Sikh Community Prevents Disrespect

[TavPrasad Singh]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!!!

http://www.panthic.org/news/124/ARTICLE/17...ef536ac46ce0736

Sikh Community Prevents Disrespect to Sikh Beliefs

Sunday 18th September, 2005

Fauja Singh - Panthic Weekly Staff

Bedfordshire, UK (KP) – This week a couple had to move their wedding to a different venue after the Sikh Community voiced their objections at original venue of the wedding. The wedding plan which was for it to take place in Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire was abandoned and reallocated after members of Sikh community said they would hold a peaceful protest to prevent disrespect to Sikh religion and beliefs.

The Sikh community objected to Guru Granth Sahib Ji being taken to a building which was exposed to alcohol and tobacco which are forbidden in Sikh religion.

Anton Gazizov, 26, from Cambridge, and his bride-to-be Ranjit Virk, 28, from St Ives, have had to change their plans for Sunday's ceremony and hold the wedding at Ranjit's family home in St Ives before going on to a civil function at Woburn.

Anton said they had been told that 400 members of the community were prepared to hold a peaceful protest on the day to prevent this act of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Anton grew up in Cambridge and went to Trinity College and now works in London. Both Anton and Ranjit were rightly concerned that information about the wedding plans, which had been made given to members of Sikh community by the community of Oxford, as it subsequently correctly voiced was against the beliefs of Sikhism.

Sri Akal Takath Sahib, the supreme authority of Sikhs worldwide, issued regulations in 1996 with regards to taking Guru Granth Sahib Ji to such places.

Harmander Singh, of the Sikhs in England organisation, said the issue was simply a matter of respect for the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji., (mistakenly often refered to as a “holy Book”), to avoid bringing the Guru to such places that engage in practices that are incompatible with Sikh beliefs.

Fauja Singh can be reached at fauja.singh@panthic.org

[UntitledSingh]

:T: :TH:

[singhmota]

original photograph

A COUPLE have been forced to alter plans for their dream wedding after hundreds of religious protesters threatened to disrupt their special day.

Plans to hold a Sikh wedding at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire were cancelled after Sikh protesters threatened to picket the ceremony in a row over the use of what they consider to be inappropriate premises.

Wedding plans ruined: Anton & Ranjit

Objectors say the Sikh holy book should not be used in a building which has been exposed to alcohol and tobacco.

Now Anton Gazizov, 26, from Cambridge, and his bride-to-be Ranjit Virk, 28, from St Ives, have had to change their plans for Sunday's ceremony at the last minute costing them thousands of pounds and causing massive inconvenience.

Now, the couple plan to marry at Ranjit's family home in St Ives before going on to a civil function at Woburn.

Anton said: "Obviously it spoils it, especially the way it was done as well, three days before the wedding."

He said they had been told that 400 objectors could picket a religious ceremony if it went ahead at Woburn and they were worried about possible trouble "It is such a big day. Any other day I would think you can make the changes, but your wedding day you don't want to ruin it."

Anton, who is of Russian Orthodox faith, said that if the Sikh priests were happy for the ceremony to go ahead at Woburn it should be sufficient.

Anton grew up in Cambridge and went to Trinity College and now works in London. Both Anton and Ranjit were concerned that information about the wedding plans appeared to have been leaked by someone at her father's temple.

Ranjit said objectors claimed the regulation went back to 1996, but she had only been aware of it for a few months. She felt the room they planned to use at Woburn met the requirements in any case because smoking was banned there and there was no bar.

"As far as we are concerned they have a very blinkered attitude to what is a suitable venue," she said.

Ranjit said the man who warned them about the wedding had pointed out weddings in Southall had been stormed by objectors. She said although it was upsetting to have to alter the wedding plans she was more concerned about the message the row sent out about her faith.

"It is just disappointing to see extremism going on in this religion as well," she said.

Harmander Singh, of the Sikhs in England organisation, said the issue was simply a matter of respect for the Sikh holy book, which was used in the ceremony and some members of the faith believed it was disrespectful for the book to be used in an inappropriate room.

He said he had been involved in discussions at a national level involving the wedding industry with a view to finding an acceptable alternative, such as the availability of a room which had not been used for the consumption of alcohol.

The couple received a warning about the possible demonstration in a telephone call from a mystery caller earlier this week.

[GurSa Singh]

Now Anton Gazizov, 26, from Cambridge, and his bride-to-be Ranjit Virk, 28, from St Ives, have had to change their plans for Sunday's ceremony at the last minute costing them thousands of pounds and causing massive inconvenience.

121227[/snapback]

A small price to pay for Guru Ji's beadbi. Anyway it all boils down to money & inconvenience for the family. That's the only reason they are bitter

Just to clarify the situation, the Bedford Sikh community had been in discussion with the brides father, Sucha Singh Virk, for over 10 days. Sucha Singh Virk is a member of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Committee and the issue was taken up the Prabhandik Committee themselves. There was no support from any local Gurdwara Prabhandik committee regarding the wedding and the Granthi's were arranged by an Asian Wedding Organiser (who we believe to be Madhu's Brilliant of Southall).

Once Woburn Abbey were informed by the Sikh Community of the 1998 Akal Takht Hukumnama, the board of Directors did not want to get involved in a major community issue and therefore personally requested the family/wedding organiser to NOT conduct the Anand Karaj at Woburn Abbey.

There were no anonymous calls as a number of Sikh Community leaders from Bedford were involved in dialogues with the family.

[CDN]

all those fanatic sikhs should be deported under new terrorism laws

[TavPrasad Singh]

all those fanatic sikhs should be deported under new terrorism laws

121234[/snapback]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!!

Does that include the Sikh community of Bedford and Woburn Abbey's board of directors?

[singhmota]

but fanatic sikhs do not create terror

so the law wudnt apply CDN

[All-Info]

all those fanatic sikhs should be deported under new terrorism laws

121234[/snapback]

More so really the whole Sikh community should then be deported as its the Sikh People who find this practice to be beadbi to Guru Ji.

Those who CLAIM to be SIKHS BUT find this practice ok, maybe should review their position under the SIKH LAWS and discover really, they are not sikh as one who claims to be sikh but does not stand to protect the Guru is not really a Sikh.

Apologies to any if this offends you, but really, i am tired of hearing this rubbish where the Sikhs that stand up and protect Guru Ji are terrorists, fanatics, extremists etc. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

MAINLY THOSE MAKING THE ACCUSATIONS! If Guru Gobind Singh Ji was here in human form, you would not allow this practice, but as the appearance of Guru Ji is textual, its all good.

People have forgotten, "Bani Guru Guru Hai Bani"

Please forgive if i have made errors in Bani qoutes, i am only a beginner...

WJKK WJKF

[GuruManeyoGranth]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Excellent work to stop Beadbi of Guru Maharaaj.

What I'd suggest is that members of the Respect Campaign or Bedford Gurudwara should write a short article and submit it to the local paper, to counter views of us being extremists, becos the article in the paper is quite partisan.

As Sikhs, I thnk we need to educate the wider public as to why respect for Guru Jee is so important for us.

Bhul Chuk Maaf

Waheguroo

Waheguroo

[Wutgwan]

Waheguru ji ka khasla, waheguru ji ki Fateh

Great work from the campaign again,

Guru's kirpa, the campaign is 'smashing it'

but please a word of warning, a comment made in the report by Harmander Singh is as follows:

"Harmander Singh, of the Sikhs in England organisation, said the issue was simply a matter of respect for the Sikh holy book, which was used in the ceremony and some members of the faith believed it was disrespectful for the book to be used in an inappropriate room.

He said he had been involved in discussions at a national level involving the wedding industry with a view to finding an acceptable alternative, such as the availability of a room which had not been used for the consumption of alcohol."

I don't want to criticise any group being avctive in Panthic issues, but what would the compromise of the availabilty of a room which has not been used for alcohol actually mean?

Could weddings still happen in hotels but not in a hall which booze is drunk?, surely the whole purpose of the campaign and more importantly the hukamnama is that Guru Maraj doesn't go to these places at all, regardless if the room is 'clean' or not.

Please the campaign has done great but keep control of discussions, don't let others compromise such issues.

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki Fateh ji