Paradigm shift in US Army: Sikhs allowed religious symbols

IN INDIA Sikhs in the Army are a common sight. They have a fine martial tradition. The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji had transformed all followers of the Sikh Dharma into soldiers of the faith to defend and protect the weak from the strong oppressor. The United States had accepted Sikhs in the Army with their unshorn hair, an uncut beard, a turban and so on until 1984 when the new regulations forbade them from sporting their religious symbols and look different in the Army. That saw an end to the Sikh entry into the US Army.

The Iraq and Afghan wars made the US policy makers change regulations. More and More surgeons and orthodontists were needed to treat and provide comfort to the sick and the injured officers and enlisted men of the US Army. here was an opportunity for Tej Gagandeep Singh to join the US Army and undergo training with men and women who joined the Officers Training School.

We are Americans. We are US citizens. protecting and Defending America is our duty and that we shall do - that was the solemn pledge that Capt Tej Gagandeep Singh made solemnly along with other American men and women who had successfully completed the tough training. The 32 year old Sikh was permitted to maintain and sport all religious symbols of his Sikh Dharm.

He said that he asked for no exemptions in the tough schedule and did every act that a trainee is required to do. His fellow trainees had no problems with him and his different look due to his religious symbols was never an issue with other white and black American trainees. The Sikh American dental officer is now ready to be deployed anywhere in the world along with other officers and Enlisted Men and Women.

With thanks : source for detailed news : http://www.merinews.com/article/paradigm-shift-in-us-army-sikhs-allowed-religious-symbols/15801943.shtml

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Sikh IAS officer may be made PSB chief as stopgap measure

In the absence of an eligible Sikh candidate to head Punjab & Sind Bank after its current chairman and managing director GS Vedi retires on June 30 this year, the government might consider appointing a Sikh IAS officer for the top job.

Days after the ministry of finance wrote a letter to the Prime Minister’s office seeking its approval for appointing a non-Sikh as the head of the public sector bank, Tarlochan Singh, ex-chairman, National Commission for Minorities and currently a member of the Parliament, wrote to the finance minister suggesting that such a decision would hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.

“I’ve spoken with the finance minister on this and also written a letter. He has agreed to consider appointing a Sikh civil servant to run the bank until the government is able to zero in on an eligible Sikh banker for the job. There are a lot of candidates who will match the eligibility criteria for the top job in a few years,” said Singh.

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Apology issued after nurse cuts Sikh's beard

B.C.'s Fraser Health Authority is investigating why staff at a seniors care facility made the "terribly unfortunate human error" of cutting the beard off an elderly Sikh patient, the second time such an incident has occurred in the past two years.

A nurse cut the man's beard out of what she thought was medical necessity, according to David Plug, Fraser Health's vice-president of communications.

"The nurse thought that she had more consent than she actually did from the family," Plug said. "It was a terribly unfortunate human error."

Unshorn hair and beards are one of the five articles of faith for baptized Sikhs.

The controversy prompted Fraser Health Authority CEO Nigel Murray to appear on a Punjabi-language radio station Wednesday to apologize.

"We just wanted to reassure the wider Sikh community that we believe it was an unfortunate mistake," Murray said.

The elderly man died last week. His identity and the cause of his death have not been made public.

Similar incident in 2008

Plug said Fraser Health apologized to the man and his family immediately after the incident occurred earlier in March, while the man was still alive.

Fraser Health is one of the largest authorities in B.C., with responsibility for the 1.5 million people in communities stretching from Burnaby to Hope, which includes the highly concentrated Sikh populations in the city of Surrey and the Fraser Valley.

In 2008, Fraser Health took system-wide steps to educate staff about cultural sensitivities after a nurse at Royal Columbian Hospital cut the beard of a 70-year-old Sikh man in intensive care.

Since that incident, executive directors at all clinical facilities have been given information about the Sikh religion.

Plug said the nurse involved in the latest beard-cutting incident had been on the job for six months. It was not known whether she had been briefed on the significance of hair and beards to Sikhs.

Fraser Health will hold more formal education sessions about the issue at all its senior facilities, Plug said.

With thanks : source : http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/24/bc-sikh-beard-cut-fraser-health.html#ixzz0jAXXXqYv

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First turbaned Sikh in a generation joins U.S. Army

When the 31-year-old Tejdeep Singh Rattan graduated into the army from Fort Sam Houston at San Antonio, Texas this week he did something that no member of his community had done in nearly three decades. He became the first Sikh in a generation who had continued wearing a traditional turban and yet joined the United States military, a feat not achieved since 1981.

On graduation day, surrounded by a gaggle of other members of the Sikh community and media a beaming Captain Rattan said to reporters, “I'm feeling very humbled. I'm a soldier. This has been my dream.”

Harsimran Kaur, Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition, a community-based organisation, spoke to The Hindu about the rare exception that Captain Rattan’s case is. She explained that in 1981, the U.S. Army banned “conspicuous” religious articles of faith for its service members. This included a ban on Sikh turbans and unshorn hair.

Ms Kaur said that Captain Rattan was initially enrolled in a dentistry course and signed up for training for the army back in 2006 through a Health Professionals. At the time he was told he would be able to enter the army wearing the traditional Sikh turban. However by the time he was near graduation, in 2008, he was informed that that decision had been revoked. It was at this point that the Sikh Coalition got involved, Ms. Kaur said.

The Sikh Coalition along with legal counsel supported Captain Rattan in putting in an application for an exemption from the U.S. Army. After a process that was drawn out over nearly six months, they finally got news that the application had succeeded. Additionally another Sikh applicant had succeeded, it was learnt -- Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, also with a medical background.

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Vandalism At Guelph Gurdwara

On early Friday morning, vandals threw bricks through the front window of the Gurdwara. This attack follows weeks of controversy surrounding attempts to rezone a piece of land to build a new Gurdwara to accommodate the growing Sikh community in Guelph. The Sikh community in Guelph has recently faced increasingly intolerant and often racist comments opposing the move.

Although those who oppose the re-zoning of the proposed Gurdwara site have a right to express their views, there is no room for bigotry, racism or now violence in the dialogue. The Sikh community can be asked to defend their zoning application, but they should not be put in the position of having to defend their presence in the community. Canadians pride themselves on the multicultural fabric of their nation and Sikhs are an integral part of that fabric. There is no reason a Gurdwara should be any more difficult to integrate into the community than a church or synagogue. WSO

With thanks : Source : Mapleleafsikh

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Better Facilities for Pilgrims at Sikh Gurdwaras Assured

ISLAMABAD — The federal government has spent Rs260 million for maintaining and up-keeping Sikh Gurdwaras across the country while millions more have been earmarked for 22 other projects designed to improve facilities, Chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Syed Asif Hashmi said.

Talking to reporters at Gurdwara Punja Sahib Hasan Abdal, one of the most important Sikh temples in the country, Hashmi said three of the new projects would be undertaken at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore. Another 16 will be launched in Nankana Sahib in addition to the three earmarked for Punja Sahib Hasan Abdal.

“The PPP government right from the first day in office in 2008 embarked on an aggressive plan for addressing the issues related to the religious shrines of Sikhs and other minorities,” Hashmi said. He said Rs49 million were spent on providing additional facilities and improvements in Sikh Gurdwaras alone. In the first four months of 2009 an amount of Rs172 million was spent on this count. Special attention was paid on providing safe and comfortable journey to Gurdwaras and temples.

He said all possible facilities are provided to Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities including security, on-site comforts and uninterrupted observance of festivals and religious rites during sacred days. The trust also plans to build a 100-bed hospital at the Punja Sahib along with a well-equipped trauma centre where modern treatment facilities would be made available.

The project for ‘lungerkhana’ at Punja Sahib to allow free meal had remained dormant for five years but has now been completed within four months. A three-storey building has been completed at a cost of Rs20 million where about 500 people can have their meals.

For the upcoming Bisakhi festival fool-proof arrangements have been made to ensure security and peaceful atmosphere for yatrees, he said.

with thanks : source : khaleejtimes.com
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"The Sikhism and the Sikhs" by Lili Van Heers, an author from Belgium

Lili Van Heers ,an author of the Book "The Sikhism and the Sikhs"

Lili Van Heers studied Germanic Philology at the K. U. Leuven. She taught Sikhism more than thirty years ago in Asia . Since then she has lived with/among the Sikhs. She is an author of the book "The Sikhism and the Sikhs" (2008, published in-house, see Coverage in MO * by Gie Goris Editor).

In the Interdisciplinary Study Center Religion & Interfaith Dialogue ,she delievered a lecturer on "The role of religious music in Sikhism"as part of ICRID Lectures cycle "Believing in the Society" on 18th March 2010 in the Maria Theresia College, Faculty of Theology,Leuven.Belgium.

Given the relative unfamiliarity of Sikhism in Belgium, she briefly discussed the origin and historical evolution of the Sikhism & about the holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib and paid special attention to the characteristic of the ritual texts dealing with some of the Guru Grant Sahib is recited.

Her lecture was very well received by the students as well as by the Faculty memebers.

Dr. Gurdeep Kaur

1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Sajjan Kumar to face trial at session’s court in Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 20: Congress party leader Sajjan Kumar, who is one of the accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, would face trial at a sessions court from March 27.

Claiming to have strong evidence, senior advocate H. S. Phoolka, counsel for the families of the riot victims, announced that the two murder cases against Sajjan Kumar and other accused have been committed by the magistrate and have been sent to the sessions court.

“The two murder cases against Sajjan Kumar and other accused have been committed today by the magistrate and now these cases have been sent to the court of Sessions judge. The trial will start in the court of session’s judge from March 27 and charges would be framed, evidence and then trial,” Phoolka said.

“We have strong evidence against Sajjan Kumar her accused. We are quite hopeful that both of these cases will end up in conviction,” he added.

Earlier, the court had issued two non-bailable warrants against Kumar, who surrendered in court on March 10. He was granted bail by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar.

The CBI had on January 13 charge-sheeted Kumar and others in the two cases accusing them of making provocative speeches, leading to the killing of 12 persons in the riots that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. (ANI)

With Thanks : Source : IndiaTalkies.com

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SGPC head not to attend World Sikh Convention

Ludhiana, Mar 21 (PTI) Dubbing the World Sikh Convention to be held in Delhi next month as a politically-motivated exercise, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar today said he would not attend the conference to be organised by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee.

"The only aim of this politically-motivated conference is to denigrate the importance of Akal Takht, the highest temporal institution of the Sikhs," he told reporters here.

Makkar alleged the primary motive of the organisers was to rake up a controversy regarding the status of the Akal Takht "in one form or the other" and challenge its supremacy.

"No true Sikh can ever tolerate such a thing," he said.

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with thanks : source : PTI News

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Two special trains to Delhi for world Sikh convention

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee will pay the entire transport expenses

In order to make the world Sikh convention a big success, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee (DSGMC) will be running two trains which will start from Ferozepur and Amritsar on April 10.

The convention is on April 10 and 11.

The entire expenses will be paid by the DSGMC to the Railways and hence the commuters can travel free of cost to Delhi to attend the convention. Apart from this, buses and other modes of transport will also be made available to workers and residents of Punjab.

This was announced by J S Balleawal, spokesperson of Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi), who was in the city. He said the convention is being held to find solutions on increasing interference of political parties (read SAD (B) in religious affiars in which Sikh bodies from abroad as well as India are participating.

The DSGMC is organising the entire event, he said. Balleawal on one hand criticised the involvement of political parties in religious affairs but at the same time he stated, Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) is participating in this event in a big way to support the Sikhs and to create an awareness in them about Sikh affairs, the importance of Shri Akal Takht Sahib and much more.”

At the moment, the hukamnama of the Akal Takht is dictated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while his media adviser writes and sends it to the jathedar.

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with thanks : source : Indian Express

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The role of religious music in Sikhism

On March 18th 2010,the faculty of Theology,KU Leuven organised a lecture at Maria Therisia College on The role of religious music in Sikhism ,delievered by Lili Van Heers who taught Sikhism more than thirty years ago in Asia. She is an author of the book "The Sikhism and the Sikhs' (2008, published in-house, see Coverage in MO * by Gie Goris Editor). An agenda of this lecture was to discuss the origin and historical evolution of the Sikh faith considering the relative unfamiliarity of Sikhism in Belgium.


Two Sikh Kirtan Singers ;Parminder Singh & Sukhdev Singh introduced European students to Sikh religious Music (Kirtan). They migrated from Punjab and live in Sint-Truiden,Belgium. Both Ragis (musicians) also contributed to the CD called ‘Profundo’ containing religious music from various major religious traditions in Belgium.

Lotte Beernaert : Excerpts from the beautiful message received from Lotte Beernaert who is a third year student of Theology in KU Leuven:

First the Kirtan-singers and Lili Van Heers were introduced and then Lili gave us briefly a summary about Sikhism. We, the third bachelors do already know the theory and the story of Sikhism because we saw that last year, but for the second bachelors it was new, I think. She told us about the ten Guru's, about the Guru Granth Sahib. Though we already knew it, but sometimes that is good for wakening up the mind . She also told us about Indira Gandhi and the cruel attack on Golden Temple.

She told about the Golden Temple and it brought a nice feeling back, remembering the days we spend there. The Golden Temple was for me one of the highlights in India, on our trip. After her twenty minutes of explanation about the founding of Sikhism and the important facts, then the Kirtan Singers song for us Bilaaval Mehlaa 5 (GGS 820). While listening my mind were filled with memories of last August. If I could I took the plane immediately, and I wasn't the only one with that feeling but all Bachelor (Graduate)students who went to India shared that feeling.

After the prayer, we listen another fourteen minutes to Lili Van Heers. Now it was more specific about the structure of the Guru Granth Sahib, and that was new to me. With the different parts in the Holy Book and the explanation on which way it is structured the importance of music came up. We already knew that music was special to come closer to God and pray, but by knowing where the structure is based on and that Guru Nanak was a singer and travelled a lot and sings a lot of prayers, the importance of music in Sikhism become more and more clear. Though, in every religion music has an important place, but in Sikhism it has that little bit more of importance. Music (Kirtan) is really fantastic and tonight by learning more about the Guru Granth Sahib than that we already knew and also because we were witness of three prayers song by Kirtan with Tabla and Harmonium, we could feel its impact within Sikhism.

Lili used in her explanation a lot of quotes of the Guru Granth Sahib or some saints. It was a comprehensible lecture and she knew what she was talking about. The Kirtan with their prayers gave an extra dimension on the lecture. An important dimension within Sikhism that may not be undervalued when we are learning about the world Religion.I liked this lecture very much, because it recalled memories that we won't forget. I discovered that with the experience of Tine; her death; we didn't talk a lot about our experience in India. We don't forgot, but actually we didn't like to talk about it.But tonight we did after the lecture;when we go drinking something in 'De Werf'. It was the first time that we shared our experience, especially about the Sikhs in India, with our fellow students. It was a beautiful day today, because the Spring is in the air for one of the first times this year and the lecture was as nice as warming closure of the day!

Greetings,
Lotte