across from where he was born, according to Patrick Comerford. Thanks to the information given on his blog, my son and I were able to trace the monument built by Emilio García Ortiz.

Inaugurated in 1984 to mark the fifth centenary of his birth, the monument commemorates Bartolomé as a father-figure of human rights. Incidentally, it was the same year when the minority Sikh community suffered the worst human rights violations in India.

While we as Canadians are celebrating June as indigenous history month, we need to remember Bartolomé and his legacy. To start with, people need to read his book, which gives an idea how the Europeans colonized Turtle Island, and how problematic was the so-called doctrine of discovery that paved the way for marginalization of the indigenous peoples in North America, and their genocide through residential schools and other tools of white supremacy.

Also, we need to recognize and amplify the story of Bartolomé, to see that not every Christian priest was complicit in atrocities or misappropriated the Church to colonize indigenous peoples for material benefits.