If you look at them, they follow many religions. They are Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Ahmadis (in fact the Ahmadi prophet Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Sikh prophet Goro Nanak were Punjabis), and christians, etc.
My question to Punjabi friends here is, who actually represent Punjabis or are the rightful claimants to the Punjabi identity?
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
Indian Punjabi's are proud to be Punjabi. Pakistani Punjabi's have been told while growing up that the Punjabi language is pindu, our culture is backward and we must look towards the language of the state ie Urdu to be sophisticated and articulate.
I would say that Indian Punjabi's even a quarter in numbers hold the Punjabi identity in tact which we should give them credit for.
Indian Punjabi's are proud to be Punjabi. Pakistani Punjabi's have been told while growing up that the Punjabi language is pindu, our culture is backward and we must look towards the language of the state ie Urdu to be sophisticated and articulate.
I would say that Indian Punjabi's even a quarter in numbers hold the Punjabi identity in tact which we should give them credit for.
Slickstar, I would agree with you...I have interacted with a few Sikhs and I have observed that Punjabiath is so thoroughly imbibed with their religion and that they are so conscious about their religio-ethnic identity that they can be considered the rightful claimants to the Punjabi identity.
Being Punjabi is an ethnicity. Not a religion. What one could say that Punjabi Sikhs are far more proud of their ethnicity than Muslim Punjabi's who have been brought up believing in the Ummah etc etc and any notion of pan ethnic identity is shot down by the religious front and the establishment. In my honest opinion I believe that the Punjabi identity was reignited across the border in India as a religious ethnic identity after operation blue star. However, that does not in the anyway correct way of identifying an ethnic group as I am just as much Punjabi than a Sikh and a hindu Punjabi.
Re: Who really own the “Punjabi Identity”…
All Punjabis own the punjabi identity :k:
Kisi ek group ka akaila haq nai hai iss pe.
If there are a few ones who feel ashamed of it, then good for them
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
We should understand that Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab (the provinces) are different. Pakistani Punjab is populated with different ethnic groups (e.g. in south and west Punjab) loosely held together. There is no strong 'Punjabi' identity as we see that in India.
What a stupid question.
Punjabi is an ethnicity, it has nothing to do with religious identity.
Punjabis can be Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or even Christian (I knew a convert to Islam whose parents were Indian Punjabi Christians).
Not all Sikhs are Punjabi, I've seen some English ones on TV even though Punjabi is probably the language of liturgy for them as Arabic is for Punjabi Muslims and Latin is for Punjabi Catholics.
Being Punjabi is an ethnicity. Not a religion. What one could say that Punjabi Sikhs are far more proud of their ethnicity than Muslim Punjabi's who have been brought up believing in the Ummah etc etc and any notion of pan ethnic identity is shot down by the religious front and the establishment. In my honest opinion I believe that the Punjabi identity was reignited across the border in India as a religious ethnic identity after operation blue star. However, that does not in the anyway correct way of identifying an ethnic group as I am just as much Punjabi than a Sikh and a hindu Punjabi.
Some Paki Punjabis do have a inferiority complex but that's nothing to do with Ummah, the Ummah is a bouquet of various flowers who respect and love each other whilst celebrating their diversity.
Islam or the concept of the Ummah is not the reason for Punjabi ppls inferiority complex rather their love for fair skin and their desire to associate with fair skinned Central Asian and West Asian people through the common Persian/Arabic words in Urdu is (even though Urdu in actual fact has the opposite effect and makes them closer to India)...
If you look at them, they follow many religions. They are Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Ahmadis (in fact the Ahmadi prophet Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Sikh prophet Goro Nanak were Punjabis), and christians, etc.
What difference does it make.Punjabi is not the only ethnicity who,s people follow diverse religions.
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
Pakistani Punjabi's have been told while growing up that the Punjabi language is pindu, our culture is backward and we must look towards the language of the state ie Urdu to be sophisticated and articulate.
.
Told by whom. Certainly not by the hard pressed Urdu-speakers of Pakistan.
I find it strange that there has been so little done to develop Punjabi in Pakistan. My theory is that there is a culture in Lahore which looks at making quick money. Intially it was learning Urdu to progress and now its English. Most see no financial benefit in developing Punjabi, so its been set aside.
While other ethnic groups like Sindhis, Pashtuns and Muhajirs put a lot more value on there language and culture, and money is not the lowest common denominator.
Sai Gal.
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
punjabian di shaan vakhri.
Proud to be a punjabi!!
Ahmadis (in fact the Ahmadi prophet Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Sikh prophet Goro Nanak were Punjabis), and christians, etc.
off topic but..any specific reason why you had to include Ahmadis as a 'separate' religion?
I agree that punjabi is an ethnicity , has nothing to do with religion whatsoever. I can be hindu and from Ireland, or buddhist from some part of Africa.
Just like how sunni or shia muslims are not just limited to Arab or Iraq/Iran.. Ahmadi Muslims are not limited to Punjab either. They are also chinese,arab,african etc..
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
kis qadar ageeb or phir blilkul hee ghareeb sawaal hai
Punjabis were Muslim and Hindu before the Sikh religion was invented.
Ethnicity is defined by your mother-tongue/primary-language not by your geographic-location, caste/ancestory or religion.
Only the language you identify with defines your ethnicity, nothing else.
Punjabis of Pashtun descent are Punjabi because they speak Punjabi, they are not "Pathan", they are simply of "Pathan"/Pashtun descent.
Urdu speakers are Urdudan, Pashto speakers are Pashtun (even if they are partially of Arab descent e.g. the Mashwani tribe), Sindhi speakers are Sindhi...
Anyway these things don't matter, we're all born equal, nobody is better than anyone else, the only thing which can make us better is piety (taqwa) through Islam, and that is everyones own choice.
Islam's doors are open to you regardless of whether you're Punjabi, Kurd, Sindhi, Gujarati, Turk, Persian, Pashtun, Greek, Arab, Uyghur, Kyrgyz or Malayali.
Nobody is Neech-Zaat, nobody is born Ashudh or Apavitr in Islam.
Some Paki Punjabis do have a inferiority complex but that's nothing to do with Ummah, the Ummah is a bouquet of various flowers who respect and love each other whilst celebrating their diversity.
Islam or the concept of the Ummah is not the reason for Punjabi ppls inferiority complex rather their love for fair skin and their desire to associate with fair skinned Central Asian and West Asian people through the common Persian/Arabic words in Urdu is (even though Urdu in actual fact has the opposite effect and makes them closer to India)...
This coming from someone who thinks the Ummah can be united if everyone were to discard their native language and adopt Arabic instead? ahahahahaha
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
errrr....people from Punjab of course.
This coming from someone who thinks the Ummah can be united if everyone were to discard their native language and adopt Arabic instead? ahahahahaha
When did I say that you imbecile moron?
I said all Muslims should learn Arabic as well as maintaing our native languages... I'm not for discarding our own languages.
Re: Who really own the "Punjabi Identity"...
i m punjabi .......... neither i m proud nor have ne sense of inferiority for my paind pun.
That’s the best way to be brother. :k:
Punjabi is a beautiful language, and so is Pashto and Urdu… None is better than the other…