Sikh centre given an award by the Queen

The Queen has recently given the Sikh Nishkam Centre in Birmingham an award for its exemplary voluntary services to society. The group running the centre is headed by “Bhai Sahib” Mohinder Singh, whom I previously discussed in the “Music of Unity/Politics of Division” article.

Bhai Sahib is also the chairman of the British Sikh Consulative Forum (BSCF), and has been heavily involved in numerous charitable and humanitarian activities along with interfaith bridge-building efforts for many years. As mentioned in the previous article, Bhai Sahib was responsible for escorting the Queen around the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, India during her visit there in the late 1990s; he has also been involved in co-ordinating multifaith efforts to counteract the growing bigotry and hostility towards ordinary British Muslims in recent years. Bhai Sahib’s other activities have included visiting Jewish leaders in Israel, and participating in the global conference of religious leaders last December which was attended by numerous dignitaries including the Dalai Lama. Furthermore, BSCF’s director, Dr Jasdev Rai, has publicly condemned the EDL’s “Sikh” spokesman Guramit Singh (sometimes known as “Amit” Singh) for his anti-Muslim propaganda and his virulent efforts to whip up hatred against ordinary Muslims.

The Nishkam Centre, which is staffed by volunteers, is based on the Sikh principle of selflessly performing humanitarian work for the assistance of others and for the uplift of society as a whole, in the spirit of “Sarbat da Bhalla”, ie. “Goodwill to the whole of Mankind”. It focuses on providing educational services, training, medical services (specifically health screening), counselling, employment assistance, art and heritage, along with promoting interfaith, intercultural, intercommunity dialogue, and championing social justice and inclusion.

Detailed news can be viewed from the link in headline above.

with thanks : source : Pickled Politics

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