Executive Briefing: Dying for Others’ Freedom of Faith
Ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom in Delhi in 1675 is unprecedented in religious history: he willingly sacrificed his own life to defend the religious freedom of Kashmiri Hindus who were being forcibly converted, establishing universal liberty of conscience.
1. Shaheedi: The Witness to Truth
In Sikh theology, martyrdom (*Shaheedi*) is not passive victimization, but the ultimate spiritual triumph of unyielding moral dignity against imperial state coercion.
2. References
- Fenech, L. E. (2000). Martyrdom in the Sikh Tradition. Oxford University Press.