I am aware that my view may annoy some in here. But that is not the intention. It is to have a conversation about things even as unsavoury as this one. Bradford is the Mecca of Muslims because of the concentration of Muslim population. I am a bit confused by this news article and also by the ignorance of the Gurdwara management.
Does this mean that Gurdwara is situated in an Industrial area? If it is, then nothing can be done. Secondly, we are making a big thing out of this. I would say- So What? If our Gurus were as sensitive about these kinds of petty things that we are now, then we would not have 25 million Sikhs today.
I have no idea how many times I have eaten Halal not knowing it was. I am sure many can say the same.
Most of the slaughterhouses all over are sound proof. If they were not, then the whole world would stop eating any kind of meat. Do we claim that Jhatka is not painful to the animals if they feel any pain? No one has any idea how the animals are slaughtered if they are not kosher/halal.
If we do not believe in the ritual of Kosher/Halal, then why would it bother us eating it? Has anyone eaten a sandwich from a kosher deli in New York? In the article about the Rabbi posted here on SPN, Gurprakash Singh was taken to a deli by the Rabbi and his fellow Jews and we all know it was a kosher deli. I do not know whether he is a vegetarian or not. If he is, then all the veggies are displayed next to the meats. If he eats meat, then he did eat kosher which is not “kosher” at all.
Did Guru Nanak refuse to go to Mecca because of the ritual of Hajj?
No. He went there to have a conversation, to show the meaninglessness of the rituals.
If we start acting like others, then we have forgotten the whole meaning of Sikhi given to us by Guru Nanak.
Here are some questions to ponder:
1. How far is far enough for the pub/bar to be from the Gurdwara?
2. Should the alcohol drinking Sikhs have SGGS at home where they have the bar?
3. Is SGGS an idol or is it understanding and practicing of Guru Shabad?
4. Is it OK to pass in front of the bars/pubs/night clubs etc. etc. with the SGGS during our Nagar Keertans?
5. Is game meat when hunted jhatka if the animal takes time dying?
Guru Nanak founded Sikhi for us not to have these hang ups but to delve into the new thought process where Mann becomes the gravitational energy for all our actions.
If Sikhs are so upset about it, then why don’t they buy land next to this slaughterhouse and start doing Jhatkas, pigs included? But it would be just an anti Sikhi endeavour of a feel good vengeance. Nothing good will come out of it.
Trimaan, my 18 year old son shared an interesting thought about jhatka on the other day. He said, Guru Gobind Singh created jhatka to make a dent in the Halal business because that was the only meat available during the Mughal era beside it also being ritualistic. His view does make a lot of sense to me. But this cannot be done now because halal is subsidised by the petro dollars and is much cheaper all over. This is the reason most of the restaurants serve it without announcing it.
Let’s start thinking as Sikhs the way Gurbani urges us. If not, then we have turned Sikhi into just one more dogmatic religion, not the one with a celestial thought process the way Guru Nanak started it.
Let's not make the four walls of Gurdwara a mere place of worship because Ik Ong Kaar resides in all there is. If we feel offended by the slaughterhouse next to the Gurdwara, then we have sadly forgotten the true meaning of it, – The Portal of Wisdom- which is everywhere where Guru Shabad exists, in multiple forms; in CD's, DVD's, ipods etc. etc.
Tejwant Singh
