Pyara

http://www.thesun.co...ng-offence.html The Sun's created some more hysteria for Sikhs. I think Sikhs are being portrayed as the new public enemy by the media, this is evident from a recent hysterical tabloid reporting from stories such as the pervert on the royal barge to EDL turning up to Luton to Swindon/Hull and now the Olympics all in a span of a month. The reader comments are once again extremely derogatory and encourage the bigtory and hysteria against the GurSikh's way of life Again our lack of media interaction is ruining our profile and we need the Sikh Council UK and other Jathebhandis to urgently invest in this relationship. Why are we given a false sense of security that there is a "media" team in the Sikh Council UK as it's evident nothing is being done! Where is our official media voice and why are we incapable of fighting our corner in the media! I don't think I am exaggerating this... but it's beginning to be obvious that some of the elite in the UK mainstream media are trying to generate a "Sikhiphobia", because the nature of all the biased stories reported and reader comments about Sikhs in the last 30 odd days have ensured Sikhs are being portrayed as backwards and threatening!

This may be off-topic, but it's in response to this repetitive recent argument being put forward (also raised by Dalbir Singh above) regarding Sehajdharis/Monay and the Anand Karaj. It is evident that the kalyugi evolution of the Sikhs as a community has meant some erosion, degradation and lack of acceptance of many Sikh values specifically the outer roop. The mona/patit does now make up a disproportionate majority in the community. There’s no denying this is a massive issue and the battle against patit-pauna is on top of the agenda of the Sikh Nation. Nevertheless, the Panthic accepted Rehit Maryada gives the definition of a Sikh as per below, ironically this definition dates back to early 20th Century (with consultation of the major bodies at the time including Sant Samaj, nirmalay) and ensured the Sikh nation encompassed the diversity which existed even back then. This means that an individual with the beliefs below is a Sikh regardless of being a sehajdhari/mona or keshdhari. This is not in anyway undermining the journey to being an amritdhari Khalsa which as point (v) states is the expectation of anyone who classifies themselves as Sikh. As per Sikh Reht Maryada, Section One, Chapter 1 The Definition of Sikh : Article I Any human being who faithfully believes in i. One Immortal Being, ii. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, iii. The Guru Granth Sahib, iv. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and v. the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh Whilst I also cringe at the abuse of the Anand Karaj by standard Sikh families who rush into the Gurdwara to rush out to enjoy the booze-up/kanjarpauna later, that is the fault and responsibility of all of us (particularly the local Amritdhari Gursikhs) for not ensuring the implementation of Satkaar in their local Gurdwaras. Also the mona born into a Sikh family has to possess an understanding of their legacy and obligation, that’s again the responsibility of local Gursikhs and Gurdwaras in terms of the mentoring programmes and parchaar. It’s now time to follow in the footsteps of Gurdwaras like those in Luton and Derby who have robust Anand Karaj protocols and follow a system of consultations with the couple and the families to ensure the satkaar of the Anand Karaj is maintained. When a white or black man/woman walks in the Gurdwara tomorrow and expresses a desire to follow Sikhi then we will always be supportive in their journey and step up to guiding them and that’s what the majority of us Sikhs will always do.

And ironically we proudly tell non-Sikhs the stories of diverse equality when in 1699 a khatri from Lahore, jat from Hastinapur, tailor from Dwarka, water carrier from Jaganath Puri and barber from Bidar initiated the Khalsa Nation. But behind closed doors, after over 300 years, we are still disgusted with one another because of our ethnic, caste or national origins...

And that's probably why today the Dera-vaad culture is so predominant in the land of the Gurus! It's bigotry that drives the migrant in Punjab to the charan of the dehdhari or church where he feels accepted

A good chance for young East London Sikhs to debate their views on the recent morchas to uphold the sanctity of the Anand Karaj.

I must admit, the nature of some of the posts I am reading on sikhsangat.com and some facebook postings I have come across post-Swindon do suggest the above. I am surprised why the mods on sikhsangat have allowed some of the postings on the recent threads mocking race and ethnic origin. Also the continuous demonisation of the family from Swindon is now turning into nothing more than cyber-bullying. I stand strong on safeguarding the maryada of the Anand Karaj but draw the line on these immature racial slurs. Mods need to act quicker and recognise when a post is openly racist or mocking an individual group of people.

It's harder to inspire someone who's not interested, but we can to take advantage of the current platforms within the Gurdwara infrastructure. Make effective use of the times most young individuals are forced to attend the Gurdwaras such as relative's Anand Karaj, Akhand Paath, Funeral, Gurpurb etc. Grab their attention by ensuring the sikhi2max projectors are on, literature is available. Have an unlocked library and mini-museum aimed at youth so they have somewhere to go when they are bored of the diwan instead of hanging around like spare parts in the corridors Build a programme in our local Gurdwara to promote charismatic stage secretaries, granthis and kirtaniya. Strong and excited personalities on stage will attract attention, unlike boring mono-tone individuals with little charisma Glossy literature, good book stalls, audio-visual displays should be up in the Gurdwaras during the weekends when footfall is at it's peak. Set up a weekly youth discussion forum inviting all to participate in weekly discussions. Keep it real and talk about real issues not "fairy tales & miracles" Ultimately, Gursikh Youth need to stop hiding behind the elders and grab visible opportunities in the Gurdwara administration. Find out how your local Gurdwara's constitution works and infiltrate the leadership. Nothing's going to be handed to you on a plate, you'll need seize the opportunities in order to drive the improvements...There's plenty of opportunities, plenty of vision... but there is lack of commitment from our own Gursikh youth.

Might not be a bad thing. Back in the swinging 60's the pug dari was seen as quite an appealing exotic look. Might just push our bandana/patka munday to start wearing a dastaar as it's now "fashionable".

Great initiative. Also the Sikhi Camps this summer should focus on this issue as many our kids don't seem to feel empowered enough to fight their corner when it comes to being asked to remove their kara for PE. When the issue arose at my 5 year old kid's school we found out he was the only Sikh kid in his year who wanted to keep his kara on during PE, the other 20 Sikh kids had no issue and were happy to remove. The school agreed on the sweatband as a covering and as time went on a few of the other Sikh kids also started wearing the sweatbands to cover their kara during PE. We live in an age of "Health & Safety" risk assessments which sometimes has an effect on the right to wear our kakaars. Unfortunately Jathebhandis/Sikh bodies aren't really addressing the issue top down so it's left up to indvidual families to deal with the kaakar issues as and when they manifest at a local level.

No doubt, in years to come we will look back at these kinds of protests and recognise them as a series of morchay to uphold Rehit Maryada...but in the meantime it's a damage limitation exercise and like all protests the aftermath needs to be handled properly. Now is the time to contact the likes of Sikh Council UK and other appointed national Sikh bodies to represent at a senior level what the Sikh stand on the Anand Karaj as per Sikh Rehit Maryada. As you can see from the lazy reporting in the mainstream media there has been no consultation with any official Sikh body. If this was a Jewish, Christian or Muslim story then the media would have consulted the senior representatives of those faiths. Sikh Rehit Maryada was paramount in defining us as a distinct ethnic group (Mandla V Dowell-Lee 1982) in House of Lords, our elders were able to discuss this articulately with the British elite. Rehit Maryada is something not to be ashamed of discussing, so the silent self appointed leaders of the UK Sikh Community need to get out of the shadows and represent Sikh Maryada in the mainstream in order to mitigate the accusations of racism and bigotry.

Have any of the panthic publications reported these morchay? Can't find anything and the intentions of Sikh naujwaan are in danger of being misinterpreted in our own community again. UK Sikhs still need stonger propoganda machine, looks like Sikh Channel and Sangat TV aren't really up for reporting the Sikh background of why things happened in Hull and Swindon.

Definitely, this is where the Satkaar Campaign is failing. The pressure of morchay is only momentary, the whole education and change management programme is the most effective. However, in order to to that committed manpower/sewadars are needed and perhaps that's what's lacking. But essentially, the Committees who have their own alcoholic agendas need to be removed and the right Sikhs need to take the Gurdwaras over. This will be difficult with the caste run Gurdwaras like Ramgarhia Coventry who have cunningly safeguarded their kursiya via their constitutions by not allowing non-Ramgharias to join the committee. Being a voting member of your local Gurdwaras is so important as the lack of Gursikh input in the Gurdwara system is dangerous and that's how we have ended up with so many agenda-driven prabhandak committees promoting Manmat instead of Gurmat.

Perhaps people need to articulately respond in the comments sections of the above articles. Otherwise the accusations of bigotry and racism as per the articles will remain as the focus.

One thing I learnt over the years, don't always believe what you read in the papers...

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/9795689.Militants_try_to_halt_multi_racial_wedding/ Militants try to halt multi-racial wedding A WEDDING ceremony had to be abandoned after a group of 40 militant Sikhs locked themselves inside the community’s Kembrey Street temple. The hardliners occupied the building on Saturday to disrupt a marriage between a Sikh woman and a man said to be a Christian and of West African background. The group locked the doors and gates of the gurdwara, near Kembrey Park, before leaving more than six hours later. Though the Sikh part of the marriage had to be abandoned, a civil ceremony between Susan Momi and Kenny Lawrence did go ahead at Lydiard Park, despite the militants turning up there as well. Susan’s mother Harbhajan said: “Words can’t express how I feel, we are all in shock. “They went inside the temple, locked the doors and switched the security cameras off. “We had a caterer in charge of the breakfast. They ate all the food and then told him ‘go or we’ll kill you’. We also had relatives from other parts of the world turn up for the wedding who didn’t know what was going on. “I was getting to ready to go to the temple when I had a phone call from a friend telling me to stay away. It was awful, my heart is still going even now.” The militants claimed on YouTube that they had acted peacefully to stop an inter-faith union at the temple. But the bride’s family say couples from different religions have married before at the gurdwara without incident. Mrs Harbhajan: “This had nothing to do with religion. There was nothing to stop the ceremony in the gurdwara. “This was all to do with the colour of his skin.” The ceremony had been agreed by the gurdwara’s managing committee, but they were powerless to act after several vans full of men turned up on Saturday morning. Raghdir Bains, a committee member at the Punjabi Community Centre, said: “Nearly everybody in the Sikh community in Swindon is absolutely against what took place. “We live in a multi-cultural society and if that’s the wish of the girl and her parents then it should go ahead. “The majority of the hardliners were from Birmingham and Southall and they have been responsible for damage to another temple in Walsall. “The committee had accepted the booking and it should have gone ahead. Local families went to the gates to complain, but there was no one to stop the militants.” The group briefly left the temple, believing a holy book had been removed from the site and taken to the Lydiard Park ceremony. Mr Bains said: “They arrived at 7.30am and stayed until 12.30pm. They left because they believed the holy book had been taken to Lydiard Park. They couldn’t find it so they came back to the temple and stayed until 2pm. “I think the reason no one from the community went in is because they know the record of these people. The hardliners would have met any challenge with violence. People were afraid they would lose their lives if they challenged them.” Dr Harbans Popli, a senior figure in Swindon's Sikh community, also condemned the militants after speaking to the bride’s family. He said: “The family is very upset and angry. This is against all our morals and principles.” The militants posted footage of the occupation on YouTube, showing a hooded hardliner standing by the gate while a local woman protests against their action. A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “We can confirm that we dealt with a small protest by a group of men in Swindon on Saturday. The protest was conducted peacefully. “We believe the protestors objected to an event which was due to take place at the Swindon gurdwara. Our officers continue to liaise with the protestors and the community.”

http://www.thisishul...tail/story.html 'Business as usual' after priest held hostage with sword at Hull Sikh temple Wednesday, July 04, 2012 POLICE have reassured worshippers it is safe to return to their temple after a priest was held hostage with a sword in front of his congregation. Eight members of an armed gang are believed to have burst into the Sikh temple in west Hull and attempted to take the priest hostage by holding a sword to his neck. The violent protest took place on Sunday in front of worshippers including children. It is believed the row was sparked over plans to allow a holy book to be taken out to South Cave for a wedding. A concerned worshipper, who did not wish to be named, told the Mail: "There are all sorts of politics going on at the temple. They have been going on for months and came to a head at the weekend. "The gang burst into the building to show their authority and there was a lot of chaos and commotion. "It's to do with the bank accounts, which have changed names, and locks, which have been changed. It's a shambles. "They held a sword to the neck of the priest. "The gang didn't want the holy book to leave the temple and go to South Cave for the wedding." He voiced his concern at returning to the temple in Parkfield Drive, off Anlaby Road, to pray on Sunday with his family in case it happens again. He said: "All we want to know is, as a congregation, is it safe to return and will the police be there to protect us? "We need assurances, we want the police to be there on Sunday. "It is the only Sikh temple in Hull and although in big towns and cities there are a lot of fractions going on, this has never happened here before. "We are very concerned about this as a congregation. We go to a prayer house to pray and listen to hymns and meet other people. Personal issues shouldn't be involved. "Most of us Sikhs in Hull stay under the radar and keep ourselves to ourselves. We are ashamed of this." The Mail understands the priest suffered a mild heart attack during the incident and was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary for treatment. Police have arrested two men from the Hull area and have released them on bail while they continue their investigation. Officers told the Mail the temple is now open for "business as usual" and can be used as normal on Sunday. A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said officers are still trying to establish exactly what happened and are still taking statements from witnesses. She said: "Police were called to the Sikh Temple on Parkfield Drive after an internal dispute. "Two men aged 36 and 58, both from the Hull area, were arrested in connection with the dispute. "Both men have been released on bail to a date in August, pending further inquiries. "The neighbourhood policing team that covers the area is aware of the incident and will monitor the site as required but there is no cause for concern and the temple is open for business as usual."

The latest aadesh to come from Akal Takht was only dated 8th February 2012 which once again re-affirmed that under no circumstances can meat and alcohol be served on a Gurdwara premises and Gurdwara owned halls. This aadesh was distributed to every single Gurdwara in the UK. Last night I got a text about a party at Ramgarhia Gurdwara Coventry this Friday 6th July. Ramgarhia Coventry are one of the committees who continually defy anything Akal Takht have stated and continue to allow parties on site serving meat and alcohol in a hall named after the great Gursikh Baba Jasa Singh" Ramgharia". It's only a matter of time before a party booking is made back in the Dudley Gurdwara owned Hall despite all the drama of last year.

It's been over a year since infamous Dudley Protest against the Gurdwara committee run hall allowing meat and alcohol parties. With news that Ramgharia Gurdwara Coventry Committee have gone back to hosting weekly meat alcohol parties in the annexed Ramgharia Hall despite Akal Takht's clear Hukumnamas, Sandesh and Aadesh... Swindon Gurdwara Committee oppose an inter-faith marriage as it defies Akal Takht... but still allow meat alcohol parties in the hall they run next to the Gurdwara... Dudley Gurdwara Committee made an announcement on the Gurdwara stage last week that the hall has been re-opened and is ready for booking meat alcohol parties...despite the volatility of the situation... Have things really changed in the last 12 months and how do we continue to tackle this epidemic? Akal Takht have provided the guidance but the Sikh doesn't seem to bothered ensure it's adhered to...

I saw a bit of that show too and it was really relevant to what we are discussing in this thread. Truth is, panthic minded forward thinking Sikhs need to start making the in-roads into the Committees asap. 10 years to wait is still a long time and the damage in another 10 years could be irreversible. The Gurdwara infrastructure exists and there needs to be a succession plan in place. I'm not saying that there needs to be a coup or kabza but there needs to be a fast track programme to let the relevant Gursikhs into the committees. There then needs to be a standardised national forum for the committees to meet every 3 month to discuss all issues around Gurmat and Maryada. NOT a "Sikh Council UK" type forum which has little appetite for tackling issues around Gurmat or Maryada. There should be training programmes, workshops, helplines, mentoring for these committee members to bring a uniformed panthic thinking into the Gurdwaras with the aim of over-coming all the current complacency which leads to beadbi and stalls progression of the dharam.

The above is a good starting point and I can't see why this can't be implemented in all UK Gurdwaras. Put pressure on your committee to implement a robust Anand Karaj protocol in place which promotes the satkaar of the Gurmat Karaj and brings back the sanctity of marriage. Who knows, this may even help to reduce the increasing divorce rate in the young Sikh community. Pre-Marriage and Post-Marriage consultations should be carried out by the Gurdwara. It should be a key part of the whole Anand Karaj booking process. Also, stronger articulate Granthis/Kirtanyia or Stage Secretaries are needed to provide more meaningful dialogue during the Anand Karaj. This is often wasted opportunity carried out by a bumbling stage secretary or uninspired Granthi/Kirtaniya who has no drive to promote Sikhi...

It’s a high time that the Sikh kaum realise the biggest beadbi of our Rehit maryada is the abuse of the whole Anand Karaj. I am not only taking about the “mixed-marriage” scenarios (as seen in Swindon and Hull yesterday), but the whole abuse of the Anand Karaj ceremony by the Community, Granthis, Kirtaniya and Parabhandaks. The Anand Karaj is abused, ridiculed and cheapened to a mere ritual which needs to be completed in order to support the need to have series of more high profile lavish events. The average Brit-Punjabi/Sikh gives little value to the Anand Karaj and donation-hungry Granthis, Kirtaniya, lazy Parabhandaks just take advantage of the situation. There’s no education programme in place or any mechanism to mentor the” Suhag Jori” in to the Gur Sikh jeevan. Inevitably, the Anand Karaj ceremony is the starting point in an opportunity to grow and develop a couple to become attached to the Guru Ghar, a couple who will bring the next generation up. Unfortunately we are not seizing or recognizing the opportunity. The mixed marriage scenario is just a part of the whole mess. Personally, I believe that the collective pressure the Sangat applied in stopping the beadbis yesterday should now be applied to all the UK Gurdwaras to implement more stringent measures around the Anand Karaj as well as a massive education programme so that Prabhandaks must commit to enhancing the profile of the Anand Karaj as a Gurmat Karaj. This will mean getting out of our comfort zones, dialoguing with families when they book an Anand Karaj and putting some firm “rules” in place which may mean the refusal to carry out of an Anand Karaj if certain criteria are not met...

Thanks for that link. Is the other Singh referred as co-defendant Sunder out of prison now?

Shaheed Bhai Satwant Singh's kes was cut until 5 days before the assassination of Indira. Both Bhai Satwant Singh and Bhai Beant Singh took Amrit in Delhi on 25th October 1984 5 days prior to assassniation As per Baba Tarlok Singh (Shaheed Bhai Satwant Singh's father), Satwant Singh had become a patit to excel his career in order to move closer within Indira's personal security. Would strongly suggest listening to Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwales katha above as it's the most comprehensive account of Bhai Satwant Singh's jeevan I have ever heard.

In response to the above Sikh Council UK communication. In this case the subjective reference "satisfied with the arrangements" is too fuzzy to serve as a meaningful benchmark particularly in such a sensitive and emotive issue. Seeing that the Sikh Council UK have given an official response to the issue then perhaps a deeper and perceptive communication in order to substantiate what “satisfied” means is deserved by the concerned Sangat. At least we will have some direction...

Also, bear in mind Ford Prison is an Open prison and also has a previous history of poor management and a high profile riot in 2011 which lead to enquires about drug/alcohol abuse. http://www.bbc.co.uk...sussex-12914495 http://www.bbc.co.uk...sussex-14161070 I am not sensationalising the issue, but want to point out why there are concerns about whether Satkaar can be or will be maintained in a UK prison environment... I am fully aware Sikhs have a strong relationship with prisons as it plays a big part in our history, but this is not Patiala, Amritsar or even Tihar Jail where Satkaar can be maintained.