Illegal Immigrants And Gurdwara Membership Rights

[harjapbhangal]

Dear Sangat,

Over the past years with my dealing with Illegal Immigrants (or faujis as they are referred to by our own community) i have noticed that despite their failings there are several instances of where they are treated unfairly by Gurdwara Committees. One such unfair treatment is the right to become a member of a Gurdwara. Now i refer to SGSS Southall in particular where when it comes to election time we are all encouraged to become members and make a vote. My points for dscussion are as folllows:

1) Currently our illegal Immigrant Sikh Brothers and sisters are not allowed to make a gurdwara vote or become a member if they don't have indefinite leave to remain in the UK or a British or European passport. I would only assume that the only criteria needed to become a member was that you should be a Sikh and live in the Southall area. These include amritdhari Sikhs (men and women) who do seva regularly at the Gurdwara.

2) When i questioned the committee on this i was told it is because faujis allegedley do "hera-pheri" in the voting process and sell their votes I suggested that this maybe because the pakkay bande encouraged them to do it and it was in fact the committee members themselves who try to buy votes. Slience followed.

3) I am told to make a gurdwara vote you need to have a "pakki mohar". I would suggest that if you are born in a sikh household then what bigger "pakki mohar" can there be than that?

4) what role does a passport play in Sikhi?

5) Are these illegal immigrants not son and daughters of Sikhs? if not where are they to go if they are not even allowed to become members of the gurdwara?

6) In punjab migrant workers who we refer to as "bhaiyas" have a givernment vote. yes they can vote in Government elections. Why are we treating our own sikh brothers and sister worse than "bhaiyas" in punjab.

7) if an illegal immigrant offered to donate £10,000 to the gurdwara would it be refused on the grounds that he does not have a pakki mohar?

8) Why are illegals allowed to do seva (in most instances more than the paid sevadar) yet not allowed to make a gurdwara vote or become a member.

9) the illegal immigrants are criminals of the Uk government. They are not enemies of our faith or religion.

10) A lot of committee members were once asylum seekers themselves and had gurdwara votes whilst having no immigration status so why the double standards?

I am not an advocate of illegal immigration. If anything i discourage it. but however i do feel a "dhakka" is being done in this regard against the illegals. Every sikh has the right to be treated on the same level as another in the presence of the Guru yet here there is clearly injustice being done.

Thanks you

WJKK WJKF

[Guest Fob]

Why don't we abolish the voting system?

[dalsingh101]

Harjap (love your videos by the way), when are we going to be open enough to own up to the fact that our Gurdwara committees frequently get up to a lot of haumai influenced activities?

In the end, the situation is such that many of us now engage with a Gurdwara on a purely individual basis to sustain our relationship with Guru ji trying to stay aloof from the base politics that often takes place.

Whilst some people continue to see Gurdwaras as fiefdoms and are willing to exert a lot of effort to preserve their positions (often through underhand means) what can we do? At times it seems that apnay are our own worse enemies and our own biggest barrier to cohesion and progression in the UK?

The way I see it is that until we get visionary, charismatic leaders who emphasise our commonality and not our differences, with a clear vision and strategy for our communities growth and progression - outside of the sphere of petty politics and gain that seems to characterise our quom right now, we are stuck with this?

Only if we get numbers of idealised, committed Sikhs at grass roots level can we change the deeply entrenched mindsets that cause such things. I may be wrong but it appears (to me at least) as if it is deeply entrenched cultural attitudes and mindsets that are the root causes of these problems. If this is a correct analysis (and I don't discount the fact that I could be wrong), how can things change until these underlying attitudes are tackled conclusively?

[Guest deep]

silliest thing i have heard!!!!!!!!!

Dear Sangat,

Over the past years with my dealing with Illegal Immigrants (or faujis as they are referred to by our own community) i have noticed that despite their failings there are several instances of where they are treated unfairly by Gurdwara Committees. One such unfair treatment is the right to become a member of a Gurdwara. Now i refer to SGSS Southall in particular where when it comes to election time we are all encouraged to become members and make a vote. My points for dscussion are as folllows:

1) Currently our illegal Immigrant Sikh Brothers and sisters are not allowed to make a gurdwara vote or become a member if they don't have indefinite leave to remain in the UK or a British or European passport. I would only assume that the only criteria needed to become a member was that you should be a Sikh and live in the Southall area. These include amritdhari Sikhs (men and women) who do seva regularly at the Gurdwara.

2) When i questioned the committee on this i was told it is because faujis allegedley do "hera-pheri" in the voting process and sell their votes I suggested that this maybe because the pakkay bande encouraged them to do it and it was in fact the committee members themselves who try to buy votes. Slience followed.

3) I am told to make a gurdwara vote you need to have a "pakki mohar". I would suggest that if you are born in a sikh household then what bigger "pakki mohar" can there be than that?

4) what role does a passport play in Sikhi?

5) Are these illegal immigrants not son and daughters of Sikhs? if not where are they to go if they are not even allowed to become members of the gurdwara?

6) In punjab migrant workers who we refer to as "bhaiyas" have a givernment vote. yes they can vote in Government elections. Why are we treating our own sikh brothers and sister worse than "bhaiyas" in punjab.

7) if an illegal immigrant offered to donate £10,000 to the gurdwara would it be refused on the grounds that he does not have a pakki mohar?

8) Why are illegals allowed to do seva (in most instances more than the paid sevadar) yet not allowed to make a gurdwara vote or become a member.

9) the illegal immigrants are criminals of the Uk government. They are not enemies of our faith or religion.

10) A lot of committee members were once asylum seekers themselves and had gurdwara votes whilst having no immigration status so why the double standards?

I am not an advocate of illegal immigration. If anything i discourage it. but however i do feel a "dhakka" is being done in this regard against the illegals. Every sikh has the right to be treated on the same level as another in the presence of the Guru yet here there is clearly injustice being done.

Thanks you

WJKK WJKF