paman

Please post photos of Sikhs in different countries around the world, it's always inspiring to see sikhi in the most unexpected places, blossoming.

This is excellent work from the Miri Piri Foundation! Time for Gurdwaray in the UK and around the world to step up as well. Agreed on everyone having issues with the specifics, but it's change, something we've all been crying out for and also, if we get involved and back it, then we have an opportunity to further refine the process during the Vaisakhi Sarbat Khalsa. Please see statement from Scotland, all Gurdwaray have united, huge respect to them for doing so. Let's get onto our local Gurdwaray and ask them to follow with statements. How can anyone be a Jathedar or leader if no one recognises him? The more people we have standing up to the Indian sponsored machine, the better. Whilst some of us are not lucky enough to be able to go to India and to help our brothers and sisters in need directly, we can use the tools that we have been given, social media for example, to distribute this widely and to encourage and embolden ours to follow suit. Press Release from Scottish Gurdwara Council 13.11.15.pdf

Seems the topic is not being addressed. It IS a valid point, that if there are concerns, a report should be commissioned, just for Sangat's peace of mind. That, from filtering through much of the nonsense posted in this thread would seem to be at least one thing that everybody agrees on. The next issue then, is who will commission the report, and I have to say Kurtas makes a valid point, if there's nothing to hide then what's the problem? Another poster also mentioned that sure it may cost some money, but in comparison to all the money spent on the seva surely it would not break the bank? If it really is about money then a campaign could be started by those who wish to have an independent report done, whereby they contribute half the cost of the report. If its about ego's...hmm. When any seva is done, i presumed that you were like the jachak of the sangat, the very lowest. Doing seva doesn't give you the right to be unaccountable. At the same time, Bhai Mohinder Singh has done alot to raise profile of Sikhs in certain circles and his efforts should not simply be ignored. Respect, despite current societal trends, still is important. But again, with respect, there needs to be a mutual respect as brothers/sisters/sons/fathers/mothers/daughters between each. Perhaps the issue could be taken up and discussed by one of the Sikh TV Channels?

Fateh ji, Good news to report, the paedo masquerading as granthi was found guilty this morning at Glasgow Sheriff Court and convincingly so, the Sheriff (judge) pretty much ridiculed him in the judgement and called him a liar. anyways, here is the news write up, quite accurate summation http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-12544796 Sikh priest convicted of Glasgow temple sex attack The victim told the court she felt "dirty" after the incident Continue reading the main story Related Stories Sikh priest on temple sex charge A Sikh priest has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in his room at a temple in Glasgow's west end. Surinder Singh tried to touch and kiss the youngster at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Otago Street on 15 January. The 53-year-old, who was visiting Scotland from India at the time, was found guilty after a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court. Sheriff Anthony Deutch deferred sentence until next month. The court heard Singh touched the girl on the hands, attempted to kiss her on the mouth and place food in her mouth. The girl told the court she felt "dirty" after the incident. 'Evidence incredible' The court heard she had been at a religious event at the Otago Street temple when she was asked to Singh's room so that he would teach her classical music on the harmonium. The court heard the girl told a family friend and her father about the incident immediately after leaving the room. In his evidence, Singh said the young girl approached him and said she wanted to learn classical music. The married priest said the victim had lied when giving evidence. But the sheriff told him: "I find the evidence of the Crown witnesses to be both credible and reliable and reject your evidence as incredible, therefore find you guilty."

I'm sorry but these allegations are not true. I've spoken with the committee and they ask that sangat wait for an update from Satkaar, rather than individuals before making cold callsjust in case. If you do need to discuss this issue, PM me, i'll give you my number

ONE of Doncaster's main Sikh temples is facing an estimated £300,000 repair bill after a suspected arson attack. And the community faces the prospect of raising the cash themselves because no insurance was in place when the fire devastated the site. The fire has caused major damage to the Guru Arjan Deu Ji Gurdwara temple on Cherry Tree Road, Hexthorpe, which is one three Sikh places of worship in the borough. And it came just five months after vandals broke into the site and stole copper piping and electrical wire, and the central heating system. Work had just been completed to repair the building after the vandalism this summer and the temple was due to re-open to worships this month - but now leaders say they are back to square one. But they are relieved that the temple's collection of scriptures - called the Guru Granth Sahib Ji - were not harmed by the fire because they had been removed for safe storage after the last attack of vandalism. A spokesman for the temple said the fire had been on the ground floor, and had "destroyed" the building, with fire damage on the ground floor and smoke damage upstairs. Valuable paintings, swords and religious items were destroyed. The temple was opened in 1983 and has held hundreds of festivals and events over the 27 years since then. Chairman of the temple, Rashpal Singh, said: "The whole of the building has been damaged by this. "We just cannot understand what sort of human being would do this to a place of worship. What sort of understanding have they got? "The one thing of any consolation in this is that the scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, were not in the building when this happened. "If they had been destroyed there would have been national uproar by the Sikh community. The reason they were not is that the temple was already under renovation." He called for more protection for the site. Police are appealing for information on the cause of fire which was reported around 10am on December 30. Firefighters worked for several hours to put the blaze out. Nobody was in the building at the time. A spokesman said: "At this time police are treating the fire as suspicious and ask anyone who may have witnessed it or have information to contact them on 0114 220 2020 quoting incident number 263 of December 30." Now the Sikh community is rallying to try to repair the site as soon as possible. They are hoping to restore the temple in the next six months. Spokesman Jarnel Singh said it would be a difficult task, but members were in talks to do the work. The first stage is to clean up the site, and an appeal is going out to the wider Doncaster community and businesses for any assistance. Mr Singh said they were appealing for anyone who could offer their services or equipment to help with the work. Anyone who can help should call Mr Singh on 07596 272 931.

A SIKH temple has been targeted in an arson attack. Police have launched an investigation to find those responsible for the fire at the temple in Cherry Tree Road, Hexthorpe. Fire crews were called to the incident at around 10am on December 30. Crews were at the scene for several hours. Nobody was in the disused building at the time, but the fire caused "extensive damage," police said. Police are treating the fire as suspicious. Call 01142 202020 quoting incident number 263 of December 30.

This is FANTASTIC news, all credit goes to Satigur Akal Purkh for giving the opportunity to the UK Sangat to stop such a maha paap from ocurring any longer. Vadhiyaan to all Sikh Sangat who did their part! A word of caution, I would not bow to the wishes of the RST who want the names etc put forward of the local sangat who were unhappy, so that they are then able to pressure them once the spotlight has moved off the Gurdwara. It is key that people who are disturbed by the manmat of party halls in Gurdwaray be confident in the fact that they can come to Satkaar with their worries and be confident in the fact that the Sevadaars will keep confidentiality, to protect their interests. Also they request that there be no future demonstrations, I 'd advise against this too, as we are unable to see into the future, so this would be unwise - who knows - what happens if they revert to type? I'm not sure how far the Satkaar people want to go, but note should also be taken of the "meat and alcohol", nothing re: Bhangra etc. Just an observation

Fateh ji, just saw this on the RST website.... 311 Update - The Commitee has responded to the Satkaar Sewadars with the following email today:- Satkaar Sewadars, A Committee meeting took place yesterday on Sunday 2nd January 2011 at Ramgarhia Sikh Temple in which it was decided that no further bookings will be made for Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Hall where the families want to provide meat and alcohol and the commitee will be feeding back this information to the members and the sangat. The commitee is willing to meet with individuals representing the satkaar sewadars to discuss these matter on the 9th January at 2.30pm or 10th January 7.00pm as long as as agreed previously the names of all attending with who they represent is provided, along with the local sangat members who have approached you. Finally, the above has been agreed as long as the Satkaar Sewadars send out notices on the internet, post them by email and on Websites such as Sikh Sangat that the demonstration is cancelled and that there will be no future demonstrations. Finally we would also like to bring to your attention that we have received the following email from an individual; i would suggest that you discourage these emails as they will only create a break down in communication for the future and please forward communication to us. Sent to Satkaat Sewadars was an email from Surjit Singh where he is swearing to picture posts and sending email to this effect to the gurdwara website). This is FANTASTIC news, all credit goes to Satigur Akal Purkh for giving the opportunity to the UK Sangat to stop such a maha paap from ocurring any longer. Vadhiyaan to all Sikh Sangat who did their part! A word of caution, I would not bow to the wishes of the RST who want the names etc put forward of the local sangat who were unhappy, so that they are then able to pressure them once the spotlight has moved off the Gurdwara. It is key that people who are disturbed by the manmat of party halls in Gurdwaray be confident in the fact that they can come to Satkaar with their worries and be confident in the fact that the Sevadaars will keep confidentiality, to protect their interests. Also they request that there be no future demonstrations, I 'd advise against this too, as we are unable to see into the future, so this would be unwise - who knows - what happens if they revert to type? I'm not sure how far the Satkaar people want to go, but note should also be taken of the "meat and alcohol", nothing re: Bhangra etc. Just an observation

Discrimination on the grounds of caste exists in the UK, research suggests. The study, by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, found evidence of harassment in the workplace, in the provision of services and in education. The government will now consider the evidence to determine whether there is a serious enough problem to impose a legal ban on caste discrimination. The prejudice affects members of the mainly Hindu and Sikh communities. A person's caste is their historic social standing and often refers to their forefathers' occupation. Bullying Someone who works with animal products or in domestic services is often regarded as being of a lower caste than someone who is a landowner or priest. A person's surname identifies what caste they come from which can then lead to bullying. Hindu campaigners have long argued that members of the lower caste - referred to as Dalits or "untouchables" - suffer unfair treatment at the hands of higher caste members, even in second generation UK Asian communities. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote I have a customer, who is from a higher caste than me and she refuses to make any physical contact with me” End Quote Reena Jaisiah Reena Jaisiah, 30, from Coventry, said she had been the victim of harassment throughout her whole life because she was of a lower caste. "It started when I was at school, I experienced bullying and name calling," she said. ''It really affected my self-esteem and made me feel low and inferior." Reena runs a family newsagents in Coventry and said the harassment continues now. ''I have a customer, who is from a higher caste than me and she refuses to make any physical contact with me. "She will never taken any change from me because she doesn't want to touch me. This is a shocking practice of caste prejudice in this country,'' she said. Caste discrimination has not been explicitly covered by British legislation before and ministers have previously said they did not think it was a problem in the workplace. The report, which is due to be published this week, was commissioned by the Government Equalities Office after an amendment to the Equality Act 2010. The findings of the report now pave the way to outlaw discrimination on grounds of caste and Home Secretary Teresa May will make the final decision which is expected early next year

http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2010/05/06/behzti-is-no-longer-taboo/ Last Friday, British theatre took a small step in the direction of free speech. At the Soho Theatre, in the heart of London’s west end, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s Behzti was performed in the UK for the first time since it was controversially cancelled in 2004. Let us be clear: this was no great stride for freedom, more an anxious shuffle. The performance was a rehearsed reading, not a full production, and received no publicity whatsoever. It was completely absent from the theatre’s website, and was only advertised to those who had been to see Behud, Bhatti’s most recent play. Buying a ticket felt a little like purchasing bootleg liquor from under the counter, and the atmosphere in the auditorium was, I imagine, how dissidents must have felt in the 1640s, when religious puritans closed the theatres and drama was performed illegally. Proper free speech has to be more open than this. However, at the start of the performance, it became clear just how necessary and important this toddler’s step was to those who lived through the panicked, abrupt cancellation of 2004. I was surprised to hear Janet Steel, the director of the original production, say that she “thought this day would never come.” To an outsider, this modest reading was hardly radical. But to those who were threatened, who witnessed the picket lines first-hand, it is as if the cancellation happened yesterday. The first impressive thing about Friday’s reading was how many of the original cast had turned out to revive the script. The performance revealed just how essential it is to the piece that it is set in a gurdwara. The rapist, Mr Sandhu, has built the temple, and is responsible for extending it. His office is his lair, and he derives his power over the other characters when he is in it. Choose any other setting (as some have suggested) and the key dynamic simply doesn’t work. Behzti is often referred to as “that Sikh play”, a phrase which suggests a comparison with “The Scottish Play” (indeed, it has a lot in common with Macbeth, including a heightened realism and off-stage murders). This label suggests that it is for the Sikh community alone to determine its worth and relevance. This is a mistake – sexual abuse is, sadly, universal. For example, scenes from Behzti were mirrored in Two Women, which has just finished a run at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. In that play, too, we see the complicity of women in the perpetuation of the abuse cycle. And we all know that child abuse and even murder within a church setting is a long established theme for drama. Behzti is a visceral play that the British public, all of us, deserves to see. Six years after its abortive first production, Behzti still feels current and relevant. The actors turned in a robust delivery with very little time to rehearse, as if they were picking up where they left off. They have reinforced the artistic case for a proper revival. Over the past five and half years, all other barriers to a remount have also crumbled. The blasphemy argument is as incoherent now as it was then. Even in 2004, there was no consensus among Sikh commentators as to whether the play was an insult to the religion. Since then, the very idea that blasphemy is a reason for censorship has been discredited. After Behzti, controversies over the Danish Muhammad cartoons, and the protests surrounding Jerry Springer the Opera have tested the public’s patience on the issue of “offence”. Public opinion is now firmly against censoring art for religious reasons, and it is now broadly accepted that faith remains strong even when religion is criticised. Even the hotheads who might disagree in principle know that, in practice, peaceful protest and counter-speech are more effective than threats. The violent demonstrations outside the Birmingham Rep are a thing of the past. Moreover, the police have shown unequivocally that they are prepared to guarantee the safety of the theatregoers at controversial performances. For Behud in Coventry, the West Midlands police force took this issue extremely seriously, and allocated their staff accordingly, at no charge to the theatre. They have offered to do the same for future controversial productions. Most importantly, Bhatti herself is positive about a revival of Behzti. In past years, she was (understandably) reticent about new productions. But on Friday evening she said to me that she “would love to see a new production”. For too long, the British theatre community has been embarrassed by the Behzti affair. Its response to the crisis was positive but far too slow. Half a decade later, theatre directors can no longer wish the play into obscurity – its continued censorship is a boil that must now be lanced. The only barrier that now remains is the British theatre community itself, which needs to purge itself of the cowardly and ignorant assumption that the play is still “off limits”. No more of this apathy. Let it be known that, as of last Friday, this excuse of last resort has been demolished. Behzti is no longer taboo. It can be performed, properly and publicly. What are we waiting for? ---------

Excuse my ignorance on this whole topic but is there any reference to them being Sikh? I couldnt see a karra or anything similar to that as i skipped through the video (admittedly i didnt watch the whole thing) but i didnt find any reference to it being sikh? Im not saying its ok, not at all btw, just not too sure if i missed something. The only thing i picked up was "going to the temple" and i always assumed Hiindu went to temples? I don't know, im out of touch with all this so i may be wrong...

Dal singh raises a valid point - there are other problems, that are connected, however, if you try and suggest that they are the same, then i'm afraid it just comes across as obstructive (and i'm sure your not). These people that own off licenses and the likes, its different problem. Whilst the Gurdwara movement is happening, its best to concentrate on that, then, and if, with Maharaj kirpa the sevadaars are successful, then we can all come together and strategise on how best to move forward with the problem you mentioned. Remember, selling as an individual is a much more complex and nuanced difficulty than the outright consumption on Gurdwara property. Rather than run before we walk or whatever the cliche is, how about we all concentrate on taking things one at a time and deal with the most pressing issues first? Tav Parsad ji puts it perfectly, what happens in our Gurdwaray has a knock on effect and the results will filter down. Back to the topic at hand, it looks promising that RST have agreed to a meeting, I'm sure that the people attending the meeting will be level headed and won't react to the half-truths and exaggerated claims that will fly at them. From my limited knowledge in my line of work, I know that it is generally not a common occurrence to have any suspected firebombings of cars, and roughing up of individuals (especially with a religious context) leaked to the mass media. So if the RST lot say this is happening, perhaps the Satkaar team ought to ask for the Crime Report Reference Number (every case with the police is given one of these). This way, Satkaar can promise to assist the investigation and if any news is uncovered they can report it using this reference number. Call the RST out, lets see how many "crimes" have really been committed against them. Its not an outlandish request, its a simple appeal to help catch whoever supposedly behind these and if anything, harming the Satkaar movement by hiding behind the name. I've heard that the Sikh Channel have strong links with the RST so it will be especially interesting to hear how neutral the debate is, whether its simply a chance for the RST committee to throw out allegations (that may be defamatory in nature - Satkaar's legal team should be watching for this) or whether they allow a full discussion, without tainting it. The other question is whether certain 'sensitive' topics will be addressed, the ones Sarbha Panjab ji has mentioned for example, and more importantly, whether they will be shown in the final, edited version that airs on Saturday evening....

just as I was quick to condemn, I have to also say that i commend the Edinburgh lot and also the sevadars who all made this possible. Fantastic news, just really amazing. LEts see what Grays does in the next week, if they will be as brave as these guys and follow the lead. The pressure's on now!

Bhaji can you post links of these if possible please? thanks!