Sikh can't wear turban to work, says Irish court

LONDON: An Irish high court has dismissed a Sikh man's appeal to be allowed to wear a turban while on duty for the Garda Reserve, a volunteer group formed to assist Ireland's police force.

Judge Kevin Feeney dismissed Ravinder Singh Oberoi's appeal on Thursday under the country's Equality Act. Oberoi has completed all three stages of his training, but was told he has to take off his turban as it does not comply with the full Garda uniform.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

'Anti-Sikh riots were worse than '02 violence'

AHMEDABAD: He had caught the attention of the nation when he hurled his shoe at the then Union home minister P Chidambaram in April 2009 and brought the 1984 anti-Sikh riots back to public attention. Jarnail Singh, a journalist-turned-activist, is now trying to get justice for the victims of the Delhi riots by creating public consensus on the 1984 violence. On Sunday, he will take out a token march on SG Road.

Comparing the Gujarat riots of 2002 with the 1984 riots, Singh told journalists on Saturday that the latter were more horrific not only in the execution but also in their aftermath. "In the case of the 2002 riots, the media raised questions and the judiciary took note and set up an SIT which summoned even the state chief minister. But nothing has happened for the victims of 1984 riots as the government has always tried to belittle the issue. In Gujarat, a former minster is behind bars but, in Delhi, the accused have become ministers and held important positions again and again," he said. Singh has also penned a book on aftermath of the anti-Sikh riots.

He said that several commissions were appointed to probe the riots that killed over 3,000 Sikhs in a matter of three days but nothing has come out of them. No action has been taken against the political heavyweights or the 72 policemen named in various cases.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

First Sikh in Pakistani Assembly

Islamabad: In a landmark move, Ramesh Singh Arora, the first Sikh who was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League (N), was sworn in as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly in Lahore on Saturday.

Mr Arora has termed it an honour to be the PML (N)'s representative, adding he would now be able to raise critical issues related to the safety and well-being of minorities in Pakistan on a priority basis.

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has also nominated Swarn Singh, former president of the Pakistan Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) to the Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. The Sikh diaspora has welcomed the move, saying appointment of Sikhs in Assemblies in Pakistan will go a long way towards safeguarding the rights of the Sikh community.

Newly elected members of the Pakistan’s National Assembly also took oath at the first session of the house on Saturday. Outgoing Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza administered the oath to the members.

Prominent personalities in the new assembly include Nawaz Sharif who has been elected as a member of the House after a period of over 13 years. Mr Sharif is expected to be sworn in as Prime Minister and appoint his Cabinet in the coming week.

Pict: historic day: Ramesh Singh Arora, second left, is greeted by well-wishers after taking oath as a member and the first Sikh of the Punjab Provincial Assembly on Saturday in Lahore. His role will be to ensure development of the minority Sikh community in Pakistan.

with thanks : DeccanChronicle : LINK

SHOCKING : Hard Kaur turns abusive at Chandigarh

Hemkunt Sahib doors will open on 25th May i.e. tomorrow

150 years of Sikh history explored by national museum

A project exploring over 150 years of Sikh history has been launched by the National Army Museum (NAM) in collaboration with the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail (ASHT).

‘War and Sikhs’ is a community project created to raise awareness of the vital contribution of Sikh soldiers to the British Army and to give British Sikhs ‘ownership’ over how their history and artefacts are understood and described.

Over the next four months the Museum will be running a series of interactive workshops where volunteers will get exclusive access to some of the Museum’s rarest collection items relating to Sikhs.

with thanks : Asian age : LINK : for detailed news with pics.

Finland Sikh fights for right to wear turban

A Sikh bus driver in Finland is fighting for his right to wear a turban while at work. 

Gill Sukhdarshan Singh, who works at the Veolia bus company at Vantaa near the Finnish capital of Helsinki, is trying to set a precedent by making the authorities allow him to wear a turban at work.

Yle, the Finnish public broadcasting company, reported Tuesday.  "I have a right to my turban, and I am a Sikh" the report quoted Singh as saying. "I believe it is no problem to any other religions, as we do not disturb any other religion, we only believe in our religion", said Singh.

Singh was among the first Sikhs to move to Nordic country in the 1980s.  After a visit to the Indian state of Punjab in December last year, he decided to wear a turban while at work.  Nobody raised any objection for two months but then the authorities concerned told him to remove it to comply with company uniform rules. 

Singh's son Sukhnavdeep Singh Gill also wears a turban and says he would like to complete his military service in Finland wearing it.  Sukhnavdeep said., "It is my right to go for military service. I want to be a part of it, and my religion shouldn't be a problem. I don't want to be treated differently, it's my right"

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK : for detailed news.

FBI asked to track hate crimes against Sikhs

Washington, May 22: A bipartisan group of 23 lawmakers have asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to begin tracking hate crimes against Sikhs, the way it does for other communities.

Formed last month to address the Sikh community's issues, the American Sikh Congressional Caucus, co-chaired by Democratic House member Judy Chu and Republican David Valadao, made the request in a letter to the FBI last week.

The new letter builds on earlier letters spearheaded by Democrat House member Joseph Crowley and Democrat senators Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin.

About 140 members of the US Congress have so far endorsed the Sikh Coalition's request for the policy change that it says will translate into expanded Sikh awareness training for law enforcement officials and significantly strengthen efforts to fight hate crimes.

with thanks : IANS : LINK : for detailed news

Kenya: Sikh Students Host Art Competition in Nairobi

iSikh was at it again with an exciting art competition for young Sikh students last Sunday. The theme was 'Sikh Symbols'. The event was held at the Ramgarhia South C, Railway Gurudwara, in Nairobi.

The Gurudwara have a school known as the Gurmat whose primary objective is to educate students on Sikh religion, language, history and prayer. Daljeet Kaur, 13, addressed the audience about the various Sikh symbols, their origin and meaning.

Jasveen Kaur narrated how the Sikh symbols came into being through the creation of the religion over 300 years ago. Nominated MP Sonia Birdi was among the chief guests. She said: "Parents, please allow children to follow their dreams and support them in the right direction".

According to the judges, all the 120 children who participated were winners for their efforts and all received certificate of appreciation.

Lohana's Team Nairobi savours Dar-es-Salaam win

Team Nairobi of the Lohana Youth League were the winners of the 32nd Lohana Sports and Cultural Festival that was held in Dar-es-Salaam, in December. This grand festival included Lohana teams from Dar-es-Salaam, Mwanza, Kampala, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu. However, due to the general election and other commitments, they had not really had the chance to enjoy and thank all participants. They celebrated with a friendly bowling competition and a festive meal at the Village Market in Nairobi last Saturday. It was a chance to reminisce about the festival and look forward to more exciting events for 2013.

Theosophical Society Nairobi marks 50th anniversary.

with thanks : AllAfrica : LINK : for detailed news.

DSGMC plans memorial at Gurdwara Rakabganj

In an affront to the Congress government in the national capital, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) plans to build a memorial to 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib, adjacent to Parliament House. 

The 51-member general body of the DSGMC is scheduled to meet on Wednesday and is expected to give its approval to the memorial. On Thursday, the matter was discussed by the executive body of the DSGMC, which asked the general house to take the final decision.

Last year, the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government had allegedly scuttled the move of the Delhi unit of the Badals' Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to rename a park in Punjabi Bagh after the riot victims.

The SAD-ruled DSGMC had taken to the streets in Delhi recently in protest against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in a riots case.

"We would declare our decision on the memorial on Wednesday after the approval of the general house," said DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK.

"The Congress was responsible for the Sikh genocide. The Congress-led UPA government as well as the Delhi government are trying to stop us from building the memorial by denying us a suitable location. But we have decided to build the memorial on the premises of Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib," GK told HT.

The controversy over the Punjabi Bagh park was a major issue during the January 27 DSGMC elections. Efforts of the SAD (Badal), backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to get the park renamed as the '1984 Sikh memorial park' were thwarted when the scheduled function in this regard was 'postponed' at the last moment in November last year.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK : for detailed news.

Renowned filmmaker comes up with docu film on 'langar' tradition

Internationally renowned award-winning filmmaker Meera Dewan has come up with 'Gur Prasad: The Grace of Food', a 58-minute documentary on the tradition of food-sharing through community kitchen, an integral aspect of Sikh religion known as 'langar'.  

Dewan paid a visit to this historical town connected to second Sikh master, Guru Angad Dev, and presented the first copy of her production to Baba Baldev Singh, a senior representative of Kar Sewa Khadoor Sahib, headed by noted environmentalist and religious preacher Baba Sewa Singh.

The documentary has basically been made for the film division of the union ministry of information and broadcasting. She had planned to personally present the first copy to Baba Sewa Singh, but he is currently abroad.

"At a time when India talks about food security to check widespread hunger and also take care of the nutritional crisis, the film recalls a rich living tradition of food-sharing as widely practiced at 'langars' or community kitchens by the Sikh community," said Dewan while talking with media persons here on Thursday.  

"Filmmaking is my passion and activism through which I portray the problems and issue that exist in Indian society. My first documentary 'Gift of Love' is an anti-dowry film that won 11 international awards at leading film festivals worldwide," she added.

She wholeheartedly appreciated the arrangements for 'Mata Kheevi Langar' run by Baba Sewa Singh's organisation. During her day-long stay here, she paid obeisance at the holy places and visited numerous educational institutes and training academies run by Nishan-e-Sikhi charitable society of Baba Sewa Singh.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK : for detailed news.