What's the future of race relations in Britain?

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

BBC Asian Network

Discussion Programme [10-11am] on Tuesday 19 July 2005

What's the future of race relations in Britain?

Call Sonia on 08459 440445

Text Sonia on 81869

Email Sonia at sonia@bbc.co.uk

"Since the London attacks, race relations have got worse. I feel that faith leaders have a responsibility to help combat race relations in the UK."

Parminder, Leeds.

A representative of the Sikh Federation (UK) will be on the discussion programme on Tuesday 19 July between 10-11am.

Please ring in, send text messages, send emails and listen in.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

BBC Asian Network

Discussion Programme [10-11am] on Tuesday 19 July 2005

What's the future of race relations in Britain?

Call Sonia on 08459 440445

Text Sonia on 81869

Email Sonia at sonia@bbc.co.uk

   

"Since the London attacks, race relations have got worse.  I feel that faith leaders have a responsibility to help combat race relations in the UK."

Parminder, Leeds.

A representative of the Sikh Federation (UK) will be on the discussion programme on Tuesday 19 July between 10-11am. 

Please ring in, send text messages, send emails and listen in. 

109483[/snapback]

Please do take part in the discussion today

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[amorphous_singh]

A recording of the above programme can be heard/downloaded from

http://june84.org/audio/deol-2005-07-19.mp3

[amorphous_singh]

Afraid Paaji didnt get as much of an opportunity to speak. But it's well worth a listen if you didnt catch it.

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

I didn't get to contribute to the live programme but thanks to june84.org i got to listen to it

Firstly Bhai Jagtar Singh was great! Unlike the many pardhans we get to see on TV who make you cringe when they open their mouths, Bhaji was both articulate and succinct. Although most of the callers were clearly nutters and maybe the BBC has a liking for nutters and gave them more time that they deserved, the short time that Bhaji spoke he put forward the Sikh point of view in a clear and unambigious way.

1. Sikhs had nothing to do with the bombing but will suffer the backlash

2. Muslim community is in denial and is seeking privileges and favours from the govt rather than putting it's house in order

3. Stop and search is fine if the police know who they should be stopping and searching. It's no good stopping a group of Ragis in a clapped out car just because they look foreign but letting some black convert to Islam walk past and blow up half the high street!

Bhaji made the other speakers look pretty average even the labour droid who seemed to have been programmed by labour central office to repeat the line 'islam is a religion of peace' every few minutes. Hopefully the experience of many Muslim callers ringing to try and 'understand' the bombing will have knocked some sense into him. That naseem imam guy was a joker. Blabbing on about Nazi Germany and Stalin just because the Police raided a few Muslim houses and found explosives there. I was expecting him to blame the Jews for the bombing at anytime.

One request to Bhaji, it is good that we have spokemen like you to appear on radio stations aimed at the 'asian' community but we really need people like you on the mainstream media such as Newsnight, Channel4 news, as well as TalkSport, LBC and Radio 5 live. This is the audience that needs to know who the Sikhs are and that Sikhs stand by Britain in it's hour of sorrow.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

I didn't get to contribute to the live programme but thanks to june84.org i got to listen to it

Firstly Bhai Jagtar Singh was great! Unlike the many pardhans we get to see on TV who make you cringe when they open their mouths, Bhaji was both articulate and succinct. Although most of the callers were clearly nutters and maybe the BBC has a liking for nutters and gave them more time that they deserved, the short time that Bhaji spoke he put forward the Sikh point of view in a clear and unambigious way.

Bhaji made the other speakers look pretty average even the labour droid who seemed to have been programmed by labour central office to repeat the line 'islam is a religion of peace' every few minutes. Hopefully the experience of many Muslim callers ringing to try and 'understand' the bombing will have knocked some sense into him. That naseem imam guy was a joker. Blabbing on about Nazi Germany and Stalin just because the Police raided a few Muslim houses and found explosives there. I was expecting him to blame the Jews for the bombing at anytime.

One request to Bhaji, it is good that we have spokemen like you to appear on radio stations aimed at the 'asian' community but we really need people like you on the mainstream media such as Newsnight, Channel4 news, as well as TalkSport, LBC and Radio 5 live. This is the audience that needs to know who the Sikhs are and that Sikhs stand by Britain in it's hour of sorrow.

109881[/snapback]

BBC News 24 was the closest we got last Wednesday (around 8.55pm).

This what was written on the Sikh News Discussion egroup by Kashmir Singh of the British Sikh Federation:

WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ke Fateh

Sardar Dabinderjit Singh, Sikh Secretariat, gave a very good interview on BBC TV News 24, about 8.55pm Wed 13 July 2005, which will have been watched by millions of people. He made the following points clear:-

1. Sikhs condemned the terrorist bombs last week in London.

2. Sikhs had received anonymous telephone threats, following the condemnation of terrorist bombs in London.

3. The Government and public bodies should be doing more to highlight the fact that Sikhs are different, and have nothing to do with the bombs.

4. Sikh Gurdwaras and Sikhs are being attacked as a result of mistaken identity in the UK, following last week's bombs. Following 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA, the first person to be arrested was a Sikh, and the first person to be shot dead was a Sikh.

5. There should have been Sikh representation at the Lambeth Palace religious gathering.

All these points were made in an articulate, diplomatic, and professional manner, which came over very well on TV. Well Done.

Kashmir Singh LL.B, LL.M, C.Eng, Project Management NVQ4, Member of statutory OFWAT water industry customer services committee for England and Wales, IEE Council

07721 - 507055

General Secretary,

British Sikh Federation, P.O.Box 242, Wolverhampton WV4 5DH, England, UK

Mejindarpal Kaur was on ITN News on Friday lunch time - I'm sure she would have come across very well.

We keep trying to break through to Newsnight, Channel 4 news, as well as TalkSport and LBC.

Radio 5 live has been done several times, bur not in this context.

[K Singh 82]

Adding to Bikramjit Singh's comment, i think 'Question Time' is another programme that is watched by many.

Imagine an articulate Singh/Singhnee asking the panel (full of MPs) questions live!

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

It's good to hear that we have broken through on some programmes. I didn't catch news 24 that day and from the posting it looks like Dabinderjeet Singh has done a very good job.

Question time would be a good programme for a Sikh representative to take part in but as a panelist answering the issues of the day from a Sikh perspective. Due to recent events organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain have pretty much hogged all the space and slots on Tv and radio. Has anyone seen GMTV's morning programme? That Inayat Bunglawala guy has become part of the furniture there lately.

[amorphous_singh]

Just wanted to add (and I will avoid trying to turn this into a hagiography ;-) )

I've seen Bhaji in "action" many times; from meetings with diplomats, ambassadors, MPs, Ministers, and many others. He is always the most articulate and professional Sikh representative. This is the reason he comes across so well in the media and is very far removed from some other Sikhs who appear on the media. He is a tireless sewadaar and it's about time I said some nice things about him publicly :-)

And not forgetting; that there are obviously many others who do much valuable sewa as well.

I know it's becoming a bit of a broken record; but we really do need more people like this who are better able to deal with all the various aspects of the media. And when we do get representatives on to the broadcast media do please phone in, text etc - it's very important to get involved.

Oh and tantalising please watch out for some very positive announcements in the near future.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Oh and tantalising please watch out for some very positive announcements in the near future.

109979[/snapback]

Incidents in London today have delayed the "tantalising" news coming out "officially" - however will almost certainly be going public with it on Raaj Radio just after 8.00pm tonight. Please try and listen

http://www.raajradio.com/

On digital satellite channel 891 throughout the UK and Europe