Wednesday, August 27, 2014
This is a Shame !
|
|
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Gurudwara in Mangalore - Serving religious needs of Sikh community
Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Aug 25: Mangalore being a true cosmopolitan city has assimilated people of diverse religions and nationality in its fold. It is therefore not surprising to know that there about 25 to 30 Sikh families residing within Mangalore and they have also constructed a Gurudwara in the city. Interestingly the original root of these families is the same though these families have arrived in Mangalore from different parts of Northern states like Punjab, Haryana Delhi and Uttar Pradesh over a period of nearly four decades.
Sikhs are known to be kind, open hearted, generous, tolerant, hard working and progressive in their nature who easily integrate into the society. This has been proved right as these Sikh families who have made Mangalore their home for many years now have retained their identity but at the same time have easily merged with local culture and traditions. It is therefore not astounding if you come across young school and college going brats conversing in pure Tulu or Kannada just like the locals do. Or don’t be surprised when they swear by their liking for some of the local Mangalorean cuisine, about which they must have come to know from their class or collegemates or tasted them in some of our celebrated hotels in the city.
with thanks : daijiworld : LINK : for detailed news with pics.
Parade for the Great War Sikhs
Members of Preston’s Sikh community paraded through the city centre in remembrance of those who fought in the First World War.
Hundreds marched through the streets, making their way from the Guru Nanak Gurdwara Singh Sabha on Bow Lane to the Flag Market.
The sun blazed down as the crowds marched up Fishergate Hill, on to Cheapside and to the war memorial, to remember those lost in conflict.
The free family event included live martial arts, children’s activities including a bouncy castle, as well as food, ice cream and arts and crafts.
It was organised by members of the Bow Lane temple, to mark the role Sikh soldiers played in the war.
Organiser Gurumukh Singh, who planned the event alongside colleague Buphinder Singh, said: “The weather was fantastic, it was on our side and it certainly brought the crowds out.
with thanks : lep : LINK : for detailed news.
Victory: Veteran's father now permitted to wear turban when visiting son.
Last year, the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania USA refused to allow an elderly Sikh gentleman to visit his son, a United States Military Veteran, without removing his turban. He had already successfully passed the security check, but was then asked by the guards to remove his turban for checking and to leave it outside. As a devout Sikh, he refused. In a desperate attempt to see his son, the father tried to compromise with the guard by lifting his turban so the guards could see there was no hidden contraband. Despite this, the guards insisted that it be completely removed and unraveled. Remaining true to his faith, he chose not to submit to further degradation and waited patiently outside as his wife visited their son.
Legal Action Taken
UNITED SIKHS legal team took immediate action to address this discriminatory act against their client. Ademand letter was sent to the correctional facilitydemanding the immediate remedy of religiously intolerant security protocolsbecause the requirements of the security protocol in place are in direct violation of the Religious Freedom Protection Act of Pennsylvania. Specifically, Section 4 of the Act states that an agency must enforce the least restrictive means of furthering the compelling governmental interest in assuring security is not breached.
We informed the facility of the need to come up with respectful means of screening the turban, since requesting a Sikh to remove is turban is not the least restrictive means of ensuring security. Alternative security procedures include: metal detectors, wands, and self-pat downs.Furthermore, the facility already makes religious accommodations for Muslim women.
UNITED SIKHS Staff Attorney, Manmeet Singh emphasized in the demand letter, "asking a Sikh man to not only remove his turban, but to leave it outside, is extremely offensive and completely against the Sikh religion. The turban is an important article of his faith that should never be removed outside of the home. Our client should not be forced to choose between remaining true to his faith and visiting with his son at the facility."
In response to the letter, UNITED SIKHS received a call from the correctional facility's counseland despite our requests for an accommodation, no resolution was reached for a respectful screening of the turban. On December 3, 2013, letters on this matterwere sent to other departments in Pennsylvania addressingourconcerns. A complaint was also filed with the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
Victory
Since the past three months, the security guards areno longer askingthe father to remove his turban when he's visiting the facility.The facility has clearly, yet discretely, amended its security protocol to allow turbans for Sikh visitors.
Back in Nov.2005, UNITED SIKHS and the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LPP filed a lawsuit in Federal Court to enforce a Sikh prisoner's right to practice his religion and to ensure that Sikh prisoners have the same rights as other prisoners. The plaintiff, 24-year-old Navdeep Singh, a devout Amritdhari Sikh, who started serving a 5-year prison sentence in January of that year, had been on a liquid diet since June 6, 2005 to protest the violations of his religious rights.The complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, challenged the practices of New York Department of Correctional Services' (DOCS) personnel as gross violations of Navdeep Singh's religious rights in prison.
As a Civil Rights Organization, UNITED SIKHS is dedicated to its advocacy efforts and is happy to report to the community that our commitment to this matter has led to a successful religious accommodation and favorable outcome for our client. We will continue in our advocacy efforts to obtain a clear written policy change, and stronger implementation of existing policy
Sunday, August 24, 2014
The forgotten Sikh jewel !
Taking advantage of the long Eid break last month, I along with a couple of friends decided to explore the ancient Dipalpur Fort about a couple of hours drive from Lahore.
On reaching Dipalpur, we started inquiring about the whereabouts of the Dipalpur
Fort and to our amazement no one had a clue as to what we were talking about — until a shopkeeper taking us for some ‘documentary-types’ directed us to a small village on Wasawaywala Road, by the name of Bhuman Shah.
After travelling on this scenic road, surrounded by potato and maize fields, for 15 minutes, we reached Bhuman Shah. To our surprise, it looked like a mini fort with a huge compound divided into residential quarters or haveli, a gurdwara or prayer area and a dharamshala or hostel for devotees. Presently, except for the gurdwara, local inhabitants are using all other buildings of the compound as residences with limited awareness for heritage conservation.
The haveli and some meditation rooms in the gurdwara appear to be built in late 18th century, however Samadhi and prayer hall appears to be newer constructions in comparison to the haveli.
The gurdwara and the two buildings are protected under the Anitquities Act 1974.
However, the only sign of the government possession of the gurdwara is a huge lock at the main gate — though both visitors as well as schoolboys can enter through one of the broken walls either to explore the amazing gurdwara or play cricket in the main prayer hall, depending on their interests.
The haveli or residential compound is an imposing structure with its own ancient wooden gate. The outer walls are now in dilapidated condition but have intricate carvings and frescos and beautiful arches all around. The walls covered with frescos show various scenes from the Sikh history as well as carved embellishments showing human faces, beasts as well as shapes depicting jinns.
with thanks : tns.thenews : LINK : for detailed news.
Friday, August 22, 2014
LONDON HOUSE OF LORDS’ SIKH CONTROVERSY
THE HOUSE OF LORDS IN LONDON HAS APPOINTED A NEW SIKH REPRESENTATIVE, BUT THE BRITISH SIKH COMMUNITY IS SKEPTICAL OF HOW “REPRESENTATIVE” HE TRULY IS.
The House of Lords verification committee has added Lord Ranbir Singh Suri. Emphasizing the need for more diverse voices within the House, the Sikh Federation UK and Sikh Council UK have campaigned for the inclusion of a member from the Sikh community. While they were expected to celebrate the nomination of Lord Suri, who was hailed as a leading member of the Sikh community, instead they were met with widespread skepticism.
with thanks : worldreligionnews : LINK : for detailed news.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
