JSinghnz

Can we please stop criticizing our community leaders by doing nothing but say immature remarks such as" was it all show for the camera ??" Do something positive rather than just spread negativity in the wake of such serious matters. This is time for taking a united stand against the scoundrels.

What a nonsensical, idiotic question to be asked on this site. OP must have been drunk when he posted this question.

101-year-old Sikh-Briton Fauja Singh has been named one of the torch bearers for the 2012 Olympic torch relay. His name was flashed on the official website of the London Olympics on Thursday, May 10, 2012. A total of 8,000 inspirational people have been nominated to carry this flame that will journey across the United Kingdom from May 19 till July 27. Fauja Singh, who completed the London marathon last month at the age of 101 and beat his own record, will carry the flame through the London Borough of Newham on July 21. This is the second time that he has been selected for this honour: he was also a torch bearer for the Athens Olympics in 2004. Fauja was in the news recently, not only for his completion of yet another marathon in London, on Sunday, April 22, 2012 and for breaking his own record, but also for his announcement that it was his last full marathon. He insists, however, that he will keep running as long as he can, though for shorter distances. "Everyone dies, so you might as well die ... doing something you enjoy," Fauja Singh said. “If I stop training and running I think my health will deteriorate and I'll die. I just can’t sit still. I still like to run and walk 6 to 10 km once a week to keep myself fit. It is what keeps me going,” he explained to his millions of fans around the world. May 31, 2012 by NEWS REPORTS Source: www.sikhchic.com

@HKaur16, welcome to our forum. You have raised very valid points here. Our Gurus gave equal status to women centuries back and it is very sad that we still cannot follow their teachings.

@californiasardar1, we will never ever be "reduced to a fringe figure you read about in books." Stop being a loser and live life like a true SINGH. Spend some time studying about our greatest religion and BE PROUD TO BE A SIKH.

Who has given you the right to talk rubbish about the girl and tarnish her reputation by idiotically writing stuff like," it seems this 'sikh' girl is of a pretty low character herself."

Get the infection treated asap and then follow the suggestions given above.

THANKS FOR TAKING THIS LONG DUE ACTION.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com Sikh Council on Religion and Education [sCORE] 2621 University Blvd, W. Silver Spring MD 20906 www.sikhcouncilusa.org Press Release American Sikhs Applaud the passage of Anand Marriage Amendment (Sikh Marriage ceremony) in the Indian Parliament. Washington, May 22, 2012: American Sikhs expressed their joy and satisfaction at the passage of Anand Marriage Amendment in the Indian Parliament yesterday. Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Washington based Sikh Council on Religion and Education, said, “ this is a historic day for Sikhs in the Independent India after a long and hard struggle. Not having a full recognition of their observances and their customs in India had created a sense of lack among Sikhs in India and it questioned their independent identity as a community. This thoughtful action by the elected leaders of India honors the Sikh tradition and its validity. It also sends a signal that India welcomes its own vibrant diversity and honors its own minorities. Comprehensive law recognition the Sikh marriage is still needed which would require community wide deliberations and we appeal to Sikh leaders to involve various sections of Sikh intelligentsia. " Parliament has passed a Bill to remove doubts on the validity of the 'Anand Karaj' (marriage) among the Sikhs. Rajya Sabha had adopted the Bill on Monday by a voice vote at the recommendation of the cabinet under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2012, which seeks to amend the Anand Marriage Act, was passed by the Lok Sabha by a voice vote. Moving the Bill for consideration, law minister Salman Khurshid said the legislation was evidence of the intention of the government to respect the sentiments of people of all religious communities. The Bill seeks to amend the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, to provide for compulsory registration of 'Anand Karaj' marriages. Rajwant Singh further added, "We are proud of Sikh parliamentarian Tarlochan Singh for his meticulous legislative work and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his support as the head of Indian political office. Both deserve applause from the entire worldwide Sikh community. We as a community must continue to make full use of the political process to get full rights and this is a prime example.” Dr. I.J. Singh, a New York based Sikh commentator and author of several Sikh books, said, “Passage of Anand Marriage Amendment is obviously important for Sikhs in India and Sikhs across the world. It is crucial step but it is a pity that it took 60 years. Not that we as a community did not protest or struggle to get this crucial recognition, finally those efforts have brought this good. He further stated, “Forming policies around Sikhs customs is an evolving process and we hope as community develops consensus, it should not take another 60 years to make changes in the current law.” Ranjit Singh, Chairman of the Maryland based Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, said, “ We are pleased with the outcome of this long standing struggle. Finally Sikhs in India have the chance to feel that they are fully acknowledged. It is important for Sikh leaders to evolve consensus on the next phase of the process. It was great to see Sikh parliamentarians working across party lines to achieve this goal. That is a victory for Sikhs. Indian Parliament leaders also deserve recognition for their unanimous decision. May 22, 2012 - NEW DELHI: Meeting a long-standing demand of the Sikh community, Parliament today passed a law allowing them to register their marriages under the Anand Marriage Act instead of the Hindu Marriage Act. The Sikhs will be able to register their marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, Law Minister Salman Khurshid said replying to the debate on the amendment Bill which was later approved by voice vote. It was earlier passed by Rajya Sabha. Although the Anand Marriage law was enacted in 1909, there was no provision for registration of marriages which were were registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Admitting that it had taken a lot of time to pursue amendments in the Anand Marriage Act, Khurshid said, this was a symbolic gesture and "we should respect the sentiments of all communities ...whether Bodos or any other group." Sikh groups have maintained that members of the community face problems abroad as their certificates are issued under the Hindu Marriage Act. Besides Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists are issued certificates under the Hindu laws. Sikh marriage ceremonies are known as 'Anand Karaj' (blissful event). According to the amendment bill, couples whose marriages have been registered under this Act, will not be required to get their marriage registered under the Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths Act, 1969 or any other law for the time being in force. Supporting the bill, Harsimrat Kaur (SAD) said Sikhs face problems abroad because while they identify themselves as Sikhs, their marriages are registered under the Hindu Marriage Act. She thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for approving the amendments in a recent Cabinet meeting. P S Bajwa (Cong) said it was necessary to make it clear that the Act was never repealed as claimed by some writers in the recent past. Several other members cutting across party lines supported the Bill.

The boy and his family are beggars and are begging for dowry from your family. Keep away from these greedy, bloodsucking parasites. They are a blot on society and don't even think of going anywhere near these scoundrels.

We all agree caste has no place in Sikhism. Time to close this thread, mods.

WASHINGTON: The California Assembly has passed a resolution declaring November 2012 as Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The passage of the resolution in this regard by the California Assembly has been welcomed by the influential Sikh community of the State. "Please join me in declaring November 2012 as California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month," said Assemblyman Dan Logue . The resolution was introduced by Assemblyman Henry Perea, who could not be present due to his mother's serious illness. "Every year on the first Sunday of November, Sikh Americans celebrate the coronation of their scriptures. Among the celebrations are Sikh parades, the largest of which is held in Yuba City, which is famous worldwide," Logue said. "Californians of Sikh heritage deserve to be recognised for their significant contributions to our state. They came here around 100 years ago and have made their mark in agriculture, trucking, medicine, and technology," he said. Five Assembly Members -- Roger Dickinson, Warren T Fururtani, Jim Nielsen, Chris Norby and Bob Wieckowski - spoke on the occasion. Some 20 eminent Sikhs community members were present in the Assembly when the resolution was passed without any opposition. Prominent among them were Pashaura Singh Dhillon, who had initiated the move, Gurjatinder S Randhawa (chairman NRI Front USA), Charanjit Singh Bath, M S Sandhawalia, Gurdip S Nijjar, Nirmal Singh, Dr Onkar Singh Bindra. http://timesofindia....nia/articleshow

@GoKesh, Very well said. Action speaks louder then words.

May 18, 2012 by HT Correspondent , Hindustan Times Source: www.hindustantimes.com Amritsar , May 15, 2012: Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on Tuesday asked the Sikhs living in India and abroad to discuss and deliberate on the new draft of 'Sikh Anand Marriage Act-2012', which will enable the community members to get their marriages registered under a separate Act. He said that a committee comprising intellectuals, legal luminaries and experts would be formed under the aegis of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to take a final decision regarding the draft to be taken up with the Centre to frame the law for the Sikh community. The Jathedar was addressing Sikh intelligentsia during the presentation of the draft by its maker -- Daljit Singh, principal of Khalsa College and legal luminary -- at Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD), a Sikh religious and academic body. The Jathedar said that the draft needed more discussion and should be printed in bulk for distribution among the Sikh masses. "The draft should be made available on the Internet, so that Sikhs across the globe can go through it," he said. "We will soon form a committee under the SGPC to study the draft and after an ardas at the Akal Takht, the same will be forwarded to the government," said the Jathedar. Earlier, Daljit Singh initiated an intense debate and there was a general opinion that the Sikhs must have their own separate personal law and agreed to adopt the draft, the copy of which was submitted to the Jathedar. The participants were of the opinion that the amendments being made in the Anand Marriage Act,1909, were not sufficient and were not as per the aspirations of the Sikhs. Daljit Singh said that there was already a debate going on over the absence of divorce clause in the Act and the draft of the new Act should be adopted by the Centre to make a 'complete law' that would govern Sikh marriages and all its aspects, including divorce, maintenance, adoption and other issues. In his address, Daljit Singh said that the draft had been prepared keeping in view the Sikh maryada (code of conduct) and thoroughly dealt with issues including definition of Sikh and 'Anand Karaj', divorce, alimony and property rights and adoption. He said that the separate Act for Sikhs should not be construed as a political demand but a legal one, which is the constitutional right of the community. He termed the existing Anand Marriage Act-1909 confusing and not enough to call it a full-fledged law to govern the Sikh marriages. Khalsa College governing council president Satyajit Singh Majithia appreciated the attempt of CKD to initiate the debate and said he found no reasons why Sikhs should not have their own personal law. Khalsa College governing council honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said that it was Sikhs' constitutional right to have a separate law. Earlier, CKD president Charanjit Singh Chadha thanked the participants and Daljit Singh for preparing the draft and said that the CKD was always there to safeguard the interests of the community.

Shaun Tandon, Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON — Washington’s police chief on Wednesday gave the green light for turbaned Sikhs to serve as officers, making the capital the first major U.S. city to accommodate the religion’s articles of faith. The police department said that 4,000 officers have gone through cultural training to sensitize them to the Sikh faith and that the first Sikh American keeping his turban and beard was expected to join the force in August. “It is difficult enough to find highly qualified police officers. There are very rigid standards,” Cathy Lanier, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, told a news conference. “Then to think about something as simple as appearance or a grooming standard that would prevent somebody who is talented enough to meet all that other criteria, it really just doesn’t make sense,” she said. Sikh men are required by faith to wear a turban and beard and carry a ceremonial sword. The requirements have often conflicted with codes in Western countries that call for men to be clean-shaven or wear assigned headgear. Since 2010, the U.S. military has made exceptions to allow observant Sikhs to serve. Turbaned Sikhs already serve as police officers in several other countries including Britain, Canada and India, where the religion was founded. But New York City, which has a large Sikh community, maintains a prohibition on turbans. In 2003, a Sikh traffic officer filed a discrimination lawsuit but the police department reverted to its former rules after he left the force. Los Angeles County has allowed Sikh Americans to serve with turbans but only in the sheriff department reserves, not on active duty, according to activists. The U.S. Sikh community, estimated by activists at around 700,000 strong, has endured harassment and sporadic violence since the September 11, 2001 attacks as assailants mistakenly associate their turbans with Islamic extremism. Jasjit Singh of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which partnered with Washington’s police department, hailed the US capital for “affirming that religion is no bar in public service.” “We hope that other police departments around the country will follow their pioneering leadership,” Singh told the news conference. “It was over 100 years ago that Sikh Americans came to this country. Today we join our counterparts across the world in being able to protect our communities — and proudly wear our turbans and beards while doing so.” Washington is considering holding job fairs to recruit more Sikh officers, said Patrick Burke, the assistant police chief. “When officers can garner the respect and trust of the community by mirroring that community, then people are truly respectful and trusting of the police and are sharing information, which helps us to close cases,” he said. Washington’s police department was at the forefront in 2000 when it set up a special liaison unit to work with the gay community. Lanier, one of a growing number of women to head police departments, said that the prohibition on Sikh articles of faith reminded her of her own experience as female officers formerly were not allowed to ride in patrol cars with their male counterparts. “I wouldn’t be standing here today if there weren’t policy changes years ago as a police officer, much less as the police chief,” she said. http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/16/sikhs-can-now-serve-on-d-c-s-polce-force/

Sikh police officers would soon be seen in operation in the American capital, Washington, in their turbans and other articles of faith. The American city gave the green light for the Sikh police officers to sport turbans and beards, making it the first major U.S. city to accommodate the religious articles of faith. The announcement was made by the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) chief Cathy Lanier who said that 4,000 officers had gone through cultural training to sanitise them to the Sikh faith. Lanier said the first Sikh-American police officers with turbans and beards were expected to join the force in August. Sikhs are required by their faith to wear turban, sport beard and carry a ceremonial knife and these have often come in conflict with codes in Western nations where police and armymen are required to be clean shaven. The U.S. Army since 2010 have made exceptions for Sikh soldiers to serve with their articles of faith. Turbaned Sikhs are already serving in Canada and Britain. Announcing the new uniform policy, the Washington police chief said, “Sikh Americans may protect the Nation’s Capital and may serve their community as full-time officers. This reflects the promise we made to have a police force that serves as a model for those around the world.” “It is important that all those who live in, work in, and visit the District see our values and commitment to the community in our officers,” Lanier said. “Nine years ago, Sikh Americans had to sue to become traffic enforcement officers. Today, the Nation’s Capital is inviting all Sikh Americans to become full-time, full-fledged police officers,” said Jasjit Singh, executive director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF). “Our articles of faith are signs of our commitment to equality and public service — the same values held by every law enforcement officer, the same values represented by the MPD uniform,” he said. Welcoming the move, Sikh community leaders hoped that this would pave the way for other American cities to follow suit and eventually they could be recruited in large numbers in the U.S. Army. “We encourage Sikh Americans to pursue careers with MPD, the first major police department to allow Sikh Americans to serve and protect their neighbours as full-time officers while maintaining their religious identity,” Mr. Singh said. Though the American capital has allowed Sikh police officers to wear turbans, the New York city, which has the large Sikh community still maintains a ban on turbans. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3428702.ece

lol lol lol. datz a gud one.

Please take some time to read the answers. The girls are not being blamed here. The parents are responsible for this sad situation.

I call it THE GBTB approach. That's getting back to basics. The parents need to be aware of their own religion and teach the basics of Sikhism to their kids.

Awesome answer, Kaljugi. This hits the nail on the head, "Whilst I do not labour under the illusion that all followers of Islam desire our destruction, any Sikh with an iota of dardh for the sacrifices and ordeals of his forefathers will never entertain a union with a Muslim."

The whole situation of conversions of Sikhs to other faiths shows our poor upbringing, our weak character, our so called" extreme open mindedness", our failure to teach our mother language to our children and most importantly not giving any knowledge about our great religion to our off spring. Parents are far too busy for imparting their fundamental duties towards their children. How can these children then be blamed to be attracted to different religions and be so easily converted when they become adults. These children have no pride whatsoever to be Sikhs, so how on earth can they think of Punjab as their nation? They have no idea of our glorious past and the innumerable sacrifices given by our ancestors. We were the bravest of the brave and look at our present state of affairs. It is very easy to blame others for our downfall but this is not the right answer to the problem which has created by our own people.

Back to your dirty game of bad mouthing people.

What kind of even handed attempt is this? You are slandering the Sikh females by saying,"Most of the time, without wishing to sound vulgar, they are hungry for you-know-what. The last thing on their minds is their faith when things are getting hot and heavy with 'Mo'.

Very well said, brother. I wish and pray those who have gone astray and cut their hair learn from your example.

With the Grace of Waheguru, JUST DO IT. Your hair will grow for sure. Congrats on your decision to return to the fold of Sikhism.