Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Which is more important: Sikh Women Safety or Sikh Religious Code of Conduct?
Please comment your views regarding this major controversial issue..
Delhi Government's decision to enforce wearing of helmets by women driving or riding pillion on a two-wheeler could snowball into a controversy again.While the government is exploring ways to make necessary changes in rules to make helmets compulsory for women, leaders of Sikh organisations said they would oppose any such move tooth and nail.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee president Pramajit Singh Sarna said,"Wearing any headgear by women is prohibited in our religion, even if it is a helmet.We'll oppose any such move of the government.It has been more than 50 years since two-wheelers started plying in our country.I have not heard of women falling off scooters and dying because they were not wearing helmets".
While Traffic experts believe fatalities would come down drastically if women drivers and riders start wearing helmets.International road Federation chairman KK Kapila said,"I think Sikh organisations should be convinced by showing them statistics".
The proposal to make helmets mandatory for women had turned into a major controversy in the late 1990s too. While the Central Motor Vehicles Act had made it compulsory for anyone riding a two-wheeler to wear a protection on head, but exception were made to Sikh men wearing turbans.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Sikh-organisation-to-oppose-move/Article1-655884.aspx
Delhi Government's decision to enforce wearing of helmets by women driving or riding pillion on a two-wheeler could snowball into a controversy again.While the government is exploring ways to make necessary changes in rules to make helmets compulsory for women, leaders of Sikh organisations said they would oppose any such move tooth and nail.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee president Pramajit Singh Sarna said,"Wearing any headgear by women is prohibited in our religion, even if it is a helmet.We'll oppose any such move of the government.It has been more than 50 years since two-wheelers started plying in our country.I have not heard of women falling off scooters and dying because they were not wearing helmets".
While Traffic experts believe fatalities would come down drastically if women drivers and riders start wearing helmets.International road Federation chairman KK Kapila said,"I think Sikh organisations should be convinced by showing them statistics".
The proposal to make helmets mandatory for women had turned into a major controversy in the late 1990s too. While the Central Motor Vehicles Act had made it compulsory for anyone riding a two-wheeler to wear a protection on head, but exception were made to Sikh men wearing turbans.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Sikh-organisation-to-oppose-move/Article1-655884.aspx
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sikh man 'cannot become guard because of beard'
A Sikh man cannot become a prison guard as his beard means he cannot be fitted for a statutory issue gas mask, California's Attorney General has argued.
Kamala Harris said religious beliefs were not enough to overcome a corrections department ban on beards.
She argued in a court filing on January 6 that Trilochan Oberoi could not be properly fitted for a gask mask if he kept the facial hair required by his religion.
with thanks : telegraph.co.uk : link above for detailed news.
SikhsIndia
NSO campaign to stop harassment of Sikhs in Poland; Legal precedent set in Polish Border Guard case.
London: January 22nd 2011; In August 2010 the NSO launched a campaign following a terse plea from Shammi Puri, a Gursikh geophysicist working with the UN in Poland. In 2010 the Polish Border on grounds of security began a policy of asking Sikhs to remove their turbans and place them on the conveyor for inspection. With the help of UK gurdwaras and other Sikh organisations, the NSO took advantage of a Prime Minister led Polish trade delegation to India to get the Indian government to criticise the Polish behaviour. External affairs minister Preneet Kaur outraged by the behaviour of the Polish authorities towards her fellow Sikhs made her feelings known to the Polish Prime Minister in no uncertain terms, leading to the Polish authorities grudgingly halting their harassment of Sikh visitors to Poland.
The present position is that while the insulting requirement for Sikhs to remove their turban has been temporally suspended, there has been no change in the rules, and the requirement. could be quietly re-introduced at any time. An indication of bad faith is that The Polish Border Guards are prosecuting Mr Puri for earlier impeding them in their duty. Mr Puri in response has reluctantly taken out a counter claim alleging undue harassment by the Polish Border Guards. The two cases poignantly highlight the difficulties Sikhs are facing in airports across Europe in a post 9/11 era.
On 12th January 2011, In the first substantial hearing of the counter action brought by Mr Puri, evidence was heard from 10 officers of the Border Guards who on their own admission were familiar with the claimant but insisting that they were doing their duty. The next Hearing has been listed for the 16th March 2011.
Shammi told the NSO that despite the ensuing legal proceedings, on a flight earlier this week from Warsaw to London, he was again targeted and searched, furthermore he was checked in a “puffer machine” and the machine detected the presence of some “forbidden substances” He was later to be vindicated by the Border Guard, following the use of a second screening machine, which highlighted the first had malfunctioned. Shammi informed the NSO that he felt this recent incident had added to the toll the legal action was taking. He feels it may have been designed to intimidate him deliberately in the middle of a trial.
Dr Indarjit Singh, Director NSO comments:
“Shammi Puri and Sikhs travelling to Poland and other parts of Europe deserve the full support of UK Sikhs. The NSO is already helping with the cost of the action in Poland . We appeal to other UK Sikh organisations and individuals to pledge their financial support to help us meet this challenge to Sikh identity.”
The present position is that while the insulting requirement for Sikhs to remove their turban has been temporally suspended, there has been no change in the rules, and the requirement. could be quietly re-introduced at any time. An indication of bad faith is that The Polish Border Guards are prosecuting Mr Puri for earlier impeding them in their duty. Mr Puri in response has reluctantly taken out a counter claim alleging undue harassment by the Polish Border Guards. The two cases poignantly highlight the difficulties Sikhs are facing in airports across Europe in a post 9/11 era.
On 12th January 2011, In the first substantial hearing of the counter action brought by Mr Puri, evidence was heard from 10 officers of the Border Guards who on their own admission were familiar with the claimant but insisting that they were doing their duty. The next Hearing has been listed for the 16th March 2011.
Shammi told the NSO that despite the ensuing legal proceedings, on a flight earlier this week from Warsaw to London, he was again targeted and searched, furthermore he was checked in a “puffer machine” and the machine detected the presence of some “forbidden substances” He was later to be vindicated by the Border Guard, following the use of a second screening machine, which highlighted the first had malfunctioned. Shammi informed the NSO that he felt this recent incident had added to the toll the legal action was taking. He feels it may have been designed to intimidate him deliberately in the middle of a trial.
Dr Indarjit Singh, Director NSO comments:
“Shammi Puri and Sikhs travelling to Poland and other parts of Europe deserve the full support of UK Sikhs. The NSO is already helping with the cost of the action in Poland . We appeal to other UK Sikh organisations and individuals to pledge their financial support to help us meet this challenge to Sikh identity.”
Published in:
Malaysian Sikh sets record for longest stint as TV news presenter
Kuala Lumpur, Jan 26: A Malaysian Sikh has set a new record as the ‘longest serving television news presenter’ after working 38-years with RTM.
Harjit Singh Hullon, 57, who said that it has always been his dream to appear on television, was awarded the title by the Malaysia Book of Records on January 25.
"Ever since the first time I tuned in to the radio, I knew I wanted my voice to be heard too," the Star Online quoted him as saying.
And what he liked most about the honour is that he did not break an existing record, but created a new one.
"It will not be an easy record to break," Hullon who joined RTM as a radio deejay in 1972, said.
The bilingual newscaster, known for his flawless Bahasa Malaysia and English, won the inaugural Information Minister’s Special Award at the Angkasapuri Awards presentation ceremony in 2006.
Hullon will be retiring this year but the father of two has no plans of sitting back and relaxing, saying that he wants to give back to the company that made him who he is today.
As a regular and familiar face to viewers of RTM as well as being the only Sikh newscaster on the channel, Hullon said his friends have given another meaning to the acronym ‘RTM’.
"My friends say it stands for ‘Regular Turbanned Man’," he joked.
On his loyalty to RTM, Harjit said he never thought of leaving the government broadcaster despite receiving offers from rival companies.
"Looking back, I know I made the right choice," he added.
with thanks : SIKHSANGAT
SikhsIndia
Akal Takht Jatehdar asks Indian PM to take up removal of Sikh's turban with Italian govt
AMRITSAR: Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Gurbachan Singh in a letter to Prime Minister Dr. Manomhan Singh Thursday asked him to break his silence over the Turban issue of German based Sikh who wase humiliated at airport of Italy when his turban was forcibly removed.
A German based NRI and president of Gurdwara (Sikh shrine) Berlin in Germany Jaswinder Singh Dhaliwal in a complaint to Jatehdar stated that a few days back, he was humiliated in a very bad manner at Malpensa (Milaan) airport of Italy when his turban was forcibly removed on the pretext of security frisking.
Jatehdar said that when the turban of Jaswinder Singh was being removed at Italy’s airport, at that time Italian Airport Authority was asked to contact the Indian consulate which also remained failed to convince the Italian Airport security due to lack of awareness of Turban in Sikh community.
Jatehdar asked Prime Minister said to raise such a sensitive issue with Italian Government at the earliest possible, since the sentiments of Sikh community across the globe were hurt by and large with this incident.
Adding further Jatehdar said that Turban was the essential and inseparable symbol of Sikhism as per the Sikh tenets. He said that to remove the turban of baptized Sikh at any airport of the world mean to show humiliation to Sikhism.
with thanks : punjabnewsline : link above for detailed news.
SikhsIndia
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