Globe & Mail's Reporting Has Repeatedly Fueled Anti-Sikh Rhetoric
"The Globe and Mail seem to have decided to renew old tropes, bankrupt talking points, and questionable journalistic standards..."
Jasveer Singh
July 16, 2024 | 7 min. read | Analysis
Negative or haphazard takes on Sikh issues in Canadian media are nothing new.
As the World Sikh Organization (WSO) has been showing in their ongoing social media series with archival news clippings and footage, Canadian media outlets have long viewed Sikh issues through both an Indian state lens and often with a sneering, seemingly xenophobic tone.
Recently, though, the Globe and Mail seem to have decided to renew old tropes, bankrupt talking points, and questionable journalistic standards - all as Anti-Sikh rhetoric online and elsewhere increases amongst Indian and Hindu Nationalist actors pushing disinformation and the Canadian far-right upset with the growing strength of the Sikh Canadian community.
As the geopolitical fallout from recent incidents continues, including Indian transnational repression and assassinations targeting Sikhs in the diaspora, any Western outlet pushing a one-sided or faulty perception of Sikh stories deserves to be examined.
March 14, 2018: Steven Chase and Robert Fife - Jagmeet Singh attended Sikh separatist rally in 2015
Although we could go back further, beginning with 2018 seems apt as this was infamously when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tour of India prompted a sharp global focus on Canada’s Sikh community and the Khalistan movement more generally.
In hindsight, it is no surprise the Globe took part in the rancour. Yet, amidst the negative coverage, the newspaper plunged to new depths when they described the 1984 Sikh Genocide as merely a “violent crackdown.”
It is a phrase that not only fails to convey the magnitude of the brutality led by the Indian government but implies it was some kind of lawful act or response to criminality. They also fail to acknowledge that India itself, from its officials to its courts, had begun to describe the Indian government’s campaign of death during the 80s and 90s as a genocide.
The article had many other issues as well.
For example, the writers claimed that “the vast majority of Sikhs oppose extremism,” without describing what they meant by extremism, on what basis they are defining the term, and how they went around quantifying “vast majority,” especially so when they did not actually speak to any Sikhs for the article. This was one of many media outlets to engage in this sort of poor journalistic standards at the time, which prompting the WSO to launch #AskCanadianSikhs in response.
They also described Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the opening paragraph of the piece as a “violent Sikh religious leader” and later as a “violent extremist.” While Sikhs will know such a description is utterly baseless and ignores Sant Ji’s actual pedigree and work, the Globe does not explain how they went about describing him as such.
They paint Sant Ji as a “violent” and fringe figure rather than what is the reality. He is respected by Sikhs to such a large degree that there is a permanent memorial built within the Darbar Sahib Complex for him, his painting hangs in the Sikh Museum at the Darbar Sahib as well, and he has been officially declared a Shaheed by the Akal Takht, the seat of temporal authority for all Sikhs. Hardly the “violent extremist” figurehead that all Sikhs should avoid being associated with, including Jagmeet Singh - which is the thesis the article hinges on.
November 28, 2022: Robert Fife and Steven Chase - India’s envoy calls on Canada to crack down on Canadian funding of Khalistan separatist movement
The Globe and Mail’s Anti-Sikh content is seen in what they write and also in what they choose to edit out.
In 2022, Steven Chase and Robert Fife wrote another sensationalist piece through the lens of an Indian diplomat, and without any competing Sikh sources, scaremongering about Canada’s Khalistan movement.
Community figure and Khalsa Aid Canada lead Jatinder Singh noted how a Getty Images picture of a Sri Harmandir Sahib protest was used for the article but with its original caption edited to remove mention that it was a demonstration against “Operation Bluestar,” which was the Indian army assault seen as the formal beginning of the Sikh Genocide.
The Globe edited the caption only to mention it was a “pro-Khalistan” protest with “anti-government slogans.”
The Sikh Press Association complained about the editing with the Canadian Media Council. After over six months of back-and-forth the regulatory body dismissed the complaint, supporting the Globe’s claim that the edited caption was a mere graphic design decision. Sikh PA’s graphic designers looked into the claim and found the idea that an extra few words could not fit into the page to be deceitful.
The contents of the piece were covered in Baaz, too.
Jatinder Singh would write that the “piece solely relayed the concerns of the newly arrived High Commissioner for India without alternative opinions. Much of what was presented was done without evidence, and neither journalist critiqued what they were being fed.”
As often with a Chase and Fife piece on Sikhs, Jatinder Singh noted that “There was no Sikh voice in the piece whatsoever.” You may be noticing a pattern here.
September 19, 2023: Colin Freeze - What is the Khalistan movement, and how was Hardeep Singh Nijjar involved?
What is the Khalistan movement is an important question to ask, especially considering recent events. As is asking about Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s involvement in the movement from Canada.
However, answering that question by citing or quoting Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for New Delhi’s external affairs department, India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Shinder Purewal, a political science professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University who is openly against Khalistan, but no Sikhs actually involved in the movement is a complete disservice to readers trying to learn more.
Which is exactly what the Globe and Mail did in this article.
The piece features zero Sikh activists, Sikh community groups, or Sikh scholars and academics who could have helped provide further context and background on Khalistan and why so many support it in Canada.
Unsurprisingly, the self-described “explainer” was lambasted by Sikhs across Canada, including communications expert and former mainstream media journalist, Rena Heer.
“If you’re going to ask these questions [about Khalistan], don’t stop at consulting Indian government officials about the answers,” she tweeted at the time.
June 22, 2024: Nancy Macdonald and Greg Mercer - A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death, mysteries remain about how he really lived
For an article that resulted from a “six-month long investigation,” this Globe piece on how Hardeep Singh Nijjar “really lived” was so rife with issues that the WSO issued an open letter denouncing it.
Four key problems with the piece highlight the Globe's poor understanding of Sikh issues more generally.
The most egregious was the mischaracterization of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in what is now Pakistan Punjab. The birthplace of Guru Nanak, a significant pilgrimage site for Sikhs worldwide, was described as merely “a place of pilgrimage for politically motivated Sikhs,” completely robbing it of its actual importance and place in the Sikh psyche. To put it very kindly, this is just a ludicrous and nonsensical way to explain Nankana Sahib, and it calls into question who the Globe and its writers are speaking to to understand Sikhi.
The Globe also attempts to divide the Sikh community into a false "Orthodox" versus "Moderate" dichotomy. Although they do not define what “orthodox” means in the piece, its intended usage is made clear in the context in which it is applied - when explaining support for certain Sikh causes. The use of these terms, which are completely alien to Sikhi and Sikh philosophy, unfairly stigmatizes practicing Sikhs as extremists and oversimplifies the diverse support for Khalistan and other Sikh causes within the community.
The Globe goes on to misrepresent the Khalsa, too, reducing it as merely "an order of baptized Sikhs," ignoring its profound religious and foundational significance and treating it instead as some sort of sect within Sikhi.
Finally, they removed critical context concerning Canada’s 2018 Public Safety Report, which arbitrarily included Sikhs for the first time. The article lacks background on the inclusion of "Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism" in the report, which came after Prime Minister Trudeau’s infamous trip to India, and its removal, which came after months of community engagement and the realization that there is no proof of the supposed threat in Canada to begin with.
June 27, 2024: Robert Fife and Steven Chase - Sajjan instructed special forces to rescue Afghan Sikhs during fall of Kabul - The Globe and Mail
Based on three unnamed “military sources,” the Globe claimed that Minister Harjit Sajjan tried to save Afghan Sikhs ahead of other priority individuals during the 2021 evacuation of Kabul, including those who assisted with the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.
The allegation prompted an avalanche of hate towards Sajjan, as well as accusations about the larger Sikh community.
However, the story missed many key facts leading to the evacuation mission.
For starters, the efforts to save Afghan Sikhs included efforts to save Afghan Hindus as well, but the Globe completely ignores the latter. Many feel this was intentional otherwise, the “Sikh Minister helping the Sikh community” narrative would not stick as well.
The Globe also ignored the lead-up to the eventual Kabul evacuation, including years-long Canadian community and political efforts to bring Afghan Sikhs and Hindus to Canada under the private sponsorship of the local Sikh community. This effort succeeded in bringing many Afghans to Canada as refugees. In July 2020, it even prompted a multi-party call for a special refugee program for Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.
In August 2021, amid the deteriorating situation, the WSO renewed calls for their evacuation, which preceded the following official policy announcement from the Canadian government on evacuation efforts.
“Canada will continue to implement the special immigration program for Afghans who contributed to Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan. In addition, we will introduce a special program to focus on particularly vulnerable groups that are already welcomed to Canada through existing resettlement streams, including…persecuted religious minorities…The program will welcome government-supported and privately sponsored refugees…”
This brings us to another missing piece in the Globe article. They fail to explain the multiple terrorist attacks, including a shooting and bombings at the Kabul gurdwara, over the years, which placed the Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities at the top of the religiously persecuted table.
The Globe narrative suggesting Sajjan prioritized Sikh interests arbitrarily or in some vacuum is baseless and divisive, perpetuating stereotypes of undue Sikh influence in politics and fueling a dangerous Sikhs versus Canadians narrative.
A narrative that has become far too common, partly because of the Globe.
Jasveer Singh hails from Southall, UK, and is the Senior Press Officer of The Sikh Press Association, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, Jasveer works across all sectors of media supporting Sikh organisations and individuals on Panthic endeavours. Jasveer previously worked as a freelance journalist which included stints with Sky News, Super Fight League, and more. You can find Jasveer on Twitter at @Jazzthejourno.
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