What Is A Dalit Sikh?

Disgusting, just flat out disgusting!

Any time I see the words 'Sikh' and 'caste' in the same sentence, I cringe. The very idea that after all these centuries, we still carry this evil baggage around with us is disheartening. But what can I do? I can explain to nonSikhs that caste is a Hindu belief, but, yes, some Sikhs don't follow the teachings of our Gurus. Sad. I can simply tell them I neither have nor want caste.

But I have thought long and hard about what can I say to other Sikhs. What can I do to help eradicate this evil from our midst? I have come to the conclusion that there is only one thing I can do. From now on, I am a Dalit Sikh. Take it or leave it. Now. Does anyone out there have the guts to follow my lead on this?

I was going to let this article pass, but my friend and nemesis, Darcey, of Dust My Broom has picked it up, so I guess it has to be addressed. Here is the offending article:

From Canwest News Service

Temple allowed to restrict members because of class

Catherine Rolfsen
Canwest News Service



Saturday, July 12, 2008


VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a complaint by two members of the Indo-Canadian community who were denied membership in a Burnaby Sikh temple because of their social ranking in India's caste system.

Gurshinder Sahota and Sohan Shergill said they were discriminated against by the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple because they belong to a higher caste in the traditional system of social ranking than do temple members.

Caste is a complex and much-maligned hierarchy that has historically divided Indian society according to occupational categories.

The 900 members of the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple belong to the lowest group, Dalits, formerly referred to as "untouchables" and often considered outside the caste system altogether. Sahota and Shergill are from the jat caste, which is traditionally a land-owning class in the Punjab and now makes up much of Metro Vancouver's Sikh community.

The decision, released this week, was hailed as an affirmation of temple members' right to gather as a "minority within a minority," said spokesman Jai Birdi.

"Since the decision has come out, the members are feeling quite empowered by it," he said. "They're feeling that this really reinforces their ability to come together as a marginalized community from India to talk about their heritage and historical unresolved issues and come up with some strategies for moving forward."

He added that the complainants are welcome to attend the temple's religious ceremonies and social programs.

"Our vision is that one day the community's confidence will increase to the point that they are not feeling oppressed . . . and then there will no longer be a need to restrict membership," he said.

The Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple was formed in 1982 to meet the needs of Dalits who "felt that they weren't fully welcome in the existing temples," Birdi said. Members follow the teachings of a 15th-century guru who preached against the caste system.

Birdi said temple-goers were worried that if membership was opened to non-Dalits, it would defeat the purpose of the organization.

The tribunal dismissed the complaint for two reasons: First, it found it does not have jurisdiction over temple membership; and, second, citing a prior decision regarding the United Native Nations, it agreed that the temple should be allowed to restrict membership to a minority group in order to promote the group's welfare.

Sahota and Shergill argued that by denying them membership, the temple was promoting the "evil caste system," according to the tribunal ruling.

But Birdi said that after centuries of social segregation and extreme poverty there is a need for Dalits to unite. He compared the struggle to that of Canada's First Nations and African Americans, groups that have gained a sense of pride and identity through organization and advocacy.

Although caste is not taught in the Sikh religion, in reality it still affects many aspects of life for Sikhs in India and Canada, with even local matrimonial ads specifying caste preference, he said.

Vancouver Sun

crolfsen@png.canwest.com

© Canwest News Service 2008

A Sikh Dis'Honour' Killing

I seem to recall reading somewhere that among Sikhs both caste and the killing of the daughter are forbidden. Where could that be? Oh, I remember now, The Sikh Rehat Maryada! (Check out Chapter Ten, Part 16 (a) and (l), and Chapter 11, Section 18 (a).)

OK, the article never actually says they were Sikhs...


From the Times of India.

Girl In Love Killed, Cremated Secretly


HOSHIARPUR: Ravinder Kaur, just 18 and in love with Amritpal, hardly got any chance to be with the man she wanted to marry. On Wednesday, when her family left home to attend a neighbour's wedding, she sneaked out and went to meet her 25-year-old lover.

But someone spotted her with Amritpal and the word spread like wildfire in Darga Haeri village, 35 km away from Hoshiarpur. Soon, seething at seeing their Saini girl with a scheduled caste man, Ravinder was dragged home by her relatives and beaten unconscious.

The next day, police sources said, she was "consigned to flames", yet another casualty in Punjab's bloody history of honour killings.

SSP, Hoshiarpur, Sukhchain Singh Gill told the Times of India on Friday that "the body of the deceased had been cremated before the matter came to the notice of the police".

He added, "There were only ashes from the pyre."

A case has been registered under sections 302 (murder), 201 and 120B of IPC at the Tanda police station and police said they were verifying if Ravinder was beaten to death or forced to commit suicide.

The girl's parents, Baljit Kaur and Manohar Singh, are behind bars.

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And please check out Aasra Magazine, here or in the new link on the right. It is a local product from here near Seattle. It is bilingual, in both Punjabi and English.

--WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

Respect and Our Gurus

WE DO HAVE COPIES OF THE OFFENDING PICTURES. IF ANYONE WANTS TO SEE THEM, WE WILL EMAIL THEM TO YOU. JUST SEND US AN EMAIL AT MAI.SOMETIMES2@GMAIL.COM. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, WE WILL NOT POST THEM,

This is an incredibly hard post for us to write. We had agreed among ourselves to stay out of current controversies; the purpose of this blog is to help in the healing and unity of our people after the traumas of 1984. We cannot, however, let this current 'unpleasantness' pass without comment.

I, Mai, tend to be a hothead. Everyone who knows me knows that I prefer direct and immediate action when a problem arises. When I saw that joker impersonating our beloved Guru Gobind Singh Ji, my blood boiled. When I realised he was preparing a phony amrit, I was ready to have another stroke. I got on the Inter net immediately with Suni and Maman.

Cooler spirits prevailed when Maman posed the question, 'How would Guru Ji himself respond to this?'

We're not really sure, but we have trouble seeing him engaged in street brawling and burning of effigies. We just cannot see him as part of a murderous mob. With good reason, we are taught to control our anger.

To us, the most disturbing aspect of this whole situation involves the 'c' word. You know, the one every Guru from Guru Nanak Dev Ji to our current and eternal Guru Ji condemns. The word that keeps cropping up in news accounts. Who are these followers of Dera Sacha Sauda? Over and over, we read that they are LOW CASTE SIKHS. Truthfully, being a hot head, whenever I see 'dalit Sikh,' I want to puke.

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves why some people find this movement so attractive. Might it be that some of us are still practicing castism within our own lives and attitudes? Would this not be hurtful to not only those from 'low castes,' but also to those who commit this wrong? Perhaps this blasphemous religion - I won't call it a sect - would not be such a magnet if all felt really welcome in every gurdwara and in every langar hall. Please check out this link.

For this idiot fool to disrespect our dear father in such a buffoonish way, is one evil thing; for us to disrespect our dear father by practicing this horror of castism is, in our eyes, after much reflection, worse. Let us again be Kaur and Singh, drop the castism that has crept back into Sikhi; become pure Khalsa sisters and brothers, the daughters and sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, children that he will look on with pride.

So what to do? Keep a cool head, certainly boycott everything concerning Dera Sacha Sauda and follow the teachings of our own Khalsa Panth. Our kirpan is a noble and sacred gift to be used as a weapon only in the most extreme of circumstances. Each individual has to answer for her/himself if this is truly such an occasion.

If we are wrong in this, we stand open to correction. And we apologise in advance if we have hurt anyone's sensibilities. We speak only from the love of our Gurus, our faith and our people.

Let us pray for a successful solution to this situation that will preserve and raise the dignity of all of Waheguru's children.


With love,
Vini, Suni and Mai


(Now I hold my breath and push the PUBLISH button.)