Dera: No question of unconditional apology

Dera: No question of unconditional apology

Sirsa, April 20
The Dera Sacha Sauda today made it clear that an unconditional apology to the Akal Takht without negotiations was not possible and the controversy arising out of the alleged impersonation of Guru Gobind Singh by their Guru - Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh - could be resolved only through dialogue with all sikh bodies.

“Any apology without negotiations is not practical,” dera spokesman Dr Aditya Insaan said, adding: “Earlier also the rug has been pulled from under out feet and because of this we want all concerned parties to sit together to resolve the issue amicably. It cannot be that some accept the outcome of our talks and some do not.”

Dr Insaan said Gurmeet Ram Raheem had made repeated offers in recent months stating he was ready for talks with the Akal Takht. He said these could not fructify because of the demands that the Guru presented himself alone before the august body. “Let the government take responsibility for his (dera head's) security,” Dr Insaan said.

Sources in the dera say it is facing a crisis of loss of faith because earlier attempts to resolve the controversy have failed. They claimed while earlier there was an objection as to why the dera was not seeking an apology from the sikh community, the third round of talks failed despite a draft clearly seeking an apology from the sikh ‘panth’ also.

They said it was in this light that the guru had urged that the media mediate in any future talks so that there is complete transparency and ensure they were not derailed by some “unseen force”.

Dera sources said they were interested in holding talks. They claimed that the third round of talks had failed because the government was wary of giving credit for resolution of the controversy to Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee head Paramjit Singh Sarna despite the fact that the “draft apology” had been completely accepted by members of the Sant Samaj and others who attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, the dera also released the transcript of answers given by Gurmeet Ram Raheem during the ‘majlis’ yesterday. According to the transcript, the Guru is quoted as saying: “We have been the first movers, never the second. Our responsible persons are always ready. Please mediate and get the talks started.”

with thanks : http://www.tribuneindia.com & Mr. Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service

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British school in Sikh student row to foot 200,000 pounds

British school in Sikh student row to foot 200,000 pounds
London (PTI): A British school has been asked to pay a 200,000-pound legal bill, including damages to a Sikh student, in a racial discrimination case over banning her from wearing a religious bangle.

The High Court has ordered the Aberdare Girls' School in Wales to pay the student banned from wearing the Sikh Kara damages believed to be at least five figures, leading British newspaper the 'Sunday Express' reported.

The 200,000 pounds legal bill also includes an invoice from human rights group Liberty, who actually brought the case on behalf of 15-year-old Sarika Watkins-Singh.

In fact, the story dates back to early last year when Ms.Singh was excluded from school for her refusal to stop wearing the bangle, which she claimed was fundamental to her religious belief.

Though the school denied any racial discrimination, Ms. Singh spent nine weeks being taught in isolation as the bangle was against its uniform policy. She won the case last June, in which her exclusion was ruled to be "unlawful".

Critics have slammed the massive cost of the case as "a waste of taxpayers' money" and claimed pupils will "suffer" as a result.

"This case means a headache for the taxpayer who will ultimately be forced to stump up. This just emphasises the need for schools to be given full control of their rules and regimes without risk of politically correct enforcement," TaxPayers' Alliance spokesman Mark Wallace said.

with thanks : http://www.hindu.com

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Army joins in Sikh celebrations

Army joins in Sikh celebrations
Thousands of people have been taking part in a celebration in Derby marking one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar.

Vaisakhi (Baisakhi) marks Sikh New Year and the founding of the Sikh community, known as the Khalsa.

The army joined hundreds of Sikhs in a procession through Derby on Sunday.

This year members of the Sikh community wanted to mark the historic tie between Sikhs and the army. Lt Col David Hollas said these go back a long way.

'Old friendships'

He said: "The Sikh community has a very strong military tradition.

"And it's that sort of shared history that I'm trying to re-engineer - to actually say to British Sikhs: 'We're your army and let's continue the journey together'".

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, of Derby City Council, helped secure the army's attendance after a request by representatives of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Princes Street, Derby.

He added: "Sikhs fought bravely, not only in places like North Africa and Italy in the Second War World War with the British Eighth Army, but also in the terrible conditions of the trenches of the First World War in France, serving alongside their British comrades.

"Having the army at the parade will help celebrate old friendships and forge new ones."

Figures show there are currently about 500,000 Sikhs in Britain.

with thanks : http://news.bbc.co.uk

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Sikhs guarding Chinese cemetery since 1930’s

Sikhs guarding Chinese cemetery since 1930’s

China: For nearly 70 years, two statues of Sikh guards have stood faithfully over Qing Dynasty magistrate Chew Gek Leng’s grave. The brightly coloured pair are a familiar sight to visitors to Bukit Brown Cemetery, off Sime Road.

Foreigners take pictures of them. Punters seek 4-D numbers from them. Except for a new paint job every two years, the pair have lasted their long vigil mostly unscathed.

Until now.

On 28 Mar, when Mr Chew’s oldest grandson, Mr James Chew, 68, a retired bank officer, went with his sister to visit the grave during the Qing Ming Festival, he found to his horror that the noses of both statues were broken.

The sentry on the left, which has the Chinese words for ‘house guard’ painted on it, also had the top of its rifle broken. (The other guard is labelled ‘patrol’).

It is a popular grave, and there are no shortage of gawkers, which Mr Chew does not mind. But he said: ‘Take pictures, but please don’t take away a piece of the grave’.

It is not known if the damage was the work of vandals.

The 1.5m-tall, splendidly uniformed duo with bushy black beards and bright red turbans are an arresting sight amid the grey headstones and green foliage of the graveyard. These statues even come with a guard dog each, which lies by the butt of each rifle.

Mr Chew called the statues ‘a landmark’ among visitors, and he wasn’t exaggerating.

Though rainclouds cut short the time The New Paper spent at the tomb on Good Friday with Mr Chew, at least two family groups stood and looked at the statues during the one-hour period.

One woman, who declined to be named, said: ‘We recognise these two statues. We see them, then we know how to go (to the grave we are visiting).

‘Everyone knows the guards.’

The grave is now looked after by the third generation of a family of grave caretakers.

People come to pay respects

One of them is Madam Queenie Quek, 49. Her grandmother first looked after the grave, then her mother, and now her.

Her face lit up when she saw Mr Chew, and she quickly came down with a Chinese paintbrush to ask him to draw pupils on the Sikh statues’ eyes, which had been painted white.

Mr Chew joked as he painted: ‘Otherwise, they’re blind.’

Madam Quek said that during Qing Ming Festival and the Hungry Ghost Festival, officials from various temples around Singapore will come to pay their respects, offering tea and burning incense.

‘Maybe it’s because he’s a magistrate, and they found out that he was a major official?’ said Madam Quek.

Her sister-in-law, Madam Oh Kim Gek, 53, has been looking after the grave for 30 years.

As for the damage, she suspects that it was a lorry that caused it since they stood by the road.

But who was Mr Chew Gek Leng, who died in 1940, and why does he, a Chinese immigrant, have statues of Indian soldiers at his grave?

Mr James Chew said his grandfather fled to Singapore from China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

He brought his two wives, his servants and his slaves, to escape death at the hands of warlords.

He had been given Sikh guards in China, whom he did not bring along. .

As he came from five generations of physicians, he started practising medicine when he arrived, at a large house near Jalan Eunos.

The grave that he was entombed in was a major undertaking. The statues were made in China and the granite was also shipped over from his home country.

Before he died, he also had a large coffin stored in the house.

Mr Chew Gek Leng’s Sikh statues first made news in 1993, during the impending exhumation of graves in Bukit Brown Cemetery.

Although Mr James Chew is a practising Christian who worships at Wesley Methodist Church, he believes that it is his duty to maintain the grave of his grandfather.

But he is old. Who will take over when he is gone?

He sighs. He has two daughters, but one of them is married in Sydney, Australia. He is considering paying a temple to take over his work.

He said: ‘I’ll let the next generation decide what to do.’

with thanks : www.sikhsangat.org

Your comments awaited on two contradicting news reports about Sikhs in Pakistan

Please read the two news reports about sikhs, as below, and give us your most valued comments, on these self contadicting news reports :
1.
Minorities in Pakistan playing key role in nation building; PM Pakistan

2.
Sikhs pay Rs 20 million in 'tax' to Taliban in Pak's Aurakzai

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SikhsIndia

Minorities in Pakistan playing key role in nation building; PM Pakistan

Minorities in Pakistan playing key role in nation building; PM
ISLAMABAD, Apr 14 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said minorities in Pakistan were playing a vital role in nation building and reiterated his government’s resolve to provide them better facilities. Addressing a delegation of Sikh yatrees, currently in Pakistan to celebrate Besakhi, the Prime Minister said the government was proceeding on the path to implement the Charter of Democracy that seeks representation for the minorities in the Upper House.
The Prime Minister said two members from the minorities were already part of the Senate and the government was benefitting from their advise on national matters and issues related to the minorities.

The Prime Minister said the government was providing multiple entry visas to the members of non‑Indian Sikh community and said he wished to facilitate more Sikhs from India to visit Pakistan. However he regretted that the relations with India have soured following the Mumbai attacks.

He said he believed in inter‑faith harmony and to bring people from all faiths together for the betterment of the country and the nation.

Gilani said his government was endeavoring to provide best possible facilities to the Sikh yatrees and understands their religious needs and obligations. In this regard he cited the setting up of the Prabandhak Committee to deal with the problems of the Sikh community.

The members of the Sikh delegation lauded the role of the government in facilitating them. They particularly regretted the negative propaganda being unleashed against Pakistan and of threats of terrorism in the international media.

They noted that this propaganda was aimed at tarnishing the image of Pakistan and prayed for safety, security and solidarity of the country. They were also appreciative of the warm hospitatlity shown by the people of Pakistan and said they did not see any threats or fear as was being propagated.

The delegation members pointed at the facilities provided at the railway station, transportation to Nankana sahib and excellent boarding and lodging.

They were also appreciative of the good upkeep of the various gurdawars in the country. They urged the Prime Minister for multiple entry five to ten year visas for the community.

Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti invited the Prime Minister for the ground breaking ceremony of the Nankana university to be established on 250 acres.

with thanks : http://www.app.com.pk

Sikhs pay Rs 20 million in 'tax' to Taliban in Pak's Aurakzai

Islamabad, Apr 16 (PTI) Members of Pakistan's minority Sikh community living in the restive Aurakzai tribal region have paid Rs 20 million as "tax" to the Taliban after militants forcibly occupied some of their homes and kidnapped a Sikh leader.
The Taliban had demanded Rs 50 million as 'jizia' a tax levied on non-Muslims living under Islamic rule but the militants finally settled for Rs 20 million.

After the amount was paid yesterday, the militants vacated the homes they had taken over and released Sikh leader Saiwang Singh, officials in the tribal region near the northwestern city of Peshawar were quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper.

The officials said the Taliban had announced that the Sikhs were now free to live anywhere in Aurzakzai Agency. The militants also announced they would protect the community, saying that no one would harm them after they had paid jizia.

Sikhs who had left the area would now return to their homes and resume their business, the officials said.

The militants had occupied at least 10 homes of Sikhs in Qasimkhel village on Tuesday. About 35 Sikh families have been living in Qasimkhel for many years.

The Taliban demand for jizia was resolved at a jirga or council held yesterday through the efforts of local tribal elders. The militants had said the Sikhs should pay jizia in accordance with Shariah or Islamic law. PTI

with thanks : ptinews.com

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Camp Miri Piri Pre-Reg. 2 Weeks Away!

Camp Miri Piri Pre-Reg. 2 Weeks Away!
By : Gurumustuk Singh

Time is flying by and the summer is in sight! Camp Miri Piri pre-registration date is only two weeks away! Don’t let this awesome event/retreat pass you by. If you have been thinking about coming, stop thinking and just make it happen! Give yourself this time to feed your soul and recharge yourself. You deserve it!

Register for the camp online at: http://www.sikhnet.com/campmiripiri/

People from United Kingdom, USA, India and Canada have already registered for Camp Miri Piri. Come join us!

* Registration price goes up from $199 to $250 after May 1st. We need to make arrangements for all the participants so it is important to know how many people will attend. For this reason we need people to register as early as possible.

with thanks : http://www.mrsikhnet.com

Sikh families leave Orakzai after Taliban demand jizia

Sikh families leave Orakzai after Taliban demand jizia

By Abdul Saboor Khan

HANGU: Sikh families living in Orakzai Agency have left the agency after the Taliban demanded Rs 50 million as jizia (tax) from them, official sources and locals said on Tuesday.

Residents of Ferozekhel area in Lower Orakzai Agency told Daily Times on Tuesday that around 10 Sikh families left the agency after the demand by the Taliban, who said they were a minority and liable to pay the tax for living in the area in accordance with sharia.

Locals said the Taliban had notified the Sikh families about the ‘tax’ around a week ago. They said of the 15 Sikh families in Ferozekhel, 10 had shifted while the remaining were preparing to do so.

The locals said the families were impoverished and had left the area to avoid any Taliban action.

with thanks : www.dailytimes.com.pk

NY hospital cuts Sikh's beard, pays $20,000 in damages

NY hospital cuts Sikh's beard, pays $20,000 in damages
15 Apr 2009, 0515 hrs IST, PTI

NEW YORK: A New York hospital's staff negligently shaved an elderly Sikh patient's beard, eyebrows and moustache a month before his death, resulting in a lawsuit from his family which received $20,000 in compensation.

The Westchester County Healthcare paid the amount in an out-of-the-court settlement with the family of Pyara Singh Sahansra, who was suffering from Azheimer's disease, the US-based community organization United Sikhs said in a statement on Monday.

Sahansra's family had previously spoken with the hospital staff about Sikhs' religious practice of keeping long hair and had also placed signs on the patient's bed to remind them when he was in the long term care of the medical facility in 2007.

The hospital removed the signs stating that they were not allowed, but assured the family that Sahansra's hair would not be cut.

A new nurse, who was unaware of the situation, cut Sahansra's beard, eyebrows and moustache, "violating his deeply held religious principles," the statement said. The patient died over a month after the incident that occurred in June 2007.

In the final settlement with the patient's family, the hospital paid $20,000 in compensation, which also included a provision for training of the facility's employees on Sikh patients' care.

Pyara Singh Sahansra's son Upinderjit said, "My father was a devout Sikh and we all experienced a shock when his kesh were cut by the nurse."

with thanks : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians-Abroad/Hospital-cuts-Sikhs-beard-pays-damages/articleshow/4402693.cms