JSinghnz

June 13, 2012 by T. SHER SINGH Source: www.sikhchic.com DAILY FIX Thursday, June 7, 2012 Oh Lord, stand by me While I walk this lonesome road Oh Lord, stand by me Help me bear this heavy load If I stumble, Lord Pick me up, Lord Help me drink this bitter cup Oh Lord, oh lord, stand by me [Old Spiritual] [/left][/left][/left] Right on cue! By Monday (June 4, 2012), the world was awash with the story of a blue turban on the Queen’s Boat during her Jubilee celebrations and the flotilla sailing along the Thames. By Tuesday, e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e was talking about it. Sikhs everywhere felt good about it. Non-Sikhs everywhere were curious … and impressed. Our detractors - and we have more than our fair share - as always in these situations, suffered miserably. Then, right on cue, members of the media received anonymous e-mails telling them that the man in the blue turban - Harbinder Singh Rana - has a past: three decades ago he was accused and convicted of a number of charges, including for sexual assault, and served a sentence for it. Right on cue! People around the world are waking up this morning to this “revelation”. The details about Harbinder’s record are true. I have known about the facts from 30 years ago for years and years, almost as long as I have known him - which is well over a decade. Our community has known of all the details for years. The media and all who ever work with Harbinder have known about it for years. How? Because, predictably, right on cue, every time he is in the news - and he is often in the news, because of the extraordinary community work he has been doing during the course of the last two decades - these e-mails arrive on my desk, as they do at various media outlets, and as they do, I’m sure, on the desks of all those who work with Harbinder on his projects … including those at St. James Palace in London. Which is every couple of years, when, each time, his magnificent work in the community attracts worldwide attention. For instance - to cite but a few examples: When he had Prince Charles unveil the memorial to Maharaja Duleep Singh in Thetford. I recall I received the e-mails then. When he spear-headed the celebration of the Duleep Singh centennial. I recall I received the e-mails then. When he launched the bicentennial celebrations of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh 'coronation'. I recall I received the e-mails then. When he did the inaugural Anglo-Sikh Heritage Tour across England. I recall I received the e-mails then. When he began his biggest project yet - the marking of the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. I recall I received the e-mails then. When he helped establish the annual Saragarhi Memorial Cup to honour the heroes of the great battle. I recall I received the very same e-mails then! Years ago, I spoke to Harbinder directly, openly and honestly about it all … and he was forthright. I was not surprised when I was first informed that he had a past, that he had a flawed history. In my various arenas of activity, I have come into close contact with every ilk of man - heads of state, heads of religions, heads of corporations, heads of media empires, etc. etc. I have yet to meet one … even ONE person amongst the whole lot! - who, upon close scrutiny, hasn’t revealed a serious flaw. My only criteria in judging the person has been: how he (or she) has handled himself from that point on. As a result, for example, I have known closely a man who spent a complete life sentence in prison for a set of hideous murders. He changed his life around, and I know him now as one of the most spiritual and learned people I’ve ever known. I have also known, for example, those who the world thinks are saints and God’s gifts to mankind, and I know that they are anything but. Those in the first category, I gravitate to and work with them with my heart and soul. Those in the second, I avoid like the plague. [That is why I stayed away from the world of politics, I guess.] Harbinder falls smack in the middle of the first category. He is a wonderfully decent man, humble and wise. Much of what I have done in recent years has been inspired by him and his work. I have seen him from up close doing incredibly selfless things for the sake of the Sikh community, the British nation and for “sarbat da bhalla”. Again, honestly - those who know me well know me as one who is, to a fault, never prone to either exercising flattery or doling out baseless compliments - I couldn’t think of another Sikh alive anywhere who I could cite for doing better, selfless seva than Harbinder Singh. Now that I think of it, I would extend that observation for anyone I know within any community, including the world at large. So, please, please, do not rush to judgement, and particularly not allow those who have vested interests to push our buttons in mischief and get us to react in a knee-<banned word filter activated> fashion. Let's be wary of the human propensity to see ourselves mirrored in those who do great things, and then suddenly, when confronted with their failings and failures, we flee, disclaiming all affliation and decrying the 'fallen hero' at the drop of a hat. As a species, we humans are quick to elevate, and quick to destroy our very own. As Sikhs, we owe ourselves much more. We need to show the same alacrity we showed two days ago in seeing ourselves in him when he was riding high, now, two days later, by still recognizing ourselves in the same man who now has the sheen disappear from his shine. Tearing him down is not the Sikh thing to do. Are we mere good-weather friends? [And ... "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone ..."] This is time for us to stand back, to look at the overall picture, and to stand by this man. Some disclosure from me is necessary here. Yes, I’ve known Harbinder for years, and I list him as a good and dear friend. However, for a variety of reasons, we’ve been out of touch for several years. I’ve had minimal contact with him for a long, long time, mostly because of my immersion in the secluded lifestyle of a writer. He hasn’t asked me to write this piece. He doesn’t know I’m writing it. But let one thing be loud and clear … I stand with him by his side today, and am proud to be his friend. http://www.sikhnet.com/news/stand-me

Try to write something sensible for a change. Go back and read the history of what happened in 1984 to the Sikhs.

June 11, 2012 (Washington, DC) - Jakaras were heard in the White House this past Friday during a briefing on Sikh civil rights issues in the heart of the federal government. The briefing, a historic first, was organized in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Office of Public Engagement at the request of the Sikh Coalition. Approximately 50 activists from around the United States attended the briefing. Leaders from New York, California, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, Indiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and even Canada traveled to Washington for the event. The assembled group included Advocates from the 2011 and 2012 classes of the Sikh Coalition's Sikh Advocate Academy. They began their day with an early morning tour of the beautiful East Wing of the White House. In the East Wing, the assembled leaders had a chance to view celebrated spaces such as the room in which President Thomas Jefferson first held cabinet meetings and the Blue Room which remains the reception room of the White House. The leaders and activists then proceeded to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for a first-ever briefing on Sikh civil rights issues. Commissioner Chai Feldblum of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Kimberly Walton, Assistant Administrator of theTransportation Security Administration; and John DiPaulo of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education talked about the federal government's efforts to combat employment discrimination, airport profiling, and school bullying respectively. In addition, Karen Chaves, Policy Advisor to the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, spoke about the work of the Initiative to address Sikh and broader Asian American and Pacific Islander concerns. The assembled community members enthusiastically questioned federal agency officials after each of their presentations. They shared critical feedback and ideas on how the federal government can better connect with and serve the Sikh community. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS Feeling of Momentum The genuine excitement and feeling of momentum among the attendees was electric. The assembled Sikhs were grateful to have toured the White House, shared their ideas with top-level officials, and participated in a historic event. The White House and assembled federal agency officials all expressed the hope that this historic briefing would be the first of many so that Sikhs can be better connected to the White House and their government. The past two months have seen a string of game-changing successes for the Sikh community and the Sikh Coalition. From the $75,000 settlement in the Autozone case, to the victory after seven years of battle with the MTA, to the progress of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act in the California State Assembly (please prepare to lobby the California Senate to pass it there as well), to the national acclaim for the Sikh Coalition's FlyRights app, to the letter to the FBI from 94 Members of Congress, to last week's briefing, the community has enjoyed many victories on the path to protecting our rights. We are truly thankful for Guru's Kirpa and your support. This work would not be possible without you and your partnership. We thank you and look forward to more victories for the community in the coming months and years. As always, the Sikh Coalition calls on all Sikhs to fearlessly practice their faith.

GREAT EFFORT. KEEP IT UP.

I am quite surprised that all the contributors to this forum have ignored the bravery of the Sikh regiment in giving a bloody nose to the pakis in all wars starting from 1948 in Kashmir to the 1965 and 1971 and most recently in Kargil. Maj. General M. Khan of Pakistan wrote in his book 'Crisis of Leadership' about the bravery of the Sikh soldiers during the Indo-Pak war. Here are some excerpts from the book: "the main reason of our defeat was Sikhs fighting facing us. We were helpless to do anything in front of them. Sikhs are very brave and they have a great craving for martyrdom. They fight so fiercely that they are capable of defeating an army many times bigger than theirs."

Since when did Akal Takht start allowing anyone to be a "Sikh Leader"? Don't lose your sleep by making statements like "irreparable damage to Sikh image".

Please understand that criminals can be reformed by the Grace of God.

June 8, 2012 by Lauren Markoe | Religion News Service Source: www.washingtonpost.com June 7 : WASHINGTON — A Sikh security officer at New York’s largest airport won a $30,000 settlement against the Department of Homeland Security, which had forbidden him from displaying his kara — a wristband that Sikhs wear to remind them of the divine. Kulwinder Singh called it a violation of his religious rights, and took his case to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC determined that the Transportation Security Administration was wrong to have Singh hide his kara under a long-sleeved shirt, or not wear it at all. The case alleged discrimination on the basis of Singh’s religion under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC decided the case in March and required the TSA to allow employees to wear the kara freely, and to post a notice of the violation by mid-June. “Whenever you raise your hand, it’s supposed to be there,” said Singh, who has worked as a TSA agent at John F. Kennedy International Airport for more than five years. Nearly two years ago, he was told by a supervisor to remove the kara, or hide it. The kara, a steel or iron band which also represents the eternal nature of the divine, is supposed to remind the wearer to behave righteously and to protect others. “By keeping it concealed, it defeats that purpose,” said Hansdeep Singh, an attorney who represented Kulwinder Singh. The DHS did not immediately comment on the settlement. Hansdeep Singh said he sees discrimination against Sikhs — a 500-year-old monotheistic religion practiced mostly in Southeast Asia — as a litmus test for discrimination in general, because Sikhism is manifested in adherents’ outward appearance. Beyond the kara, Sikh men don’t cut their hair and wear it under turbans. Sikh and Muslim workers at New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority recently won a ruling that allows them to wear blue turbans on the job without having to affix an MTA logo. http://www.sikhnet.c...eeping-his-kara

Brother, each one of us who is PROUD TO BE A SIKH have to teach a lesson to these caste oriented,narrow minded, buffoons who by using their castes are insulting our great religion. We need to upset these mindless people and not get upset ourselves by their stupid, rotten pranks. SINGH IS AND ALWAYS BE OUR LAST NAME.

SGPC chief lays foundation stone of Bluestar Memorial Perneet Singh/TNS Amritsar, June 6 The Sikh high priests today bestowed the title of ‘Zinda Shaheed’ (living martyr) on Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for the assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Operation Bluestar at the Akal Takht here. The clergy led by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh presented a plaque, a shawl, a ‘siropa’ and a sword to Bibi Kamaldeep Kaur, Rajoana’s sister, who received the title on his behalf. However, the title was not conferred in the main ceremony, but a couple of hours before it. Similarly, in an apparent bid to avoid confrontation with “disgruntled” radical groups, the Sikh clergy and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar laid the foundation stone of the Operation Bluestar Memorial in the basement adjoining Gurdwara Thara Sahib in the Golden Temple Complex much before the main programme. The development took many by surprise since the SGPC had on May 20 held a special ceremony for the launch of 'kar sewa' of the memorial. In his address, Giani Gurbachan Singh said the memorial would inspire generations of Sikhs. He also felicitated relatives of those killed in the Army operation. Among them were Isher Singh, son of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Gurmeet Kaur, wife of Bhai Amrik Singh, and Bibi Pyar Kaur, mother of Indira Gandhi's assassin Satwant Singh. Later, replying to a media query regarding former CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s opposition to the memorial, Makkar said, “He should not question construction of the memorial. But if he intends to, then he must first explain why he quit the Congress after the Army operation at the Golden Temple in 1984.” The Captain’s mindset has changed after he joined the Congress, he said. Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh also wondered how the memorial would disturb peace in the state. “The Congress had attacked the Golden Temple and, therefore, the Captain’s criticism is neither strange nor relevant,” he added. Differences among Sikh groups over the Operation Bluestar Memorial came to the fore today. SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjeet Singh Mann led the opposition and lashed out at the SGPC for handing over ‘kar sewa’ of the memorial to Damdami Taksal Chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa. Addressing a gathering in front of the Akal Takht, he said the Damdami Taksal was no longer the same organisation once led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. “The Taksal today is openly conniving with the RSS, the BJP and its agent, the SAD,” he alleged. http://www.tribunein...20607/main3.htm

AWESOME ARTICLE.

Mokham Singh ji, you are an inspiration to the younger generation of Sikhs. I believe you must be spreading the message of Sikhism to others.

Murder charge laid in security guard case Police have made an arrest in the seven-month-old homicide inquiry into the killing of an Auckland security guard on his first night on the job. The body of Charanpreet Singh Dhaliwal, 22, was found with serious head injuries early on November 18 at a construction site in Henderson, about 14km west of downtown Auckland. Police on Tuesday said a 27-year-old Waitakere man had been arrested and charged with Mr Dhaliwal's murder. Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown says the arrest was a result of information from the public and good investigation work. He also acknowledged the support of the Auckland Indian community. The man was due to appear in Waitakere District Court on Tuesday. Sikh community spokesman Daljit Singh told NZ Newswire they were told of the arrest on Tuesday. Mr Singh had relayed the news to Mr Dhaliwal's mother in India, who was very pleased, he said. She had been planning to come out to New Zealand and would arrive at the weekend. Mr Dhaliwal was working his first shift as a security guard at the site, which had been a frequent target of scrap metal thieves. http://news.msn.co.n...rity-guard-case

Arrest over security guard's death By Hayden Donnell UPDATED11:59 AM Tuesday Jun 5, 2012 EXPAND Charanpreet Dhaliwal. Photo / Supplied Police have made an arrest over the murder of a security guard at a West Auckland building site. Charanpreet Dhaliwal, 22, was found dead at a Fulton & Hogan construction site on Selwood Rd in Henderson at 3.11am on November 18. An autopsy showed Mr Dhaliwal, who was working his first shift as a guard, died of a blow to the head. He was found slumped over a concrete slab near the main gates of the site by workers returning a truck. Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown this morning said a 27-year-old Waitakere man had been arrested and charged with murder. The arrest was the result of information from the public and six months of work from investigators, he said. Sikh Council spokesman Daljit Singh said he called Mr Dhaliwal's mother as soon as he was told of the arrest. She was relieved and would be travelling to New Zealand soon, he said. "She was very rapt with the news. Very pleased with it. It is pleasing for the community as a whole." Police said an investigation was continuing and more arrests could be made, Mr Singh said. Mr Dhaliwal was born in India but came to New Zealand to study about two years before his death. His friends and family described him as a "kind soul'' who came here for a better future and education. Information on the case can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.By Hayden Donnell | Email Hayden Security guard's murder to feature on TV Four sought over guard's murder in Henderson Security guard's body released today Solemn farewell for slain security guard http://www.nzherald....jectid=10810876

And when do you plan to break free from the shackles of your old rotten traditions, reets, parnalis pranthas and whatever and follow the path shown by our Great Gurus.

Thank you mods for correcting the heading of this post. BHAGAT KABIR JI DE JANAM DIVAS DIYAAN SIKH SANGAT NU LAKH LAKH VAADIYAAN.

Bro, we cannot get unity in the Panth by giving new titles to our saints. Each one of us who considers himself a Sikh have to play a part in this. For example, we should have zero tolerance to the caste system. If anyone dares to ask my caste, I give a suitable reply which he never forgets in his whole life. We need to bring that courage and pride to be only Sikhs and not a Sikh with stigma of caste attached to us. Thanks for your well wishes for New Zealand Sikhs. You young guys in UK too should try to break the shackles of this divisive, anti -Sikh caste system.

I just can't understand how we can waste our energies on a non-issue. Why do so people try to reinvent the wheel. There is absolutely no need to for ask, demand or ruminate on such trivial matters.

What has Sankriti to do with Sikhism? It is everything to do with Brahmins.

Hey know all chatanga, can you elaborate your "This is not just in Gurmat, it is a sankriti that has started from Satyug." what on earth do you mean by that? Sankriti and Satyug eh, showing your true brahaminical colours.

How did you come to that conclusion, sunshine? Go back to bed and keep feeling sad that you can't comprehend simple stuff, sigh!!!!

Can you think?????????? Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!

And waste time on your useless, shallow, characterless, foul mouthed, gutless boys. Stop being so judgmental and so sexist about this sad situation. If you can't give any solutions keep your sad trap shut.

What happened man, you seem to have a very short memory. With one hand you wrote,"Seriously we all need to start listening to the Gurmukhs on questions that we have. This will be my last post on this thread. I'm go see what else jimmy has to say on Sikhi....lol " and then came back again to show your ignorance on this very intellectual subject.

Spot on but it is very difficult for teach commonsense to some people. Please don't be offended by ignorance of some who think they know all.