HASAN
ABDAL: Thousands of Indian pilgrims barely registered the man in the orange
bandanna and Ray-Ban sunglasses taking their shoes and storing them in
wooden cubbyholes before they entered the Sikh shrine in Hasan Abdal.
The unassuming 62-year-old tending to the shoes is a top government lawyer
and devout Muslim. At the shrine, he is on an unusual solo quest—taking on
menial jobs to atone for the beheading of a Sikh by militants.
Over the past two years, Muhammed Khurshid
Khan has traveled to Sikh shrines in Pakistan and India, volunteering to
polish shoes, clean bathrooms, cook meals and do other chores. Such service
is known as “seva”—selfless service—in Sikhism, and it holds a special place
in the faith.
Attacks against Sikhs, Christians and
Hindus have spiked in Pakistan in recent years as the Taliban and their
allies gained strength. Atrocities by extremists against religious
minorities now are so common that they rarely illicit more than routine
condemnation by officials, much less collective contrition or shame.
In helping Sikhs, Khan is reaching out to
an extremely small minority.
“I have a desire to serve the Sikh
community because my community has done them serious harm, and that hurts
me,” said Khan, taking a break from his work at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib.
Khan, one of two dozen deputy attorney
generals in Pakistan, began his mission in 2010 after militants kidnapped
three Sikhs returning from Afghanistan to their homes in Pakistan. The
militants demanded some$240 thousand dollars—an amount the families could
not afford. Two of the captives were freed in a commando raid, but
30-year-old Jaspal Singh had already been beheaded.
“That news pierced my heart,” said Khan.
“How could Muslims do such harm to such a peaceful community?”
A day after Singh was beheaded, Khan went
to the dead man’s home in Peshawar to offer condolences. He sat on the floor
with Singh’s relatives, but they became wary once they realised Khan was a
government official.
Khan then visited a Sikh shrine in Peshawar
and asked religious leaders if he could perform seva to atone for the
beheading. After two weeks his request was approved, and for the next four
months he went to the shrine in Peshawar every day after work, polishing
worshippers’ shoes for hours.
Handling the shoes of devotees is
considered a particularly worthy form of seva because it shows humility and
a belief that all people, rich and poor, are equal in the eyes of God.
“When I was permitted to do seva, that day
felt like the happiest day of my life,” said Khan.
He said he initially hid his quest from his
family because he worried they would be embarrassed and ask him to stop, but
they are now supportive. He also avoided media interviews until a reporter
reminded him that Islam tells followers to publicise good deeds as an
example to others.
“My message is love and peace,” said Khan,
who also visits Hindu temples and Christian churches to reinforce the belief
that religious minorities should be protected. “These minorities have been
living here for centuries.”
Khan has not contacted the beheaded Sikh’s
family since just after the killing.
Harnam Singh said his slain brother left a
widow and four young children and the family has trouble making ends meet.
“We appreciate what Khan is doing because
it shows solidarity with the Sikh community,” said Harnam Singh. “It would
also be good if someone could provide some help for the family because they
are facing serious problems.”
Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by
Guru Nanak Dev in the Punjab region of South Asia, which was divided between
India and Pakistan in 1947 when the countries gained independence from the
British Empire.
The shrine in Hasan Abdal is revered
because it houses what is believed to be a handprint of Sikhism’s founder.
This week, there was a festive atmosphere at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, a brick
building adorned with arched windows and topped by a large dome. Indians,
and some Pakistanis, were visiting as part of a 10-day pilgrimage to
celebrate the Sikh New Year – Besakhi.
Khan surveyed the gathering from his perch
behind a long wooden counter and said he hoped his actions would highlight
the need to protect Pakistan’s minorities.
“The message is a soft image of my religion
Islam, a soft image of my country Pakistan,” said Khan. “We are not
terrorists.”
Source:
http://dawn.com/2012/04/13/one-mans-seva-for-another-mans-death-ha/