Ajay Devgn’s ‘Son of Sardaar’ offends Sikhs!

 

The film runs into legal trouble for portraying Sikhs in poor light

A Chandigarh-based lawyer has served a legal notice against the makers of Son of Sardaar. The film starring Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Sanjay Dutt has run into trouble for its objectionable content.



On hearing this news we reviewed the promo of the film and thought that though the trailer looked slick and funny, certain phrases were used bluntly. Sample this:

Agar duniya mein Ssardar nahi hote toh kya hota? (What would have happened to the world without Sardars?) Sardar na hote to joke kispe banate? (If Sardars did not exist, what would jokes be made about?) Haramzyada isme pyar hain zyada, teri ma di, teri pen di yeh duniya ko humne sikhayi (We Sardars taught the world these abuses).

After hearing this kind of thing in the two-minute-long promo of the film we wonder, how many more such lines will there be in the film itself? In a desperate attempt to glorify the Sikh community and to poke some fun at Sardars, the dialogue/script writer of this movie has gone overboard. While stereotyping is pretty common in Bollywood films, where people are often clubbed under one common umbrella and jokes are cracked about them, it should be take taken into consideration that the filmmakers should not cross limits and hurt sentiments, religious, ethnic or otherwise.

Clearly in this case Ajay Devgn, who is the producer of the film (he’s also the lead actor and the voice behind the questionable promo), can’t run away from his responsibility of cross checking content.

We also hear that Devgn has been given seven days to respond to the notice and make the necessary alterations in the dialogue, post which legal action will be taken against Devgn and people involved in the execution of this film.

with thanks : bollywoodlife : LINK

Standing ovation, deafening cheers for Sikh community at Milwaukee rally

Oak Creek shooting :

MILWAUKEE- A huge show of support Monday night on Milwaukee's south side for the Sikh community, more than two weeks after the temple massacre.

TODAY'S TMJ4's Annie Scholz reports that a standing ovation and deafening cheers were heard as members of the Sikh temple arrived at a community event in their honor.

"It's pretty amazing," said Kanwardeep Singh Kaleka, whose uncle was killed in the August 5 massacre.

People of all backgrounds, races, and religions packed the Faith Builders International Ministries on the south side to listen to speakers and performers, including singer Danny Gokey.

"Yeah, it's very impressive," said supporter Matt Knilans.

But the message from each and every person in the room, was the same.

"We are all human, their God is one," said Oak Creek Sikh temple secretary Inderjeet Singh Dhillon.  "There's only just a different name."

"No matter what the race, no matter what the religion, we're all here together on this earth, and we need to support each other," said Jean Whitstone.

And even though it's been two weeks since the massacre, the hope is that the support won't stop anytime soon.

 

"The local community has shown a tremendous amount of love.  We just hope that it grows from here.  This is a starting point for growth all over the world," said Kaleka.

Reverend Jesse Jackson was supposed to attend, but had a scheduling conflict.

Members of the Sikh community said they were grateful for everyone who made it out Monday night.

with thanks : todaystmj4 : LINK

Gurmat Samagam : Pics

Gurmat Samagam : Delhiites must attend !

Sikhs need to clarify identity confusion

In the aftermath of the Sikh Gurdwara of Wisconsin massacre, major media outlets have done a fine job of explaining who Sikhs are, where and when their religion was born and what their five symbols mean.

This attempt has gone over well with the community in the U.S. Even here in Toronto at the August 11 candlelight vigil at Nathan Phillips Square, Sikh leaders could be heard showering praise on some in the media.

But since the media were telling people, some more subtly than others, that Sikhs are not Muslims, they were entering a sensitive territory where they could be seen to be sending a sinister message against the Muslims.

Where the media have failed, is in telling what is at the root of the problem and why Sikhs have been confused with Muslims since 9/11.

The root cause is the turban or headgear. In Islam, only mosque-bound preachers or mullahs or radical leaders wear the turban or headgear. Osama bin Laden wore one. American-born al-Qaida preacher Anwar al-Awlaki wore one. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama’s successor, wears one. Taliban leader Mullah Omar wears one. Ayatollah Khomeini, too, wore one.

The common Muslim man never wears a turban in daily life. But every common Sikh with uncut hair always wears the turban.

What goes through the mind of a racist such as Wisconsin gunman Wade Michael Page when he sees people with turbans?

He thinks: “Hey, these guys look like Osama bin Laden in their turbans, so they must be his people and thus targeted.”

with thanks : Torontosun : LINK : for detailed news story. MUST READ.

US has much to learn from Sikhs: Harvard professor Diana Eck

NEW YORK: As the Sikh community in the US makes efforts to recover from the tragedy of the Gurudwara shooting, a Harvard professor has said Sikhs have emerged as a role model for Americans who can learn from the dignity and generosity the community.

"Most Americans still know little of the Sikh Americans whose history in the United States, dating to the early 20th century, is now firmly part of our common history."

"While we catch up on our basic education, however, it is important to know that Sikhs share three distinctly and deeply American values -- the importance of hard work, a commitment to human equality, and the practice of neighbourly hospitality," Harvard University professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies Diana Eck said in an editorial in the Dallas Morning News.

Eck said if the gunman Michael Wade Page had been simply a neighbour or a local visitor, he would have been warmly welcomed by the community and served food in the gurudwara.

The assailant would have "discovered a religious community so confident and expansive in its hospitality that it would embrace a complete stranger".

In the face of immense tragedy after the shooting, Sikhs still offered the food they had prepared to the hundreds of emergency workers, police officers and staff who surrounded the temple.

"The dignity and generosity of the Sikh community in the wake of this violence remind us just how much we have to learn from these neighbors," Eck added.

Eck said no other religious community demonstrates the meaning of hospitality as abundantly as the Sikhs, noting that the huge, "industrial-size kitchens" in gurudwaras prepare food for community members and strangers alike.

"This hospitality is not just a gesture; it is foundational to the Sikh faith. Eating together is what knits the Sikh community together and breaks down the barriers that divide the wider human community," Eck said adding that eating together symboliSes a Sikh's personal rejection of discrimination and prejudice. 

with thanks : ECONOMIC TIMES : LINK : for detailed news.

Teen arrested for killing Sikh in Wisconsin

Washington: A 16-year-old high school student has been arrested on charges of killing an elderly Sikh in Milwaukee, where only days back a shootout at a Gurdwara had left six worshippers dead.

Identified as Deangelo Williams, the suspect has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide-party to a crime and possession of a firearm by a felon.

If convicted he could be sentenced up to 70 years in prison.

A high school student, Williams made a court appearance late Friday afternoon. The judge set bail at USD 250,000.

The suspect is scheduled to be back in the court on Monday, a local television station reported. 

The deceased Dalbir Singh, 56, assisted his nephew Jatinder Singh in running a grocery store in the city. 

The incident happened on Wednesday night when some unidentified men entered the shop and put a gun to Jatinder Singh head.

with thanks : ZEE NEWS : LINK : for detailed news.

Sikhs in America : Vid

Watch Sikhs in America on PBS. See more from ViewFinder.

Torlakson Encourages Schools to Teach About Sikhs

Valley school districts will be encouraging teachers to present materials on Sikhs as part of their studies of other cultures.

The Legislature designated November as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. State Superintendent of Public Education Tom Torlakson notified districts about the opportunity to assemble materials that would assist in teaching about Sikh culture.

Torlakson’s letter was dated Aug. 3, two days before a gunman killed six people and wounded three at a Sikh temple in a Milwaukee suburb.

Pleasanton school superintendent Parvin Ahmadi said, “It was ironic that we received the letter on Friday. Then this (Milwaukee attack) happened on Sunday.”

Although the timing of Tolakson’s letter and the Legislature’s declaration designating Sikh Awareness Month show they were not responses to the Milwaukee attack, concern about rude treatment of Sikhs were the motivators for Torlakson and the Legislature.

Torlakson’s letter said that members of Sikh communities in the Central Valley have testified to the state board of education, “Sikhs have been targets of hate crimes. Young Sikhs have been subjected to bullying, because of the different styles of clothing that they wear.”

with thanks : independentnews : LINK : for detailed news.

Sikhs seek equality and peace in spite of murders

The senseless murders of six Sikh worshippers in Oak Creek, Wis., on Sunday, Aug. 5, again shocked the country so soon after the Aurora, Colo. massacre in the movie theatre. It also exposed the Sikh religion to the general public.

When I lived on Magnolia Avenue in Jersey City, a Sikh family moved on the block and their son played with some of the children nearby. He had never cut his hair since birth and twisted it in the shape of a bun on his head, which was the subject of much discussion and curiosity.

He was a very polite boy and I remember him recounting how he was taunted in public school because of his hair. Today there are many Sikhs living in Jersey City, which also boasts the only gurudwara, or house of worship on Broadway and Corbin Avenue, in all Hudson County.

Two days after the murders, I felt moved to visit and found 50 men, women and children gathered for their daily evening prayers. As I walked in the door, two members came from inside, greeted me and welcomed me warmly to come inside. I took off my shoes and covered my head with an orange kerchief.

I sat on the floor with the rest just as someone was coming around spooning a sweet, brown sticky food called karah parsad, which is a mixture of wheat, honey and butter, into every person’s cupped hands. I immediately thought of Communion in the Catholic Church. Their ritual symbolizes equality, which is a hallmark of Sikhism. And it was also evident by the communal spirit shared not only in the worship but the common meal served afterward.

But before the meal, some 30 of the worshipers gathered around me and allowed me to engage them in a group discussion for about one hour. They had planned to discuss a possible candlelight service in Jersey City to remember the murdered Sikhs but deferred to my presence.

I had never met any of these people but their gentleness and peacefulness overwhelmed me. The large number participating made it difficult to track who said what made even more complicated by the fact that all the men use the same last name, Singh, and the women, Kaur.

How difficult, I thought, to distinguish one from the other! Their reply was that this practice developed in response to the caste system prevalent in India, where Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak - who lived from 1469 to 1539 - in the state of Punjab in northern India. Again stressing equality, Sikhs rejected the caste system and also incurred the wrath of the majority Hindus. For this and other reasons, Sikhs have experienced persecution in India.

Yet, many of those present immigrated to the U.S. for a better life, just like historic immigrant groups.

Among the members there were Talwinder Singh, 27, of Jersey City, a systems engineer, and his older brother, Sukhwinder Singh, 37, who owns an I.T.firm, and is also the president of the U.S. Sikh Chamber of Commerce, which he founded. Inderjit Singh is the son of the gurudwara’s president and a U.S. Navy engineer. His family also owns their own trucking company.

While Inderjit wore a turban, Talwinder and Sukhwinder did not and wore the same kerchief I did. Swinder Pal Singh, 46, explained that some Sikhs grow into this practice and there seemed no prejudice toward those who did not wear a turban and cut their hair.

with thanks : NJ : LINK : for detailed news. Must view.

Milford’s Sikh community reacts to Wis. shootings

Malkit Singh Gill is president of the Milford Gurdwara Sahib, run by the New England Sikh Study Circle. While the organization was founded in 1968, the group did not buy its own temple until 1990, when it bought the current building in Milford.

Gill, a 52-year-old business owner with a background in electrical engineering and computer programming, said the temple draws members from across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The Milford gurdwara, one of just four Sikh temples in Massachusetts, offers weekly services Friday nights and Sunday mornings in Punjabi, with English translation available, plus classes in Punjabi and Sikh theology. The state’s other Sikh temples are in Millis, Everett, and Somerville.

The Milford congregation has grown so large, with 200 to 300 families attending weekly services and upward of 600 at special events, that the organization is planning to move the temple to a 37-acre campus recently purchased in Westborough within two years, Gill said. The New England Sikh Study Circle broke ground on the new facility on July 29, a week before a gunman walked into a temple in Wisconsin and killed six people.

After the shootings, Gill answered a series of questions from the Globe about his faith and the local Sikh community.

Q: What has the local community’s reaction been to the shooting in Wisconsin?

Gill: Shock. Disbelief. Support and solidarity.

The whole local American and Sikh American community was shocked to know that innocent devotees in a place of worship have been gunned down.

It being a heinous crime against humanity, it is unimaginable that any place of worship, where people go to attain peace and tranquility, can be attacked.

Q: How have you discussed the shootings with your congregation?

Gill: With the sincerest sense of sharing their grief as equal partners in grief, and ensuring them our full support in the days ahead.

As an expression of sense of loss, the community gathered for prayers and candle vigil. This allowed us to share the grief and pray together for the victims and their families. After the vigil, people talked about their feelings and how to help the victims and their family.

We had tremendous support from the entire community and people from all the faiths; the candlelight vigil was joined by the interfaith community.

Q: What are the lessons and tenets of the Sikhism that you would like the greater public to know?

Gill: Sikhism is the youngest “Way of Life,” started by its first guru, Guru Nanak Sahib (born in the year 1469). As its tenets it advocates as follows:

Belief in one creator, who resides within His creation.

Belief that all of us humans (irrespective of our color, creed, religion, belief system, national origin, gender, or anything else) are children of one common creator; hence, all of us (men as well as women) are equal in every respect. All of us are members of one human family. And all of us are brothers and sisters in humanity. Therefore, any form of division amongst us, based on color, creed, caste, or any other criteria, is man-made and not God-made.

Furthermore, such an understanding flows from a daily practice of the following pillars of the Sikh faith: Earning one’s livelihood through honest and truthful means; sharing it with others, including our sufferings and happiness; always staying focused on truth that emanates from the remembrance of the Creator.

To develop such a discipline and understanding of this unique Sikh way of life, a Sikh, as a start, is advised to keep his/her hair intact, clean and tidy by wearing a turban.

Furthermore, Sikhism is neither an offshoot of Hinduism nor of Islam, but is a full-fledged religion of its own with its own guiding scripture, Guru Granth Sahib; its own unique writing script, the Gurmukhi alphabet; its own fundamental doctrines; its own code of conduct; own Sikh flag; own Sikh culture, history, and proud Sikh heritage.

Q: Do you or your congregation face discrimination as a result of your faith? Could you give some examples?

Gill: Lot of Sikhs have been discriminated as a result of how they look, especially in their place of work due to their beard and turban.

There are more than 1,000 cases filed by the Sikh Coalition in the USA courts.

Sikhs feel discriminated at the airport. Their bags are searched most of the time and are singled out. I have personally been through this lot of times.

Q: What sort of reaction have you had from other faith communities, such as the Muslim community, that they have faced episodes of discrimination in the past?

with thanks : boston : LINK : for rest of the news. Must view.