A Disturbing Message From Pakistan

[Admin]

I got this message in my email...
________________________________________________
Dear Sir,

No dout, Pakistan has a large number of Gurdwaras/ Samadhis and many other religious Sikh places but here I want to ask one thing that why are we (Muslims) not allowed to enter in Gurdwaras?. That is the main problem that sometimes forced me to change my feelings for Sikh people.

Every year a large number of Sikhs come to Pakistan from every corner of the world and visit the religious Sikh places in Pakistan and they enjoy their visit and they get respect from all Pakistanis but being a Pakistani, I am restricted to visit them only because I am a Muslim.

I want to know that why are we restricted not to enter in Samadhis?. Do Sikhs consider us "Achut" or "Maleech"?. Do they think we are dirty?. Or they think the Gurdwara or Samadhi will be dirty due to our visit?. I am just unable to understand this.

I could never imagine such an insulting behaviour from Pakistani Sikhs but last year when my cousins came from England and during their visit to historical buildings near Ranjeet Singh's Samadhi, they requested me to bring them to that Samadhi. I also never visited that Samadhi therefore I was also interested to visit it but when I brought them there and we asked permission to enter from Pradhan; he just asked us; havn't you read the notice board outside Samadhi?. Muslims are not allowed to enter!

No doubt, his answer was too insulting and I felt shame in front of all my cousins. So, I want to ask from you that why Sikhism teaches its people to insult Muslims?. And why are we not allowed to enter in Gurdwaras?.

I am not asking you to give me permission for all these things; I am really not interested to visit any Samadhi or Gurdwara anymore; my first and last insult is enough for me as a big lesson but I just want to know that why it happens to Muslims?.

Hope to hear from you soon.

 

[drkhalsa]

Re: A disturbing message from Lahore, Pakistan

Dear Aman

Indeed youare right in saying that this message is disturbing and it also says something about various people who hold the key post (like pardan and so on )
these people are so uneducayed in sikhi and are full of arogance most of the time
I am still finding it difficult to accept what is written in message and would like to confirm this from some other souce


Jatinder Singh

 

[Arvind]

Re: A disturbing message from Lahore, Pakistan

I find this total ignorance and arrogance on the part of people in the Gurudwaras there, who present such rules, which has nothing to do with Sikhi principles.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

Re: A disturbing message from Lahore, Pakistan

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki FATEH.

By the looks of it this "message" was Mass mailed to many Sikh Forums and individuals. It has suddenly appeared all over....

The Truth is that the NOTICE alluded to by the mailer is NOT put up by the Gurdwara management but by the PAKISTAN GOVT. NO GURDWARA through out the WORLD carries any suhc NOtice is ample proof that our Gurdwaras are open to all.

I have no idea behind the rerasoning...but judging by the NON_MUSLIMS ONLY..notices we come across frequently in MALAYSIA ( All Churches/non muslim organsiations that conduct a "religious meeting/show/drama/ etc that ..."may have religious undertones or message..." MUST NOT have MUSLIMS in the audience. The Organsisers by LAW MUSt post a Notice saying NON MUSLIMS ONLY...and all newspaper advertisements of the Event must carry this NON MUSLIMS ONLY. IF you dont and a Muslim is present..you can be charged for "attempting to Convert a Muslim and that is a Crime under the law)...the Pakistani Govt is attempting to PROTECT the MUSLIMS..( Remember what JEHANGIR WROTE in his Tuzekeh Jehangiiri about his REASON to Martyr Guru Arjun Ji...he wrote and i quote.." I have for a long long time thought about CLOSING this SHOP of Flasehood that Guru Arjun has been running... I am worried that not only Hindus..BUT MANY MUSLIMS also have been going there and converting to the Guru's new religion..."..well this seems to be the EXACT same reason that the pakistani Authorities have Today.

Secondly the Pak Govt may be attempting to keep "mischief makers" out as well...IF Muslims have open access who knows alquaeda/taliban types may slip in and create havoc by placing suicide bombers/bombs etc

Or there may be other reason..BUT the Important thing to inform this Mailer is that the SIKHS PLACE NO SUCH RESTRICTIONS on anybody...all our Gurdwaras have FOUR DOORS open to ALL without discrimination of any sort.

Also please add a benti ( plea) to this Muslim mailer to also WRITE to the Saudi Authorities....Dubai/Kuwaiti/ and other Middle east Govts to OPEN up the Mecca/Medina and also other places to SIKH Tourists...allow GURDWARAS to be set up openly....


Jarnail Singh Gyani

 

[vijaydeep Singh]

Re: A disturbing message from Lahore, Pakistan

Gurfateh

This the way Islamic state works that it si rule that no Muslim can be converted into another faith.

Incidently in the time of Ranjeet Singh rule there was no restriction for Sikhs to convewrt to other faiths.

 

[sher]

Re: A disturbing message from Lahore, Pakistan

I am sorry that you can't enter.
It is not our practice to shun anyone out especially Muslims because it was Mian Mir, a friend of Guru Arjan Sahib Ji, who laid the foundation stone of Harmandir Sahib, aka, The Golden Temple. How could we not allow you in? Never! The rules in Paistan are made by Waqaf Board due to some misguided bad people who wanted to go inside the 'qafir' places and destroy them. In order to guard Sikkhs and their shrines the Pakistan Government made those rules and Sikh caretakers follow those rules for same reasons. I am sorry it is the practice and I hope it will get changed for future. You should approach PSGPC and tell them how you feel.

js sidhu
Edmonton

 

[DS777]

It is obvious that our Pakistani friend has never been to Mecca. About 20 miles outside of Mecca, huge road signs start to appear, directing non-Muslims (Christians specifically) to a route which bypasses the "Holy City." I would love to visit Mecca and Madinah, but under Islamic law, as a non-Muslim, I am not allowed to enter either city. Although I might not personally agree with this, we must all respect our brother's and sister's various beliefs, whether we like them or not.

 

[Lucy Ahmed]

I've just came back from visiting Lahore, and I did have the same experienced when I wanted to enter Ranjit Singh's gurdwara - I was blocked at the gate. But whatever said by the poster here was not right, or rather it was a misconception.

I am not a Sikh. I am a Malaysian and married to a Muslim man, but I love visiting all the houses of God. What I found is that as a woman, I rather feel reluctant to visit a mosque, but never felt so whenever I visited a gurdwara. I always feel welcome in all the gurdwaras I visited (Malaysia, Australia, India, Bagladesh), so much so that they even allowed me into the kichen to help prepared the langar. So the thought of being "dirty" here was very wrong indeed.

So let me share my experience of visiting the gurdwaras in Pakistan here. Yes, they stopped me at the gate of Ranjit Singh gurdwara, and told me, "Only Sikhs and Hindus are allow in." But I was very determined to go in, as my visit to Lahore or Pakistan would not be complete would I not go in and bow in-front of the granth at the gurdwara there. Anyway, there was a lot of back and forth talks at the gate, and still they didn't allowed me in, but because of my determination, I finally decided to simply walked in. I noticed someone followed me for a short distance as I walked around the ground - passing the langar room, and all those tiny visitor rooms and etcs. Then I went into the prayer room and made my bow to the holy granth, and even took the prasad (halwa). Again here, I made a mistake by holding up only "1" hand to received the prasad, which was quickly corrected by the kind serving man without any fussed at all.

On the way out, I was shock when out of nowhere a middle-age man suddenly appeared banding in front of me, and touched my feet. I thought, he was begging for money but no, he was only giving his respect. I was overwhelmed. How strange...

I also went to Guru Nanak Gurdwara at Nankana. Over there, there it was more relax. They didn't even ask your religion, and all those Muslim Pakistanis who came with me were allowed in without any fuss, except to be reminded to cover the head as a respect. A uniformed sikh man spent all his time explaining to us about the birthplace - the pictures and the swords, and etcs. I bowed to the granth and gave my offering, and took plenty of pictures everywhere. A man even took us to the water well, and opened the gate to show us what's in it.

So here I can assure you, how welcoming are the sikhs in their gurdwara towards their visitors. Any discrimination are all a misconception. I believe as Jarnail Singh here said that the signboard posted outside was nothing but political. No one is insulting anyone here, but in fact it was a respect to the "rules and regulations" of the Pakistani Govt. and to the Muslim community, that to make sure 'only Sikhs and Hindus' are allow into the gurdwara. And the men with guns outside the gurdwara were only to deter some unnecessary disturbance.

For the poster above: Please write to your own government for the declaration on this regard as I am as a visitor to Pakistan is affected too by the Notice posted outside the gate.

Let Us Live in Peace.

 

[Sikh80]

it is not a question of right or wrong.It is more of a reciprocity. I wonder if any sikh would be allowed to enter a Mosque.

I have tried, for curosity sake, to visit Jama masjid in New Dehli. The response was colder than that you might have even imagined. I think we are governed by history and it shall be so for the time to come.

Government is not supposed to pass any ordinance or any statute in the matter of faith. It is the helplessness of any Government for that matter.

However, my full sympathy is with you and wish that things could have been better in this regard for both the communities.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

IN MALAYSIA..we always have had Muslim Pakistanis visiting Gurdwaras for langgar/companionship of fellow Punjabis.

Recently there was a politicla upheavel in which the Fundamentalist Islamic Party won Power...many of their Hajjis attended Vasakhi Celebrations in Gurdwaras and ate Langgar in Pangat.

The entire World knows that SIKH GURDWARAS are OPEN to ALL.

Gyani jarnail Singh