Will Panthic Weekly Raise the Bar? (updated)
For the uninitiated Panthic Weekly is a Sikh portal that provides news and media on various issues that affect the Sikh community. As part of the Panthic Network, my first memories of the team are related to the long-standing Fort Panth Khalsa that especially became popular during the debates centered around the then-Jathedar Ranjit Singh.
The website over the years has developed a formidable presence on the website and is a celebrated by that section of our community that have a leaning towards the strong opinionated slant it represents, especially towards a specific Jathabandi.
For the most part, I applaud Panthic Weekly’s efforts and their abilities to engage with youth audiences with a variety of media. Their Khalsa.tv, Panthic.fm, Kathaa.net and Keertan.net are all efforts that deserve praise.
However, my problem with the network is their derogatory language and uncivil discussions that are promoted, often bordering on bullyism. Whenever, the editors of Panthic Weekly do not like a person, they change their name from ‘Singh’ to ‘Sinh’. Parkash Singh Badal becomes Parkash Sinh Badal; Former Jathedar Darshan Singh Ragi becomes Darshan Sinh Ragi; Prime Minister Manmohan Singh becomes Manmohan Sinh. Allegations of RAW agent, RSS-stooge, “traitor”, etc. and the worst parts of our post-1984 history are relived where Sikhs spew vitriole on other Sikhs.
Another issue is it has often become a haven for violent retribution. While the website can in no way be held responsible for its commenters, still I no first-hand that they do censor comments, too many inflammatory comments that harm the discourse amongst Sikhs are allowed to pass.
When reporting the death of a controversial Sikh scholar, the news did not lament his death, only discussed his heresy (such a tactic seems remnant of a Sarah Palin rally). No remorse was shown over his killing. One commenter even wrote
“Chakdo Singho! Few more to go, Lets GOO…”[link]
Even the reporting often leaves much to be desired. The original report on the controversial scholar stated that “the Sikh Sangat” [not members of the Sikh Sangat mind you, but they are presented as if they speak for the entire Sikh Sangat, which of course they do not] was “irritated” by some responses the murdered scholar gave. However, the reporter follows:
local Sikh activists lashed out at the controversial reporter and injured him. But he was released soon after his wife and two daughters intervened.[link]
The bias of this news reported soon becomes apparent. The Tribuneindia published a photo of the ‘released’ Seona and his two daughters. One can see that this gang thrashed an old man and may have even attacked his daughters (the article is unambiguous).
I used this example not to defend Seona, nor do I have any link with Darshan Singh, Manmohan Singh, or even Parkash Singh Badal (in fact, I have been critical of all). Again, while I respect much of the Panthic Weekly’s tireless seva, I do believe promoting hooliganism, interjecting violence instead of discourse, and self-appropriating the ability to label or de-label members Singh and Sinhs does not help the long-term fortune of our Qaum, something that I hope all of us are working towards. All Sikh organizations and forums (including this one!) should work hard to raise the standard of discussion and conversation within our community.
Somewhat related: BKI as Boogeyman
UPDATE:
I should have done some more research before the original post. As usual, Shinda Singh (pagh salute!) was ahead of the curve. For another thoughtful critique and analysis of Panthic Weekly, see his post.
Random Posts
Jodha, the answer to the question “Will Panthic Weekly Raise the Bar?” is almost certainly NO they will not.
Their attitude represents a definite and on going strain in Sikh society that will probably never be eradicated. It is a strain of violent, even murderous sensibility that seeks to persecute those who they disagree with. I have always thought it is only a matter of time before a Theo Van Gogh situation arises in England or Canada, when a writer, journalist or author is murdered in the street by these fascists. I thought it was going to be Gurpreet Bhatti, because I heard people talk about killing her, and I read people on the internet say the same.
When violent rhetoric is the norm, promoted by indivduals or groups, eventually somebody will be killed. It’s fascism, nothing less that violent fascism, and it exists amongst us.
I agree with Prem. They will not raise the bar, but for other reasons as well. Our community doesn’t seem to realize that there are other professions other than doctors or engineers. Each one has its own unique set of required skills and talents. Panthic Weekly is a portal/blog, not a newspaper. It doesn’t have journalists working on stories, and if I am not mistaken, I don’t believe they write anything themselves. They grab stories found on the net.
Just like watching the talking heads on TV, they are commentators and not journalists. They draw readership by being controversial. It gets tiresome and they become untrustworthy. You can read the blogs for entertainment, but for real news, you must go to real news sites like SikhNN.com. There aren’t many Sikh journalists out there and we must support those that are. I know that Anju Kaur has been looking for help to develop SikhNN and expand its capabilities. That’s some seva that could make a real difference.
Marine Kaur,
Thank you for your comments. However, as a clarification, they do publish their own original stories. The definition of ‘journalism’ is a different story and a different post. But yes, they do publish their own original content.
To Panthic Weekly’s credit, in many ways, they illustrate iReporting in that these are citizen-journalists writing. Granted I may not agree with all of their messages and tone for the reasons cited, but it still important to be honest and clear in our discussion.
Not to be a pain, but the idea of citizen journalists is no more appealing than the idea of citizen dentists or citizen engineers. I don’t want my tooth pulled by some guy who happens to have a pair of pliers. I understand the appeal and benefits of immediacy with eyewitness accounts, but without the fact checking and objectivity that real journalists provide, you are getting a one sided story.
Journalism is not just a different story and a different post. It is reporting, objectively, with verification of the facts. Not opinion, not conjecture, not sensationalism, not leading the reader.
Haha ok Marine Kaur,
But still for this topic, I am not sure how productive a theoretical discussion on journalism. Although I do believe citizen-journalists still are a great asset in this information age. Even SikhNN, serves as a news aggregator and not all content on that site is original either. Still I stand by my comment
and hope to have more discussion on the actual topic.
On this issue I totally agree with Prem.
Nobody can tolerate fanatics in real life, so they meet each other and hang out online. It’s hard to go to any online Sikh forum and discuss something that differs from the party line. I’m wonder if we cut off the head, will the body die? i.e. if we can somehow work with the leadership of certain jethas which seem to create the party line, can we help the sangat move towards an open minded approach to life?
I think the very first precept of everything is “Ek Ong Kaar” which to me means that every Sikh should strive to see God in everything, including the people who completely disagree with them.
[nonsense and more death threats ends up getting deleted....Admin Singh]
Jodha,
I didn’t mean to hijack the discussion but thought the broader topic was, in fact, journalistic integrity. To set the record straight, SikhNN is only original reporting by trained journalists, not some “news bureau or unknown author.” Am I missing something?
m
I disagree with especially branding panthic weekly as fascist.
While i do not endorse violence but we need to know why we are not bringing up the vulgar language used for ridiculing sikh scriptures.That is what this party is doing for calling a sikh scripture kanjar kavita.Spokesman newspaper is doing it day in and day out.
Coomenting negatively on Bible is a crime in USA as it hurts sentiments of citizens.I hope if the offending party learns this.Then we have some fascist non-sikhs ever ready to interfere in affairs of sikhs.Prem isone of them.I had interaction wit him in the past.
I totally agree here. They are out of control are start “banning” people all the time! And if you ask for evidence behind their “exposes”
people attack you and assume that you are working for the other side.
They recently removed bhai harpreet singhs keertan from their website based off some entirely undocumented “conversation” they had with him. [edited]
Singh,
Commenting on the Bible is NOT a crime in the US.
Have you read anywhere people condemning Bible? If so plaese give he reference. There is law on this. I will cite it after search.
Here we have talking about Tom , Dick and Harry who heap abuses on our scrirptures. Did you write on that asking them to conduct in a civilized way.
Jodha ji
Please see
http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/blasphemy-salman-rushdie.html
But the crime of blasphemy still exists in some Western nations. In the United States, prosecutions for blasphemy, though always rare, did not officially end until the early 1970s.
[no jatt, nonsense only comes from the 'internet warriors'....threats get deleted....Admin Singh]
Singh,
From the website you provided:
Regarding condemnations of the Bible, you haven’t seen it? Are you kidding? Youtube even has videos of people burning their Bibles. I think such practice is completely idiotic and thus will not link to such stupidity and vindictiveness, but it all exists. I ask all Sikhs to be civil. (Especially those commenting on this forum!)
Sikhi is not confined to be this forum. What i am trying to say is that there are some who are perpetraors of unsikh acts and you need them to take their uncivilty into account before people start cursing sikhs. You need to dig in background of those who name call our scritpures.
On one side i see people who are demonstrating against Pashaura singh even though he may be abetter sikh than the leaders of these protests.
On other side people are siding with those who are promoting blasphemy. Akal takhat is authority on religious issues of sikhs.
I can assure you there is a law in USA and uK against blasphemy. That article is just an indication of that.
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/517137313.html
The same Bill of Rights which protect freedom of speech also protect freedom of religion. The Founding Fathers did not envision a freedom FROM religion, rather a freedom OF religion. In other words, our nation’s constitution protects the rights of ALL religions, not one and not just a few. Attacking the most sacred elements of a religion is not free speech anymore than would be perjury in a court or libel in a newspaper.
Lies and hate speech which incite contempt or violence are not protected under the law. Hence, inscribing Swastikas on Jewish synagogues or publicly burning copies of the Christian Bible or the Muslim Koran, especially by a faculty member of a public university, are just as heinous and just as unconstitutional. Individual freedoms are limited by the boundaries created by the inalienable rights of others. The freedom of religion means that no one has the right to attack, malign or grossly offend a faith tradition they personally do not have membership or ascribe allegiance.
Singh,
You can assure me all you want. I live in the United States. There is no federal law against blasphemy, no matter how much you or these Christian websites wish there was. The ACLU won a heroic case allowing for pro-Nazi skinhead groups to march and have a protest in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood (Skokie, IL). There are laws against hate crimes, but this is a different matter.
Regarding my post, I stand by everything I wrote. We should not be injecting bullyism into the political discourse, especially against those with whom we have differing opinions.
Ok, since this circle will go on forever. I am done.
This is not bullyism and neither this is politics.This is a matter of religion. For likes of you religion may be an entertaiment. For others it is a serious matter.
You were the one supporting demonstrations against pashaura singh. Why a double standard?
Singh,
No double-standard. Peacefully protest. By all means. Depending on the issue, I will stand with you.
But we part ways when I believe the following occurs:
Jodha
You are making up your statement and attributing to panthic weekly. I am not a supporter of panthic weekly. I am a supporter of sikh issues. Did panthic weekly supported what you have written sarcastically below.
Quote
I do believe promoting hooliganism, interjecting violence instead of discourse, and self-appropriating the ability to label or de-label members Singh and Sinhs does not help the long-term fortune of our Qaum, something that I hope all of us are working towards.
unquote
Do you have knowledge of sikh scriptures to write authoritatively in support of those who are condemning those scriptures.
Looking at this picture, again makes me think, that the level of fanaticism and idiocy is unprecedented amongst a certain group of “Sikhs.” When in history have Sikhs been aggressive before modern times? NEVER, and now people calling themselves Khalsa, the very sacred pure ideal that we all honor, are going around acting like thugs. What a total disgrace.
These people are so small-minded and egotistical that they have to beat up an old man because he writes things with which they disagree. I’ve had these people at my blog and read their posts on other blogs and forums. I’m really getting sick of them. Someday I’m going to find the “gupt” cowards, and expose them. I know which jethas they belong to and which cities they live in, I just don’t know their names. They shouldn’t have the power that the young Sikhs are giving them. The power to control their thoughts and dictate what it means to be a Sikh.
Dear all, I normaly refrain from responding to comments on websites but really want to say that the comments on this one are much more civil than what I often come across. Pl allow me the liberty to take the debate to the core issues raised by the author. Panthic weekly is serving a good purpose and I do agree that issues of tone, shrillness, name calling and banning people remain. I like SikhNN.com too but i really want to draw your attention to a website probably run by people who seem adamant at remaining unknown and not advertsing themselves. Just try WorldSikhNews.com and you will be surprised to see the depth of their archives and the thought-through stances that they take. As for shrillness, I did not find a single word though I have till date read many strongly argued articles. Yes, they have completely inhouse generated content and if they do take a piece from somewhere, they state that very clearly. Kuljit
Prabhu singh khalsa
Do you know the background of the person attacked by certain people or just like to denigrate people without true knowledge of turn of events.
Violence is bad and i am the one not to condone that. But this guy wrote blasphemy, had meeting with so called persecutors in a friendly manner and then wrote blasphemy of the worst order. Where the other side faltered is that they should have taken him to court instead of taking law into their own hands.. In India it is a criminal act to write against religious scriptures of others.
Your simple hate towards some people is unjustified and simply bigotry.Just because some people do not agree with your methodology of religious practice do not become your enemy. Panthic weekly is doing many good things for sikhism and one of those is to unravel fifth columnists among sikhs.
I also know who are the people behind panthic weekly? They are not the ones who have caused these events. So do not compare apples with oranges just because you have some preconceived notions against them.
“When in history have Sikhs been aggressive before modern times”
Sikhs fought for justice and tyranny.
Guru Gobind singh ji asked us always to be prepared for the worst and wrote
They who loosen the grip on the handle of sword
May have to face the sharp edge of the sword
Charitropakhayan, Dasam Granth
It should be read as
Correct is “Sikhs fought for justice and against tyranny.”
singh – u don’t make any sense. u have too many contradictions. first u tell prabhu not to hate others that have different opinions and not think of them as your enemies. yet u won’t condemn the murder of this man for having different opinions, in fact u provide justificiations. fifth column amongst sikhs???? isn’t this how all fascists talk, now u are even using the words of fascists.
Hsingh
Read my posts carefully. I wrote that they should not have taken the law into their hands even though the man was at fault. Don’t you get that,Mr Hsingh.
but do you CONDEMN their actions?
Does a blog of this calibre really need to be concerned with Panthic weekly? Your collective blogging is one of the best things that has happened in the house of Sikhism over the past few years. When faced with challenging situations,you may deliberate by using two powerful concepts of Sikhi: Chardi Kala and Sarbat Da Bhala. The former for me is a doctrine of eternal optimism and self-confidence. So face ideas with ideas, Sikhi has all the resources, not to want to use straw men arguments, RSS agent etc. Read Bhai Vir Singh on Sikh resources and the miracles possible through Gurmat. And with Sarbat da Bhala, welfare of all, the good of all humanity, part of our daily Ardas, we can universalize Sikhism. Having said this, it is important that this blog ought to remain free of personal attacks and insidious propaganda, the sort that are mentioned in the Panthic Weekly. I earlier followed the thread here on Sikh chairs with interest, but was disturbed by the personal attacks on scholars. A P.Singh even went to the extent of accusing chairholders of being government of India agents. If the government of India is so smart, it would have by now solved its Kashmir crisis, have no mass malnutrition, and beaten China at the superpower stakes. India can not even get a seat on the UN security council, so much for its smart diplomats. Paranoia leads to blindness, Chardi Kala leads to enlightenment; stay informed by Sikhi.
We love the Langar Hall at Naujawani!!
Echoing Satinder’s comments above, this blog is one of the best things to happen within Sikhdom in recent years.
Conversely, Panthic Weekly does leave a sour taste in the mouth with many of it’s reports. It is unfortunate as Jodha has pointed out, because they do so much good work. However, the beauty of the internet is that everybody has a voice and in the spirit of free speech, they are entitled to opine as they see fit. Looking at the bigger picture, in time they will lose a larger section of their audience as a result of the intimidating rhetoric. In part, this has already happened. In the UK, certainly in the south of the country, there reports are often held up for ridicule amongst Sikh society’s and youth groups.
But how different are they from many of the internet warriors who post on internet forums, message boards and blogs? It is too easy to make a threat and hide behind your PC these days, maybe in time these issues will be resolved naturally. For the time being, Panthic Weekly will no doubt continue to write in the manner that we all have come to know.
Re: Singh above, you are way off the mark if you think the UK Govt bans blasphemy of the Church. I mean have you ever seen ‘The Life of Brian’ by the Monty Python crew?! And as Jodha pointed out, there is a stark difference between protesting against someone and advocating or justifying their death. I never liked what Seona wrote, but I would’ve liked the chance to have spoken to him about it. Likewise with Professor Darshan Singh today. One of the gravest mistakes human beings make is not to talk to each other and THINK. Watch this excellent UK advert from a decade ago that says more than I ever could
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BG1lUd5-sz4
Naujwanidot
Your statement that Seona was not invited for discussions is not true. He had parleys with his opponents and he did not desist from writing against sikh scriptures.
I did not write that opponents should be physically assaulted. I say that many of the people who are siding with blasphemic writers do not know the truth behind such issues. For example you are writing about ragi darshan singh. This ragi has earned name and money by doing kirtan from Dasam bani all his life. Now he is condemning that bani. He was invited for talks by many sikh groups so that issues are settled amicably within panth. Darshan singh does not agree to that. Since he does not know much about dasam Granth, he is afraid if engaged in discussion he will be exposed.
Have you noticed the language these Gurnindaks use for the scriptures of sikhs? If not i can quote some examples here. Have you seen the language the posters e.g, Prem use here for sikhs they do not like. Please read that. These people are themselves using uncivilized language for Panthic weekly and they blame panthic weekly for using rough language.
Naujawanidotcom
Watch these vidoes where Ragi darshan singh was invited
http://www.panthic.org/news/125/ARTICLE/3899/2008-02-14.html
Folks, I am an loyal fan of panthic weekly, I think it stands in a class by itself, so it has alrady raised the bar.
As far as, worldsikhnews, it is nothing but recycled news, I have seen many articles copied from panthic weekly where they don’t even give credit to the source. They slap WSN on everything. 90%+ of the content is AP, ANI, etc. WSN seems to promote bollywood stuff too much, what that got to do with sikhi ?
Good point made above Singh, that both Seona and Darshan Singh have or had been invited to talks where they could make their feelings known: they have been given a chance to talk and chose not to use it
However, that does not excuse the silencing of Seona permanently, nor does it justify the ostracising of Professor Darshan Singh. With Seona the mattter is closed, he is dead. However, Professor Darshan Singh needs to be approached and filmed or audio recorded debating his side of the argument comprehensively. At present there are far from categorical media records of exactly what Darshan Singh wants to put across. Whether there is an opposing view put forward by someone in that recording is not important because at least this way you can hear or see EXACTLY what Professor Darshan Singh is putting forward. Naujawanidotcom has been endeavouring to do this as he is in the UK at present, however, it is difficult to locate him and convince him that we genuinely want to clarify what he is saying, not kill him!! Unfortunately the immense lack of an independent media in Sikh circles is killing us off, hence why we are so pleased to have found The Langar Hall blog! To pksingh above, if your political or social affiliations were different do you think you might like worldsikhnews more or perhaps panthic weekly less? Genuine question, no offence intended, as you have left no email about yourself we are forced to ask on the Blog comments!
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh
[quote comment="7313"]Looking at this picture, again makes me think, that the level of fanaticism and idiocy is unprecedented amongst a certain group of “Sikhs.” When in history have Sikhs been aggressive before modern times? NEVER, and now people calling themselves Khalsa, the very sacred pure ideal that we all honor, are going around acting like thugs. What a total disgrace.
These people are so small-minded and egotistical that they have to beat up an old man because he writes things with which they disagree. I’ve had these people at my blog and read their posts on other blogs and forums. I’m really getting sick of them. Someday I’m going to find the “gupt” cowards, and expose them. I know which jethas they belong to and which cities they live in, I just don’t know their names. They shouldn’t have the power that the young Sikhs are giving them. The power to control their thoughts and dictate what it means to be a Sikh.[/quote]
just to clarify… the people who beat (and eventually murdered) Seona are not part of the same “jetha” which most of the Panthic Weekly staff are associated with. while Panthic’s reporting of said event may have been less than stellar, it’s not fair or accurate to associate them with the thugs who beat an old man and his wife and daughter within the sanctuary of Darbar Sahib.
i don’t think it’s a good practice to condemn some one for being biased and then blame entire jathas for their crimes.
while Panthic Weekly may be plagued by a vocal minority who make inappropriate comments, it is not fair or appropriate to blame the entire staff or any Jatha for the behaviour of a few.
bhul chuk maaf…
I think that the Panthic Weekly is biased towards certain issues and should take note where they get their funds from . There are several so called Sikh sites that try to force certain ideas on its readers . So its their way or no way at all .
Darshan Singh ragi attacks ardas, sikh rehat maryada, sikh history and much more
http://santsipahi.wordpress.com/2008/10/28…s-own-words-ii/
I use the term ‘fascist’ to describe anyone who employs violence, revels in violence, or apologises for violence as a means to silence criticism or debate. How else would you describe anyone who celebrates violence against an individual? Having witnessed with my own eyes violence and mobs threatening violence to bully, intimidate and silence people, I use the word very carefully. It is appropriate.
This is true, in that ultimately those individuals who carry out acts of violence are alone responsible for their actions. We understand the insidious nature of prejudice and collective demonisation for the acts of a minority because of our recent history, and any such demonisation should be confronted wherever it happens. Not just amongst Sikhs, but against anyone who seeks to ascribe culpability on individusla for which they are not personally responsible.
But on a more broad point, is it not true that we all have a responsibility to condemn incitements to violence, and condemn those who celebrate the act of violence after it has been commited? I mean all of us, as Sikhs? I believe so. I believe that it is our collective responsibility to condemn and act against mob violence, bullying, intimidation and fascist speech and actions when it happens amongst us. If we allow an atmosphere of violent bullying to flourish, it leads to a situation in which he who shouts the loudest, who speaks threats, and employs violent threats and rhetoric will intimidate people into silence. This is not the way to live open and free lives.
We face many problems in the diaspora. We face misunderstanding, prejudice, stereotyping and stigmatisation. We should therefore strive to not only confront those ‘external’ threats to us as individuals and as a community, but we should also be aware and ready to confront violence that threatens us as individuals and as a community from within, as it were.
And finally, as individuals and as a community the effect of people being bullied, intimidated, threatened with violence and even, may God forbid, being murdered over disagreements, or because of things they have written will reverberate far beyond the actual acts themselves. We don’t need the stereotype of fanaticism, of some Sikhs being people who deny the most basic right of free speech through violence to become a stereotype to add to the burden upon our heads as a minority.
This is very important, and I sincerely hope that people do think on this issue deeply.
Panthic weekly did not endorse violence in the article. Can you show us where they wrote endorsing violnce.
Have you written about Hindu thugs who massacred sikhs in Delhi? What about Hindu BJP dispalying fascism openly?
Panthic weekly is doing its thing.
Start article competitions on certain issues and encourage journalism.
Panthic shouldn’t make decisions for readers, yet still, facts can be stated by Panthic, like Hukamnama’s and Historical references.
waheguru ji ka khalsa
waheguru ji ki fateh
yes panthic weekly will raise the bar
i hv been reading news about sikh issues but no one give good information like panthic weekly.
they are doing a great job.
whoever opposing them just tell me what are they doing for the panth.
i always prefer panthic,org
i had a great respect for thelangarhall but now i can that thay are opposing true singhs
who are doing great sewa in our delhi region and other places.
please gursikho support everyone who is doing good deeds for panth.
today some people is opposing violance in sikhism.
one day they will oppose guru gobind singh ji as well.
pleaseee be united.
do you people considered badal as a singh?
manmohan singh as a singh who never visited the widow colony of 1984 riots in tilak vihar once.
please be united
akal purakh sabte mehar kre