It Was A Lie

[Bhai Sahib]

Here's a direct link to the BBC news report.

mms://rmgeo.bbc.net.uk/news/media_acl/mps/fix/regions/video/71000/bb/71473_16x9_bb.wmv

The video shows the Gurdwara pardaan wearing one funky pugh.

In all seriousness, the boy is only 15 and quite clearly has some very serious emotional issues. The report said that he actually punched himself. If you ask me thats pretty f*cked up. I'm assuming that there must have been some intense parental/family pressure on him to keep his hair and the poor boy did not want to. This situation just demonstrates that Sikhism should not be forced onto kids that don't want it. It doesn't benefit anyone, especially the community. You don't want him to grow up hating Sikhism. It’s a fine line.

[SaRpAnCh]

No wonder not many Sikhs went to protest most knew it was a lie,seemed a bit blatant - the police aint stupid to not catch the culprits turned out the lil s***T was the culrpit himself ,tarnishes the image of sikhs and other faiths are happy to see this happen

[kurtas]

The police have decided not to charge him with anything. Should have been charged and prosecuted with wasting police time. Unless the police take a stance we will just have repeat events with other sick idiotic teenagers following the example of this super <banned word filter activated>.

If he had cut his hair and been honest about it I think most people would not have a problem but this <banned word filter activated> created a story which people in the UK believed. The local faith groups were also involved in the protest. I bet they will now think twice before standing shoulder to shoulder with us.

Shame on this <banned word filter activated> for bringing the reputation of the Sikhs down to his dirty level.

It will not happen but in such cases these individuals who use their faith for their own selfish motives whould be named and shamed.

The people who organised the coaches etc and went to protest should lauch a civil action against the kid for compensation. Then the little gonad will know the meaning of intense pressure.

[Prem]

The people who organised the coaches etc and went to protest should lauch a civil action against the kid for compensation. Then the little gonad will know the meaning of intense pressure.

I agree with you that the boy should have been cautioned by the police at the very least, but the idea of suing his family for the money spent on coaches is a non-starter, although it would set an interesting civil precedent! I can just see it now, the Birmingham Rep suing someone for damage caused here, the police suing R4GGS campaign for the cost of policing their protests. Interesting!

Guru Fateh

[Golee Maro]

Bhai Sahib

Were the white boys who cut his hair called "Tony and Guy" ??

What are you bringing to the table of the discussion? You're not being constructive and you're just making lame jokes that don't help (and seriously, they're not funny) --- plus I really don't think that the issue is funny to begin with. Please stop making a joke of it all.

Guru Fateh

I'm sorry I couldn't help it. It's like having tourettes. I just have to let it out.

I think all the jokes I have to say on this topic are now thankfully out of my system.

OMG I laughed at that in hysterics for a good ten minutes! lol

no seriously, i agree with Kurtas though. he shoulda been prosecuted for wasting police times. if neone has the name or address of this lad, please PM and let me know. Dass is not gonna terrorise him or anything like that.

Singhs shoulda waited before going and starting the campaign they did until they knew the facts. We are too trusting...

[Guest Papi]

the KID was 15 people. to all, please keep that in mind while talking about it. that age brings a lot of confusion for any teen. and being a sikh doesn't help. not everyone is as strong as you guys. waheguru

[anjaan]

Vaheguru

Ok haven’t bothered to read all replies because they all seem to be full of the same negativity/hatred towards this guy

Do you think this is going to make him want to embrace Sikhi? Sometimes you have to make your own mistakes in order to realise things, other people cannot make them for you, if you’ve got a kid so intent on placing their hand in an open fire or something and you tell them to stop doing so, without good reason, that kid is not going to listen until his hand gets burnt, then he will realise himself why he shouldn’t have done it!

Likewise this guy may not have a 2nd clue about anything, especially at 15!! Most of us have been there, gosh and some of us would rather not go back there I think!! (a hippy one year, a Goth the next cough cough) but anyways yeah it’s sad (as in upsetting) that the kid had to do all this, but imagine what he must have felt in order to HAVE to do it;

Like this reverend dude Donald Reid said the incident highlighted the need for support, but also for 'the views, difficult realities and challenges of our youth to be heard and appreciated’ and I think HELPED!!

A lot of us prayed in Ardaas to Guru Sahib ji to help bring justice for this guy and punishment for the “perpetrators” but can we not now ask Guru Maharaaj to bless him with a Gursikhi jeevan, where he is happy and content and can make his jeevan safli and be strong and have the protection and guidance of Maharaaj to overcome any emotional, spiritual, physical, psychological problems he may have?

Think what if it was your son? Would you want the whole world to s*ag him off to anyone who is willing to listen?

As for the media, bad news travels faster than good, yeah it’s a field day for them but for how long? A couple of days maybe? but what about next week and the week after that when this guy is still going to be living with all this?

many of you may not agree with my thoughts, but likewise we're all entitled to our own 2pence worth!

[Akhoza]

Vaheguru

Ok haven’t bothered to read all replies because they all seem to be full of the same negativity/hatred towards this guy

Do you think this is going to make him want to embrace Sikhi? Sometimes you have to make your own mistakes in order to realise things, other people cannot make them for you, if you’ve got a kid so intent on placing their hand in an open fire or something and you tell them to stop doing so, without good reason, that kid is not going to listen until his hand gets burnt, then he will realise himself why he shouldn’t have done it!

Likewise this guy may not have a 2nd clue about anything, especially at 15!! Most of us have been there, gosh and some of us would rather not go back there I think!! (a hippy one year, a Goth the next cough cough) but anyways yeah it’s sad (as in upsetting) that the kid had to do all this, but imagine what he must have felt in order to HAVE to do it;

Like this reverend dude Donald Reid said the incident highlighted the need for support, but also for 'the views, difficult realities and challenges of our youth to be heard and appreciated’ and I think HELPED!!

A lot of us prayed in Ardaas to Guru Sahib ji to help bring justice for this guy and punishment for the “perpetrators” but can we not now ask Guru Maharaaj to bless him with a Gursikhi jeevan, where he is happy and content and can make his jeevan safli and be strong and have the protection and guidance of Maharaaj to overcome any emotional, spiritual, physical, psychological problems he may have?

Think what if it was your son? Would you want the whole world to s*ag him off to anyone who is willing to listen?

As for the media, bad news travels faster than good, yeah it’s a field day for them but for how long? A couple of days maybe? but what about next week and the week after that when this guy is still going to be living with all this?

many of you may not agree with my thoughts, but likewise we're all entitled to our own 2pence worth!

Lol i thought it said something else hahahaha i was like eh... but it was just my dirty mind. :D

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

way to comfort a 15 year old boy who has upset a whole community. How smart were you people when you were 15? I bet you guys had written a few books on sikhi and had probbaly even reached liberation at that age. Please man.

It's a 15 year old kid. I blame the elders in this one. They are the old people who the 15 year old kid probably looks up to. I have noticed that many sikh parents baby their children in foreign countries. When i was little if someone beat me up, my parents didn't blame the whole world, they beat the heck out of me and said I was probably asking for it. My point is that parents in our community have become so lame that they believe everything their kids tell them.

I don't think it's sad what the 15 year old did, i think it's sad that a family was fooled by a 15 year old kid.

My message to sikh parents in the west is to remember how they were raised, with a big stick and the shoe. Stop all this bete, beti nonsense and smack some sense into your kids.

and leave this poor kid alone. Satguru forgives us moorakh everyday and for once learn to forgive someone yourself.

There are people on this forum who want to forgive the likes of Indira gandhi but would persecute a 15 year old like he's hitler.

peace.

god bless the 15 year old with some compassion from our community.

[buddasingh]

Lets get a grip people. Yes this is a lesson for Sikhs. However, why in the world should there be collective embarrassment. This is one 15 year old. Does the police that investigated the incident express embarrassment for believing the boy? The police knew of the gravity of the situation, they had access to interviews and evidence.

There were stories previously that should have led to doubt. I definitely had my doubts and was skeptical about protests. However I don’t blame those who tried to support. Paid professional investigators ie. the police, should have been able to pick up on the truth far sooner. It would have taken very little for them. We don’t blame the police for not doing so, why do we blame those for protesting?

On that note, I’d like to know if the police assured any Sikhs that the story was legit. I know in the past, there was mischief with a coordinated effort in pushing ahead such a story with police/media complicity when it was quite certain that it was a hoax and the known conclusion would be to turn back against “Sikhs forcing kids”.

Prem, consider some self-esteem counseling. You are sounding like you are either destroyed by this or giddy just underneath the surface. The media is going to do their thing because western media in general is a racist institution. Let it be water off a ducks back. There is a collective guilty conscience amongst the mainstream which at times makes an effort and at times is immature.

For every person who maintains or disposes of their identity, racism is a reality. For any ounce of misdirected force of parents there is a tonne of societal racism which plays a part. That is the reality.

Sikhs, the kids, and others in society are all victims of this lie. The racist attacks in the modern age don’t often come in the form of physical violence. However they come under the guise of thought, journalism etc. Be very aware of what is really going on in the media now in relation to this incident. Is the issue “sikh parents forcing kids” or is the issue “the pressure and racism of sikhs being so extreme that a 15 year old would harm himself”?