Sikh News Inappropriate Interruption

[Arvind]

http://www.kentaxrecords.com/iaca/php/item_display.php?id=1078385802&type=news

Christian interrupt Sikh Funeral in the US, seek converts

March 4, 2004, 2:36 am

San Jose, Feb. 29, 2004


The American GI Forum Hall was packed with hundreds of mourners as members of the huge Sikh community of the Bay Area gathered for the funeral service of Hari Singh and Satnam Singh, two of the three people, who were killed by a gunman in a high-profile attack the previous Sunday. Speaker after speaker came up to address the grieved for their lost loved ones and prayed for their families.

However, members of Indian Christians United (ICU) took this advantage of the Sikh community in mourning as an opportunity to convert them. Brother Younis Masih and two other Punjabi converts walked on top the stage and announced they would be playing a gospel song. Younis then walked to his harmonium, one sat down with a tabla, and the third held a Bible.

In the following minutes, the Christian converts inappropriately began singing to Christian songs, preaching the virtues of Christianity over Sikhism and read two passages from the Bible. Younis spoke in fluent Punjabi in an attempt to convert as many Sikhs as possible

 

[Neutral Singh]

Re: I find this disgusting

Did anybody convert ?

 

[etinder]

Re: I find this disgusting

Dear arvind veer
This is the reality and we can't turn our heads away from that, what i feel is that we should take this as an opportunity and to make aware our sikh brothers and sisters about the very thoughtful and planned attacks on Sikhi.There are lots of us who are naive and who dont think these things are possible. So this is kind of an eye opener to all of us.
we shud device a strategy and cite this example and share it to all the other sikh forums so that a proper planned strategy can be implemented to defend oureselves agains these kinds of covert attacks.
regards

 

[Arvind]

Re: I find this disgusting

Thanks etinder ji, for the view. May He give enuf courage to the family experiencing departing, and may the soul rest in peace. I couldnt digest this, also somewhere I saw turban wearing bearded guys from Punjab with last name Singh acting as pastors in Ludhiana. I am extremely pained by this reality in Kalyuga.

Neutral Singh ji, I have edited the title of thread. I dont know abt any outcome of this.

Thanks.

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Re: I find this disgusting

It is more an eye opening event than mere disgust. When the muslim fiends tried to convert us with fear tactics, we stood up and fought against the atrocities. Many brave ones gave their lives away following our GURUS' footsteps in order to fight against injustice done against anyone no matter who the victim was.


That was then. Now it is more a passive approach of self fulfillment. Sikh farmers have been suffering for a long time due to the govt policies which have burdened them with debts. Many of the punjabi farmers have commited suicides because of it. Thus, the suicide rate in Punjab is alarmingly high.

The Christian missioneries have taken advantage of these dire straits and are being successful luring the desperate ones into their folds with false promises of unacheivable 'salvation'. These tactics have been used for many many years by these missionaries. I am reminded that when the African people were herded into the cattle ships to be shipped to the west as slaves, there was always a Priest, a Pastor of the clergy present and before the voyage he used to baptise them all as Christians, so not if but when they died during the journey atleast they would die as Christians. And why they died one may ask? Because of the way they were jammed together as animals. Deaths were inevitable. In other words, the same people who enslaved them also pretended to 'save' them through mass conversions.

Missionaries are the sole culprits of eradicating the native tribes of their cultures and values the world over. Unforutnately the births of North and South America occured only after the desemination of millions of innocents citizens of these lands.

As Etinder ji put it very bluntly that something has to be done. Some plans have to be deviced. But before any plan can be implemented the Sikh Clergy has to come out of their never ending slumber with this wake up call and start economic projects in the villages to lift people up from the miseries they are suffering.

Rather than gold leafing our white elephants we should spend the money where it is actually needed. If no drastic actions are taken then we would be seeing lots of turbaned sikhs wearing crosses visiting the Harmandar Sahib and coming to the conclusion that they have covered all the bases for their 'salvation'.

Tejwant

 

[etinder]

Dear tejwant veerji

i dont forsee sikh clergy doing anything for the moral or economic upliftment. So what i feel that we have to play a proactive role, like not what sikh clergy can do rather what we can do.
But we cant sit idly and see other guys taking advantages of the situation.I m sorry if i sounded blunt but i just shared what i felt without sugar coating it. I hope u understand
lots of regards
etinder

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Dear Etinder ji,

I did not mean to demean your comment. By bluntly, I meant your frankness sans any veil.

We all have to do something and I agree with you on that. As Sikhi has no Pope, hence It belongs to the SADH SANGAT. We are all responsible when these kinds of atrocities start happening in our own 'Khalsa Home'. This problem is here and also in Punjab. I have come to know that there are some turbaned punjabi Christians who are enticing the disenfranchised youth in Canada towards Christanity. The sikh youth does not feel connected to their roots because their parents have grown far from them.

In our hierarchial society in India we expect our kids to 'respect' us and come closer to us, where the Gurbani says 'Sabh Gobind Hein' meaning the age hierarchy does not work in sikhi. If it did then we would have Prithvi Chand as our 5th Guru rather than Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

What I am trying to express with my limited abilities is that WE as parents should come closer to our kids rather than expecting them to do that job for us, because we have more life experience then they do. We should try to understand the kind of music they listen too, the kind of bi -cultural values they may have which may differ from ours, etc..etc. We as Sikhs have the mechanism - GURMAT- to interact more with our own kids than any other faith could ever offer. I think it is our own insecurity that creates this 'Generation Gap'. And only we as Sikh parents can bridge that gap.

Another thought, the reason the Sikh families have SGGS' Parkash at home is not just for us to do our Nitnem and for our kids to Matha Tek before going to school, but for us as parents to create the enviorment of SADH SANGAT at home first. Only by creating our own SADH SANGAT at home we can interact with the SADH SANGAT outside. What I mean by that is that just by making our kids read PAATHS when they do not understand what they are reading about is futile. We have to sit with them and do Sangat everyday by explaining them the meaning of Sikhi and its value system through GURBANI in such a way that they can use it in their lives outside our supervision.Once they get that then doing PAATH will etch some meaningful traits in their hearts and souls. It is a slow process. Well, a flower doesnot blossom and emits its fragrance in a day!!

Now some of us can try to do the above as we think we have some tools. But the poor Sikh farmers have no tools. They can only look upon others to fill that gap. As our clergy has not been able to do that, here comes the charge of the Light Brigade of the Christian clergy barging in and takes over what OUR so called SIKH GOD LOVERS are supposed to do.

In conclusion, I agree with you that we all have to pitch in NOW before it is too late.

I apologise for my ramblings.

Tejwant

 

[anders]

In Sweden, such a disturbance would have been contrary to the provisions in our Criminal Code, wherein it is clearly stated that disturbing a funeral (etc.) is punishable by a fine or up to six months of imprisonment.