NOVEMBER 2017 The Idea, Context, Framing and Realities of ‘Sikh Radicalisation’ in Britain FULL REPORT Dr Jasjit Singh School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science University of Leeds This report was produced out of the Ethno-National, Religio-Cultural Or Anti-Muslim? Investigating Sikh Radicalisation In Britain project funded by CREST. To find out more information about this project, and to see other outputs from the team, visit the CREST website at: https://crestresearch.ac.uk/projects/sikh-radicalisation-britain/ About CREST The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) is a national hub for understanding, countering and mitigating security threats. It is an independent Centre, commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and funded in part by the UK security and intelligence agencies (ESRC Award: ES/N009614/1). www.crestresearch.co.uk ©2017 CREST Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC-SA licence. www.crestresearch.ac.uk/copyright CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................5 PURPOSE AND CONTENT ..........................................................................................................9 EMPIRICAL DATA ON SIKHS IN BRITAIN.............................................................................13 METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................................................................14 FROM ‘FANATICS’ TO ‘RADICALS’: MAPPING SIKH ACTIVISM IN BRITAIN ............16 Colonial Encounters: Sikh ‘Fanatics’, ‘Extremists’ and ‘Militants’ ..............................................16 Post-Independence and Migration to Britain: ‘Sikh Protesters’ ...................................................17 1984: Sikh Extremists, Fundamentalists, Militants, Radicals and Terrorists .........................18 Protests against the Indian state .....................................................................................................19 Terrorism .........................................................................................................................................19 Reported plots against Indian state officials ....................................................................................20 1984 related fatal violence ..............................................................................................................21 ‘Sikh on Sikh’ incidents ..............................................................................................................................22 Other incidents / protests .........................................................................................................................23 Legislation ........................................................................................................................................................24 NARRATIVES AND ISSUES ......................................................................................................27 Political ..............................................................................................................................................................27 June 1984 .......................................................................................................................................28 November 1984 ..............................................................................................................................28 The post 1984 period ......................................................................................................................30 Religious ............................................................................................................................................................31 Respect: ‘Beadbi’ of the Guru Granth Sahib .....................................................................................31 Diversity: Doctrinal and Factional ....................................................................................................33 Service to Society: ‘Miri/Piri’ & ‘Sewa’ ..............................................................................................36 Sovereignty: ‘Khalsa Raj’ .................................................................................................................36 Resistance: Morchas and Martyrdom ..............................................................................................37 Social and Cultural ........................................................................................................................................37 Honour, Masculinity and Vulnerability ............................................................................................37 Muslims and the Far Right ..............................................................................................................39 Gender ............................................................................................................................................42 Religious Identity and Belonging ....................................................................................................42 Generational Differences .................................................................................................................43 TRANSMISSION OF NARRATIVES ........................................................................................44 Family .................................................................................................................................................................44 Gurdwaras ........................................................................................................................................................45 Online .................................................................................................................................................................46 Organisations and Initiatives ...................................................................................................................47 ‘Sikh Rebellion’ subculture .......................................................................................................................50 Events, Talks and Protests ..........................................................................................................................51 Sikh Broadcast Media .................................................................................................................................52 TYPES OF PUBLICLY VISIBLE SIKH ACTIVISM ................................................................54 THE IMPACT OF SIKH ACTIVISM ..........................................................................................56 CONCLUSIONS ..........................................................................................................................58 ENDNOTES ...................................................................................................................................60 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................................73 APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................93 Appendix A: Project Information Sheet ................................................................................................93 Appendix B: Project Consent Form .........................................................................................................95 Appendix C: Sikh organisations in Britain ...........................................................................................96 Appendix D – A Mapping of ‘Sikh on Sikh’ Incidents ......................................................................103 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE ON SECURITY THREATS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the findings of a project funded by the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST). The proposal was developed in November 2015 following media reports about ‘Sikh radicalisation in Britain’ and sought to examine the idea, context, framing and realities of this issue. Evidence was gathered from historic and contemporary media sources, academic literature, social media, internet discussion forums, ethnographic fieldwork and a series of semi- structured interviews. The report is structured as follows and examines the following questions: 1. Framing Sikh activism in Britain: Which incidents have taken place in Britain involving Sikhs including protests and flashpoints and how have these impacted on the discourse around Sikhs in Britain? 2. Narratives and issues: Which narratives and issues are relevant in encouraging Sikhs in Britain to participate in these protests and incidents? Are there specific political /religious narratives and how are these linked to cultural issues? 3. The transmission of narratives: How are these narratives transmitted? How are Sikh organisations / institutions involved? 4. Types of Sikh activism: Are there different types of Sikh activism and what are the key issues of focus? 5. The impact of Sikh activism in Britain: What is the impact of Sikh activism on the British public? 1. FRAMING SIKH ACTIVISM IN BRITAIN Sikh activism in Britain fundamentally changed in 1984 following the storming of Harmandir Sahib (often referred to as the Golden Temple) during Operation Bluestar in June