Minority report

Over the past couple of decades, there is a sense of identity crisis among certain sections of the population. This kind of identity nationalism is what breaks states, what ushers in civil wars and possibly sow the seeds of discontent for many generations probably. The case of the Sikh community in the past and now the present sectarian tensions in Iraq are probably two precedents as to how an identity crisis and the thirst for power can lead to the non-existence of law.

The Sikh community were at odds with the Indian government from the period since partition. The Sikhs were scared of what would happen to their identity, because the hindus got India and the muslims got Pakistan as states to reassert their independence. The Sikhs were left nowhere, and their state was partitioned. This fostered hatred from the 60's and it left a permanently bitter taste with Operation Bluestar in 1984.

It was this military operation that left the Sikhs alienated from the mainstream for a long time. Although, there has been reconciliation, there is an underground movement to keep the hatred alive. The dream of radicals, who aspire to an independent state of Khalistan, now are not active to a great extent, but there are remnants. Since the community will never forget the storming of the golden temple in Amritsar, the hatred will probably last permanently. But, fortunately, educated Sikhs have made a name for themselves and have reasserted their identity.

The Shia-Sunni sectarian violence has graver implications,since there are about a billion muslims all over the world. Such differences, at a time when the community is under increased scrutiny because of terrorism, does not help in a stable social order. The divisions now have gotten so concrete, if the violence in Iraq has to be believed, that no one knows what to do.

The Shia-Sunni conflict, along with occasional communal tensions between hindus and muslims creates huge problems in the country's social fabric. Due to power politics as well as appeasement techniques, people are turned against people. Educated people are too scared to speak out the truth, and if the truth is spoken, it gets suppressed under the irrationality of nationalist pride.

Sikhs and Muslims have had a violent past couple of decades. The Sikhs carry the pain of the past in their hearts, but have moved on. The Muslims are caught in a very vicious web, one which will put them under the scanner and create prejudice for generations. The classification of people into minorities and majorities exposes the fragility of a social fabric sometimes. But, there may be no other alternative, because it involves identity and roots.