SGPC to give say to foreign Sikhs : Mulls panel to address Sikh concerns across globe

Even as the SGPC is gearing up for a protest outside the US Embassy in New Delhi tomorrow over the turban frisking issue, it is toying with the idea of setting up an advisory panel comprising Sikh representatives from foreign countries to deal with the problems being faced by the community abroad.

This is being seen as a move to address the concerns of Sikh community across the globe, particularly in view of the prevailing scenario over turban issue in countries like the US and France. Sikhs have a sizable population in various countries, including America, Canada, France, Argentina and New Zealand, where they are confronting various religious and social problems.

These include the issues of Sikh identity and turban issue. In France, the issue of ban on wearing Sikh turban in schools has been troubling the community while Sikh outfits there have failed to convince the lawmakers that the turban is an inseparable part of Sikh identity. A similar situation has now arisen in the US following norms by airport authorities regarding turban frisking of Sikhs.

with thanks : Tribune : link above for detailed news.

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Pak denies refusal of visas to Sikh pilgrims

Islamabad, Dec 21 (PTI) Pakistan today denied reports that 300 Indian Sikh pilgrims born in Pakistan were recently denied visas.

Responding to a calling attention notice in the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Amad Khan said he had checked with the Interior Ministry and there were no reports of 300 Sikh pilgrims being denied visas.

A protocol signed by Pakistan and India in 1974 contained the number of people from both countries who could make visits for religious purposes.

with thanks : msn : link above for detailed news.

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People treated as pigs: SC

Nagaland Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee formed

Dimapur, December 18 (MExN): The Sikh Community leaders & representatives from Nagaland unanimously formed a Nagaland Sikh Gurudwara shrines in the state. In a press release S. Harjinder P S Ahluwalia, General Secretary of Nagaland Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (NSGMC) in a press release stated that there are four major Sikh Shrines in the state which are being managed by the local management committees in Tuensang, Mokokchung, Kohima & Dimapur of which the Sikh Shrine in Dimapur is the oldest in the state which was established in early fifties and Mokokchung is the 2nd oldest Shrine which was established in early sixties. Further he also expressed that the renovation of old shrines and preserving the heritage will be the priority agenda of the committee and that the committee will meet for 2nd time in January 2011.

with thanks : sikhsangat

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SGPC Told To Step Up Efforts For Sikh Marriage Provision

AMRITSAR – The Sikh clergy today asked the SGPC to intensify the efforts for the implementation of the Anand Marriage Act to facilitate a special provision for the registration of marriages performed under Sikh religious rights.

The matter came up during a meeting of the Sikh high priests at Sri Akal Takht here following correspondence in this regard from Harbans Singh Aujla of Toronto, who has been trying to get the Act implemented, and other Sikh leaders. At present marriages performed under Sikh religious rites are registered either under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act. Interestingly, Pakistan has taken the lead over India by adopting the amended Anand Marriage Act in January 2008.

The Sikh high priests praised the human rights organisation, Sikhs for Justice, for making an endeavour along with the All- India Sikh Students Federation to bring the culprits of 1984 riots to book. They commended the campaign launched by these outfits to file a petition with the United Nations Human Rights Commission, seeking recognition of 1984 riots as genocide under Article 2 of the UN Convention and seeking an impartial probe into the killing of Sikhs. Akal Takht directed the Sikh community to extend its full support to the campaign.

with thanks : thelinkpaper : link above for detailed news.

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Indian Sikh wedding transforms the Pasadena Convention Center

Grey skies and stubborn showers failed to dampen the vibrant suite of celebrations during a traditional Indian Sikh wedding at the Pasadena Convention Center on Saturday.

Inside the banquet hall, hundreds of guests milled about in their finest silk salwar kameez - the traditional pant-shirt suit of South and Central Asia - a jewel-toned mosaic set aflame with crimson and fuchsia turbans.

They were waiting for the groom to enter - an event that typically involves a festooned horse, a drummer and a round of exuberant dancing.

Such religious affairs are usually hosted in a Sikh Temple - but there were none in the area big enough to accommodate the 400 or so guests who had flown in from all over the world to attend, family members explained.

Careful planning and decoration - including white sheets lining the floors and hanging along the length of the walls, religious singers, as well as a special platform for the granthi (Sikh priest) and one for the Sikh's holy scripture - helped transform one of the Convention Center's bland banquet halls into a luminous, spiritual enclave.

"I always dreamed about it being this way, but I never thought it would be this big," said the bride, Asees Sethi of Pasadena, during one of the pre-wedding celebrations leading up to Saturday.

Asked how long she'd been planning it, Sethi said, "10 months - since the moment I got engaged."

Indian weddings are designed by the families, she explained, noting that everything in her's would be according to tradition - save a few elements she had insisted on.

"I really wanted to have flower girls and a ring bearer, which is definitely not normal; I wanted bridesmaids to enter before me because I wanted an element of Western culture in the ceremony," said Sethi, who was born to Indian parents in Japan but grew up in the U.S.

with thanks : pasadenastarnews : link above for detailed news story.

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Celebrations of 40th anniversary of Bristol Sikh temple

A ceremony has taken place in Bristol to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the city's first Sikh temple.

More than 500 people now worship at the temple in Summerhill Road in St George. When it was founded in 1970 there were only five members.

with thanks : BBC News : link above for detailed news.

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