The Tribune – SGPC flays beheading of Sikh in Pakistan

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 10. The SGPC has condemned the kidnapping and subsequent beheading of a Sikh, identified as Mohinder Singh, by militants in Pakistan, terming it as a “barbaric act.”. In a statement issued here today, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has urged the Pakistan Government to ensure the safety of minorities while seeking adequate compensation for the next of the kin of the deceased.

“This is not the first instance of attack on Sikhs in Pakistan and the government there should take all necessary measures for the security of Sikhs,” Makkar said.

The Dal Khalsa has also criticised the killing. Mohinder Singh was reportedly kidnapped by a militant group from his shop in Tabbai village of Khyber on November 20 last year. Expressing concern about the safety of Sikhs in Pakistan’s tribal areas, party general secretary Dr Manjinder Singh demanded that the Pakistan Government should bring the culprits to book.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130111/punjab.htm#9

US Sikhs seek stern action

Washington, January 10. Strongly condemning the murder of Sikh-Canadian woman Rajvinder Kaur Gill and the beheading of Mohinder Singh in Pakistan, the Sikh community in the US today demanded protection of minorities in that country.

In a statement, United Sikhs, a Sikh advocacy group, demanded that the Pakistan Government protect minorities and pay compensation to the families of the victims.

It also called on the Paklistan Government to secure the safety of all minorities. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130111/punjab.htm#10

The Tribune – Scarce ivory delays work on Darshani Deodhi

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 23. The “kar sewa” of the gates of Darshani Deodhi (entrance to the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple) has got delayed due to non-availability of ivory. Now, the work is likely to be completed within the next six months.

The work being carried out by Sant Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuriwale, under the supervision of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, was started in July 2010, with a deadline of 18-24 months. The work was necessitated by the deteriorating condition of over 200-year-old gates. Wood used in the gates had decayed over the years, gold nails had come out at several places and ivory work had got damaged. The frame of the gates had been given a temporary support to stay erect.

Subsequently, the original gates were replaced with temporary ones when the experts ruled out the possibility of repair. It was for the first time since their installation in 1800 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh that the original gates were unhooked. These beautifully carved wooden gates are at present kept inside a glass enclosure in the Golden Temple Complex and the SGPC plans to preserve and showcase it for public display in future.

The new gates, which will be a replica of the original ones, are being prepared by master craftsmen. The Akal Takht Jathedar said the silver work was underway in full swing while 45 per cent of the ivory work was complete. “The work got delayed due to non-availability of ivory, but we hope to complete it over the next six months or may be early.”

Controversy over origin

The Darshani Deodhi gates had been in news due to a controversy related to their origin. Some say the gates were originally from Gujarat’s Somnath Temple which were looted by Afghan invaders in the 12th century, but later Sikhs snatched them from the Afghans. However, this theory has been rejected by various Sikh leaders.

They say the Somnath Temple’s doorframe size is smaller whereas the Darshani Deodhi’s gates are bigger. They also claim that the Darshani Deodhi gates were carved by Muslim craftsman Yaar Mohammed Khan on an order by a Sikh family of Sursingh village, which presented them to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Also the Golden Temple has a tradition that no used artifact or article can be presented to the shrine.

First written observation

The first written observation on Darshani Deodhi gates was made in 1881 by Major H H Cole in “Golden Temple at Amritsar, Punjab”, published in 1884. Major Cole wrote: “The doors of the Darshani Gate are of shisham wood, the front overlaid with silver, the back inlaid with ivory. The silver plated front is ornamented with panels only. The back is arranged in square and rectangular panels with geometric and floral designs, in which are introduced birds, lions and tigers. Some of the ivory inlay is coloured green and red, the effect being extremely harmonious.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120824/punjab.htm#10

The Guardian – Why are Sikhs targeted by anti-Muslim extremists?

The shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin is just the most recent example of members of the religion being singled out for violence and abuse.

Emine Saner

“It’s a common thing,” says Balvinder Kaur Saund, a Labour councillor for the London Borough of Redbridge and chair of the Sikh Women’s Alliance, “to walk through an estate in [some parts of east London] and young boys throw stones and shout ‘Taliban’ at you. I have seen that myself.” She was once with a man – a Sikh who wore a turban – when some youths shouted “Osama” at him. “I wanted to retaliate but he said ‘Just ignore it and carry on walking’.” She thinks many more incidents go unreported.

The terrible events in Wisconsin at the weekend, where a gunman shot dead six people at a gurdwara, is an extreme, and thankfully rare, attack, but there are numerous instances of Sikhs being targeted in the US and the UK. The first victim of a backlash against Muslims in America after 9/11 was Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh who was shot dead. There have been other physical attacks on people, and on gurdwaras.

In March this year in the US, a letter was sent to a Sikh family – addressed to the “Turban Family” – claiming to know they had links to the Taliban. Mitt Romney, potentially the next president of the US, twice referred to Sikhs as “sheikhs” in expressing his condolences over the temple shooting.

After the London bombings in 2005, a gurdwara in Kent was firebombed, and another in Leeds. After 9/11, former Metropolitan police officer Gurpal Virdi remembers: “I dealt with a lot of complaints – we had attacks on individuals, even on women. When it happened, I was going around stations to tell the officers the differences between the Taliban and a Sikh because they didn’t know either. And this is London, a multicultural area. It doesn’t help when they kept showing images of [Osama Bin Laden] and in the UK, it’s the Sikhs who wear a turban.”

And then there are the everyday occurrences witnessed by Balvinder Kaur Saund, where Sikh men in particular are eyed suspiciously, as if they are proud members of al-Qaida.

Varinder Singh, co-founder of the Turban Campaign, which tries to counter negative reporting of the Sikh community, says: “Racism has always existed, but certainly September 11 didn’t help. It created a suspicion of the Sikh community, particularly because of the appearance of the male members. Inevitably that leads to physical and verbal attacks, but I think the recent attacks in America are a step beyond that.

That was deliberate and I think the argument of mistaken identity can’t really be used here – there were big signs outside saying ‘Sikh temple’. I think a general hatred has developed. Islamophobia is rife and applies to everyone of colour, regardless of religious background. In the eyes of people who wish to hate or belong to fascist organisations you are the enemy and seen as a potential target.

In this country, there is a lot of emphasis placed on extremism in certain corners of the Muslim community, however the government and councils tend to overlook far-right organisations such as the English Defence League.”

In May, the EDL tried to ally itself with the Sikh community by hijiacking a Sikh protest in Luton outside a police station after allegations that a Sikh woman had been raped by a Muslim man. “When we see groups such as the EDL try to align themselves with the Sikh community, it’s a relationship that can’t last,” says Varinder Singh. “This is a move to isolate the Muslim community who need our support.”

Is there a danger that in trying to differentiate themselves from Muslims – and there have been historical tensions between some Sikhs and Muslims – Sikhs are themselves contributing to Islamophobia? “It does happen and it is dangerous,” says Sabby Dhalu, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism. “When I put the argument to people, a lot of them agree with me in opposing Islamophobia and the need to work with Muslims. It’s all the more reason for the decent majority to speak out.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/08/sikhs-targeted-anti-muslim-extremists

Slough’s Sikh Secondary School given go-ahead by Department of Education

Khalsa Secondary School Slough

Press Release

Slough, 16th July 2012 – Khalsa Secondary School, Slough has been given the green light to proceed. The Slough Sikh Education Trust has been campaigning for the proposed school on behalf of the community for over two years. The Trustees and Volunteers are delighted to receive this news which is a formal recognition of the hard work put in by all involved including parents and staff at the existing Khalsa Primary School.

“I am extremely pleased for the parents and children of Khalsa Primary School and those that will have the opportunity to benefit from faith based education from age 11 onwards. This outcome is a reflection of Michael Gove’s vision for Free Schools, which gives choice to parents, more freedom for teachers along with a supported environment that delivers high quality education.

This news will enable us to continue educational provision for children aged from 3 through to 18 years. The Khalsa Primary school is doing exceptionally well having received an Outstanding Ofsted report  in 2011” said Nichhatar (Nick) Singh Kandola, Chair of the Trust.

“We are equally pleased that all three Slough proposals were been given the go ahead resolving the predicted shortage of places problem” said Narinder Singh Rana, Vice Chair of the Trust.

The four form entry school is planned to open in September 2013 with the capacity for over 800 pupils. Fifty percent of places will be reserved for non-Sikh children.

“There is a tremendous amount of work to be carried out now, including choosing a suitable site, consultations with the community, recruitment of the Headteacher and staff as well as finalising our educational plans” said Manjit Singh Kaley, Trustee and Project Manager.

Contact Information:
Nick Singh Kandola
Chair of Slough Sikh Education Trust
Tel: 0777 5503167
Email: info@khalsasecondaryschool.com

http://www.khalsasecondaryschool.com/index.html

The World’s Worst Religious Persecutors – OpEd

March 20, 2012 by afghanhindu

By Nina Shea

Source, Eurasia Review

Today, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (Uscirf) released its 14th annual report, which it is mandated to do under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The report identifies the world’s worst persecutors and makes foreign-policy recommendations, which are non-binding, to the administration and Congress. Its decisions are based on the agency’s visits to foreign countries, and a wide array of other sources, including the State Department’ s own excellent annual compilation of worldwide religious-freedom violations. The commission is distinctive because it is an independent federal agency, and it is to make its name-and-shame lists and policy recommendations unburdened by foreign-policy considerations other than the defense of religious freedom.

I believe that Afghanistan, too, belongs in the ranks of the world’s worst religious persecutors. Apart from the depredations of the Taliban, Afghanistan’ s government under President Karzai fails to respect religious freedom, and its violations are egregious, ongoing, and systematic, thus meeting the statutory standard for CPC designation. The State Department’s recent religious-freedom report on Afghanistan found:

- The government’s level of respect for religious freedom in law and in practice declined during the reporting period, particularly for Christian groups and individuals.

An example was the razing of that country’ s last remaining church after its 99-year lease was cancelled, as the State Department reported last September. This event did not draw the international protest that accompanied the Taliban’ s detonation of the Bamiyan Buddhist statues in 2001, but, with respect to the status of religious freedom, it is equally emblematic.

Afghanistan, therefore, has now joined the lonely company of hardline Saudi Arabia as a country with no churches. The millions of Christians in Afghanistan, including some very beleaguered and oft-jailed converts, must hide their faith and seek the protection and secrecy of walled embassy compounds to pray in community.

Furthermore, we learn from the State Department report that, in addition to Christians, particular “targets of discrimination and persecution” are Hindu and Sikh groups.

The one synagogue, located in Kabul, is shuttered because Jews dare not venture there.

The Uscirf report itself states:

- Conditions for religious freedom are exceedingly poor for dissenting members of the majority faith and for minority religious communities. The Afghan constitution fails explicitly to protect the individual right to freedom of religion or belief and allows other fundamental rights to be superseded by ordinary legislation. It also contains a repugnancy clause stating that no law can be contrary to the tenets of Islam, which the government has interpreted to limit fundamental freedoms.

Individuals who dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy regarding Islamic beliefs and practices are subject to legal action that violates international standards, for example prosecutions for religious crimes such as apostasy and blasphemy. In addition, the Afghan government remains unable, as well as at times unwilling, to protect citizens against violence and intimidation by the Taliban and other illegal armed groups.

The Afghan government’s slide into extreme intolerance accelerated this month when, at the behest of his senior Islamic advisers, President Karzai publicly backed their statement that women should not mingle with men in workplaces, schools or other areas of daily life, and should not travel without a male relative, according to a March 6 BBC report.

For anyone concerned about human rights and religious freedom, the Uscirf report is unsettling but important reading.

http://www.afghanhindu.info/

The Tribune – Demand grows for more amendments in Sikh marriage Act

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 25. Buoyant over passage of Anand Marriage Amendment Bill, 2012, in both houses of Parliament, a section of the Sikh community is now rooting for further amendments in the Anand Marriage Act 1909, while others are advocating amendment in Article 25 of the constitution that clubs Sikhs with Hindus.

Akal Takht to set up a panel to deliberate on the issue noted lawyer H S Phoolka has urged Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh to form a committee, which should seek opinion from the entire Sikh community and decide what more amendments could be made in the Anand Marriage Act. In a letter written to the Jathedar, Phoolka said, “Now that the amendment, facilitating registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, has been passed by Parliament, it is the right time to evolve a consensus in the community on future amendments.”

He said the Sikh clergy should form a committee, which should decide whether a provision for divorce should be included in the Act or the community should demand a new marriage Act. Former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh has also written to the Akal Takht and the SGPC to jointly form a committee to thoroughly discuss further amendments in the Anand Marriage Act.

Responding to their plea, the Jathedar said they will soon form a committee of Sikh intellectuals, which will deliberate on the issue, besides seeking views from all sections of the community. “We will decide on the future course of action once the panel submits its report,” he said. Apart from further amendments in the marriage Act, the demand for amendment in Article 25 of the Constitution, which clubs Sikhs with Hindus, is also raising its head.

Former SGPC secretary Manjeet Singh Calcutta has shot off a missive to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he raised the issue of Article 25 while appreciating the passage of amendments in the Anand Marriage Act, 1909. In his letter, Calcutta said, “The misunderstanding of Sikh identity arises from Article 25 (b) of the Constitution, which clubs Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains under the term Hindu. The Venkatchaliya Commission constituted by the Centre for the revision of the Indian Constitution has also recommended exclusion of Sikhs from the term Hindu. The clubbing of the Sikhs with Hindus is extremely unjust, unethical and illogical since Sikh religion is an independent religion and not an offspring or branch of any other religion.” He urged the PM to rectify this wrong by passing a “simple amendment”.

All-India Sikh Students Federation chief Karnail Singh Peermohammed said that the amendment in Article 25 of the constitution is the only solution that will give Sikhs a separate identity.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120526/punjab.htm#3

BBC News – River Avon possible site for Bristol Hindu ashes

Most Sikhs still insist to bring the ashes to Kiratpur, although this is neither supported by Gurmat nor by the Rehat Maryada – Man in Blue

Thursday 17 May 2012. Bristol’s Hindu community may be able to scatter the ashes of loved ones in the River Avon in future rather than travelling to India’s River Ganges.

The city’s new Lord Mayor Peter Main said providing a consecrated site was one of his first priorities.

Parag Bhatt, from Bristol Hindu Temple, said it was difficult for a big family or elderly relatives to travel to India.

The Environment Agency and Bristol City Council are trying to identify a site.

Mr Main said: “It’s their tradition to scatter ashes on water and quite often now they’re flown back to India to do that.

“They’re Bristolian, most are born and bred in Bristol, why shouldn’t they have somewhere in Bristol to scatter their ashes?”

‘Large costs’

Mr Bhatt said there were currently about 10,000 Hindus in Bristol and the surrounding area.

But he added: “It’s not just the Bristol Hindu community that’s going to benefit, it will be other communities like the Sikh and Buddhist as well.

“The only reason we take them to the Ganges is because they don’t have a place in Bristol or nearby where they can disperse the ashes.

“If there are elderly people in the family it can be difficult and if it’s a large family you’re going to incur large costs as well for flights.

“It’s just a matter of making it easier for the family who has just lost a loved one.”

He explained that after a cremation Hindus wait for an auspicious day to go to a riverbank and scatter the ashes.

‘Body purified’

“When the ashes are dispersed within the water the ashes actually dissolve and then they will meet one of the rivers Hindus refer to as holy.

“Somewhere in the world they all meet together so the meaning behind it is the body would be purified and after that the individual soul will go to heaven and to God.”

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said it was helping to identify one or more suitable sites.

“We have no objection to it, subject to meeting some simple conditions,” he said.

The agency’s website states that if a site is in regular use it needs to assess if there is enough water to disperse the ashes, if anyone is using the river just downstream and and that other river users are not going to be affected.

Scattering ashes in British rivers is not new. The River Soar in Leicestershire and the River Thames in London are already used.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-18102020

The Tribune – Khalsa College principal proposes ‘Sikh Marriage Act, 2012’

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 13. Even as the debate over the absence of divorce clause in the Anand Marriage Amendment Bill 2012 continues, Khalsa College principal and legal luminary Daljeet Singh has prepared the draft of a ‘Sikh Marriage Act, 2012’.

The Chief Khalsa Diwan intends to send this draft to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for “further action”.

Talking to The Tribune, Daljeet Singh said he was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the draft of a marriage Act for Sikhs during a meeting of the Chief Khalsa Diwan in September last year.

He said he had already apprised Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh of the need for the Sikhs to have a ‘complete’ marriage Act.

Dwelling on the draft, Daljeet said it had all the provisions, which made it  ‘complete’. He said the draft had been prepared keeping in view the Sikh maryada (code of conduct). It thoroughly dealt with issues like the definition of Sikh and ‘Anand Karaj’, divorce, alimony and property rights. The draft did not provide for gay marriages.

Daljeet Singh said a separate marriage Act for Sikhs was not a political demand but a legal one as also a constitutional right of the community. He said other already minorities had separate laws: “The Muslims have the Muslim Personal Law and the Christians the Christian Marriage Act, 1872, and the Christian Divorce Act.”

On the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, he said the Act came into being at a time when there was a lot of confusion regarding the rituals performed during Anand Karaj. The Act gave recognition to the ‘Anand Karaj’ ceremony being performed in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib.

However, Sikh marriages continued to be registered under the Hindu Marriage Act. “The Anand Marriage Act has been force since then and the amendment being made now will facilitate registration of Sikh marriages under the Act. However, this is not a complete Act and shortcomings will remain even after the amendment,” Daljeet Singh maintained.

The draft prepared by him will be presented at the Chief Khalsa Diwan meeting on May 15 and then sent to the Prime Minister after due deliberations.

A Bill granting validity to Sikh marriages solemnised under the Anand Marriage Act was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on May 7 by Minister of Law and Justice Salman Khurshid.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120514/punjab.htm#10

The Tribune – No divorce clause in Anand Marriage Bill sets off debate

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 10. The Anand Marriage Amendment Bill 2012 has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha. However, the absence of provision of divorce in the Bill has set off a debate in the Sikh community, with some sections supporting it and others against it.

While one school of thought maintains there is no place for divorce in the Sikh “rehat maryada” (code of conduct) and hence the Bill should not provide for it, the other feels that the separate marriage Act should be complete in all aspects so that Sikhs don’t have to fall back on the Hindu Marriage Act again at the time of divorce.

Talking to The Tribune, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said there is no mention of divorce in the Sikh “rehat maryada”. “Also the fact that the Anand Karaj takes place in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib makes it imperative for an individual to uphold his marital ties all his/her life.” The issue will be taken up in the next meeting of the Sikh clergy, he said.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said it is not appropriate to resort to divorce in Sikhism and therefore it has not been included in the Bill.

According to former GNDU Vice-Chancellor SP Singh, the Bill is a step forward towards a separate Sikh identity. “As divorce is not in consonance with religious sentiments of Sikhs, the Bill doesn’t talk about it,” he said.

But there are others who feel that the Act must have all provisions. “Without the provision of divorce, it will be an incomplete law,” opined former Head of Department of Guru Nanak Studies, GNDU, Prof Gursharanjeet Singh. “Divorce is a social need and it should be allowed under special circumstances. If a person is spoiling the life of his/her spouse, the latter cannot be left at the mercy of God for entire life,” he said.

Noted lawyer H S Phoolka said the Bill is achieving the purpose for which it has been brought. “It will facilitate issuing of marriage certificates to Sikhs under a separate Act,” he said. On divorce, Phoolka said the couples getting their marriages solemnised under the new Act can apply for divorce, if need be, under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act. To include the divorce clause in the existing Bill will require a lot of debate and discussion, he said.

DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said the Bill should be passed in its current form, as it has come this far by clearing many hurdles. He said he agrees with the arguments of both the sides (who are for and against divorce provision), but the Act can be amended at a later stage if any problem arises.

Separate law

Former RS MP Tarlochan Singh, said: “When I first took up the issue in the form of a Private Member’s Bill in 2007, I had sent a copy of it to the SGPC and the then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti to seek their nod. At that time, Vedanti said he would approve the draft only if there was no clause for divorce, which he said was against ‘maryada.’

Therefore, I moved the Bill with only registration clause in it.” “We have been fighting for separate registration of Sikh marriages for over five decades now and this Bill promises to fulfill our long-pending demand,” he said.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120511/main8.htm

AISSF Rejects Amendment to Anand Karaj Act

Demands Amendment to Article 25 to Restore Separate Identity of Sikhism

May 8, 2012. All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) rejected the amendments to Anand Karaj Act 1909 as proposed under under a new Bill Anand Marriage Amendment – 2012. The new bill that was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Law Minister Salman Khurshid amends the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, by inserting a new Section enabling registration of marriages performed as per the Sikh rituals.

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammad stated that proposed amendments to Anand Marriage Act does not give separate identity to Sikh religion as propagated by various advocates and law minister. The Government’s action of forcing Sikhs to follow Hindu Acts is discrimination against Sikh community and is an open attack on the Sikh identity and is in violation of “equal rights” provided under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India.

As per Article 14 & 15 of the Constitution, the Government cannot deny Sikhs to have Separate Acts as Muslim, Christians, Parsis and Jews already have their own acts for Inheritance, disposition of property, adoption and registering marriages added Peermohammad.

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammad stated that it took Government more than sixty years after independence to propose a change in Hindu Marriage Act, which is a failure on the part of the Government to grant separate identity to Sikhs, while keeping a status quo on Inheritance, disposition of property, adoption laws for which again Sikhs have to follow Hindu acts.

AISSF President stated that Amendment to article 25 of the Constitution of India is the only Solution that is acceptable to Sikhs since it will give Sikhism a separate identity.  Sikhism which is a separate religion and is acknowledged as such throughout the world, except in Indian legal system and Article 25 of the Constitution of India has amalgamated Sikhism into Hindu religion. Sikhs across the world object to this undermining of their religious identity and demand restoration of separate identity and status of their religion-Sikhism in Indian Constitution.

Ever since the promulgation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, Sikhs have opposed it and demanded restoration of their religion’s separate status. The struggle of Sikhs to have their religion recognized as a separate and distinct religion has resulted in extreme repression of Sikhs by the Indian government added Peermohammad.

On May 15, a memorandum will be submitted to PM Manmohan Singh demanding amendment to Article 25, which is the root cause of all issues related to separate identity of Sikhs in India. AISSF will launch an international campaign to bring consensus among Sikhs and to force Government of India to amend Article 25 of the Constitution of India granting Sikhism a separate identity.

Issued by :
Karnail Singh Peermohammad, President, AISSF
M: 98144-99503
aissf_news@yahoo.com
http://www.aissf.in